Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend

[Chris Angelico]

On Thu, Nov 21, 2013 at 10:53 PM, Antoon Pardon
<antoon.pardon at rece.vub.ac.be> wrote:
> Op 20-11-13 19:09, Mark Lawrence schreef:
>> I suggest that you write to the BBC and get all episodes of the
>> extremely popular *COMEDY* "Dad's Army" withdrawn as "typical shabby
>> Nazi trick" was one of Captain Mainwearing's main lines.
>
> Honestly? You expect people to recognize a main line from an old
> television series?

Well, a good British comedy does go around a long way. I have to say,
though, the shortness of the line makes it harder to recognize. Only
in the tightest of circles could one say "Bother that telephone!" and
have people understand that it's a reference to the Fat Controller
from The Railway Series (aka the Thomas the Tank Engine books). The
more quote you make, the more likely that pieces of it will be
recognized.

But as I said, all it takes is a little footnote, or something like
"... typical shabby Nazi trick, as Capt Mainwearing would say", to
make it clear. Most (all?) of us would understand that as a
joke/reference and as not offensive.

ChrisA