lemon party

[Ben Zimmer]

On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 12:17 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
> Ben, it was "Archer."

Ah, figures. The line "More like Lemon Party Chairman!" appeared on
the season finale on Apr. 21:

http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/04/21/archer-season-finale-double-trouble/

And the Simpsons reference was in the Jan. 16 episode, "Flaming Moe."
Here's a clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jftig3yHP8

--bgz


> On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 10:11 AM, Ben Zimmer wrote:
>
>>
>> I don't know what cartoon Jon's friend was watching, but "lemon party"
>> has received a boost of attention this week because Jon Stewart
>> mentioned it on "The Daily Show" on Monday. He was talking about Rick
>> Santorum's "Google problem," and offered a "Google break" so viewers
>> unfamiliar with Dan Savage's notorious appropriation of "Santorum"
>> could learn about it. He then said, "Santorum might as well change his
>> name to 'lemon party.' Go ahead, Google that, I'll wait."
>>
>>
>> http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-may-9-2011/indecision-2012---good-luck-motherf--kers-edition---blather-for-elephants
>> (starting at about 1:40)
>>
>> --bgz
>>
>>
>> On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 8:35 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>> >
>> > A friend called long distnace to ask the meaning of this phrase, which he'd
>> > heard on his favorite television cartoon. He was mystified and so was I, so
>> > I made inquiry of another friend, chosen at random.
>> >
>> > He confessed having heard "lemon party" a few years ago, from Mr. Burns
>> > of _The Simpsons_, but had no idea what it meant either.
>> >
>> > UrbanDictionary instantly revealed that the meaning is (I'm
>> > paraphrasing) "an orgy of unclothed, elderly homosexual men."
>> >
>> > The term seemingly derives from the name of an internationally popular
>> > website featuring on-the-spot pictures of such events. My good sense and
>> > powers of imagination kept me from going there.
>> >
>> > But here's the point: in bronto days, when I was a lad, we didn't feel
>> the
>> > lack, so obvious in retrospect, of a handy designator for that particular
>> > referent.
>> >
>> > Why was that?
>> >
>> > JL
>> >
>> > --
>> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>> truth."
>> >
>> > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>> --
>> Ben Zimmer
>> http://benzimmer.com/
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--
Ben Zimmer
http://benzimmer.com/

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org