Did you notice that about 7% of F.R.I.E.N.D.S jokes are hard to get? Especially if you are from a different country, like me. I've started this joke-research when I was learning English at home. I loved getting nerdy with all the cultural references here. The aim of this blog is to help you laugh with confidence at every joke our English speaking friends make. Subscribe to my YouTube channel. Explore the blog posts archive. And share your perspective on the jokes!
Kate
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Chandler: You don't get a lot of 'doy' these days...
What is 'doy'? And why don't you get a lot of it these days?
Rachel has lost her engagement ring. Guys are helping her to find it.
Joey: Alright, when did you have it on last?
Phoebe: Doy! Probably right before she lost it!
Chandler: You don't get a lot of 'doy' these days...
What meaning does this doy-exclamation carry? And why is it currently out of fashion?
Doy is a word from social dialect in American English called Valleyspeak. This style of speaking has been trending in 1980s and 1990s, with a pick from 1981 to 1985. So it makes sense that Chandler notices that Phoebe's "doy" that means sort of "wasn't this obvious, huh?" goes out of fashion.
The Valleyspeak itself is a lot about the way it sounds, not the words exactly. It includes such features as nasal sound, fast-paced run-on sentences, breathiness, uptalk, or the sound of a question and vocal fry. If you wan to get a sense of it listen to Britney Spears or Kim Kardashian talk.
But also there is a list of words that give away the Valleyspeak influence. Watch out for "to be all" or "to be all like" used in the same manner as "to be like", "whatever" or "as if" used to express any disbelief. Also "totally" meaning "quite" or "very", "seriously" as a frequent interjection of approval or an inquiry of veracity. I remember hearing some characters in movies use "bitchin'" meaning "excellent", and "grody" meaning "dirty". And I myself do overuse "like" to help me keep my speech flowing.
Knowing these words it might me seductive to try and include them in your speech. I wouldn't if you can. They say Valleyspeak is often thought to be "silly" and "superficial" and seen as a sign of low intelligence. Speakers are also often perceived as "materialistic" and "air-headed".
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Also this video explains it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITuRBsfSSXY and this site: http://tv-esl.com/you-dont-get-a-lot-of-doy-these-days-meaning/
Who is Holden McGroin? Joey looks for a new stage name. Over the episode he tries many of them on. By the end he appears on a stage and introduces himself with a name that gets lots of laughter from the audience. Joey: Holden McGroin. Who is Holden McGroin? And why is Joey taking that name is funny? At first I thought Holden McGroin is some all America-famous guy. But I googled and googled and nothing. But than I realized Holden McGroin is a play of sounds. If you say really quickly 'Holden McGroin' native speaker would hear not a name but three words 'holding my growing'. It is your first step in understanding the joke. The next step is that you got to know that 'growing' in slang means 'testicles'. The rest is pretty about putting two parts together. A man holding on to one's testicles in public is considered weird and therefore funny. I love this joke, not just because most of the traffic to this blog comes through googling 'Holden McGroin
What does the phrase 'stop the Q-Tip when there's resistance' mean? Chandler needs new pants made and asks friends for a contact of a good tailor. Joey raises a hand - yep, he has a tailor. Chandler feels all set. But Joey starts to share way too much of boring detail. Joey : He did my first suit when I was 15... No, wait, 16... No, excuse me, 15... All right, when was 1990? Chandler : You have to stop the Q-Tip when there's resistance! What is Q-Tip? What is the whole "You have to stop the Q-Tip when there's resistance" expression is referring to? Apparently the joke was among few that Matthew Perry, the actor who played Chandler has improvised on the set. Also that is the joke some websites say that Matthew is the most proud of. So let's try and get it! Q-Tip is a cotton swabs brand name. You know the ones you use to clean your ears after a bath. Q here stands of "Quality". Americans say "Q-tip" but often mean not a particular
What is a dinkle? Joey plays Dr.Freud. Suddenly he rises and does a little dance and sing: Joey: All you want is a dinkle What you envy's a schwang A thing through which you can tinkle To play with or simply let hang Why is this dinkle-song funny? Joey is playing Freud in this show. Sigmund Freud was a founder of psychoanalysis. Freud is also quite famous for inventing the theory of penis envy. The idea that some women's problems take root in their deep dark desire for a penis of their own. Now this theory isn't all that popular. But it could be a fun referral, yes. Dingle and schwang in the song is a slang for penis. Tinkle is a cute children's word for peeing. It is either that or Joey's imitation of German accent what turns Dingle into Dinkle. An old penis-envy theory, slang and a sort of cute switch of Dingle to Dinkle are what make the song eventually funny. If you are curious for another pretty awesome theory on how musical Love, Torment & Lolli
Also this video explains it:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITuRBsfSSXY
and this site:
http://tv-esl.com/you-dont-get-a-lot-of-doy-these-days-meaning/