Culturally significant words and phrases from The Simpsons
The Simpsons, an animated television series, has used and coined many neologisms for humorous effect. The most famous example is Homer Simpson's signature annoyed grunt, "D'oh!" which has been listed in the Oxford English Dictionary, in addition to smaller references such as OUP's single-volume Oxford Dictionary of English (second edition).
Few of the following would qualify as neologisms from a strict lexicological perspective due to their extremely limited use outside of the show. For those that have found their way into regular use, the route passes through the considerable fan-base where use of these words carries the prestige of pop-culture literacy among those who catch the references, just as among other cultural groups a clever parallel to a well-known phrase from the literary or rhetorical canon would be acknowledged.
The following is presented more as a glossary of words or phrases invented by the show which one or more characters use in regular speech, as though intended as real terms. This does not include names of invented characters, locations, or products.
A
A wizard did it
A suspiciously evasive answer to an inquiry, usually with the implication the question is either being purposely avoided or is in fact silly or overthought. The phrase was widely propagated through Internet message boards, frequently as a catch-all response to continuity errors in games or webcomics. (See PFM)
The phrase originated in The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror X" when Lucy Lawless responds to Professor Frink's question regarding a continuity error in Xena: Warrior Princess.
- Frink: Yes, over here, m-hay, m-haven … in Episode BF12, you were battling barbarians while riding a winged appaloosa yet in the very next scene my dear, you're clearly atop a winged Arabian! Please do explain it!
- Lucy Lawless: Uh, yeah, well whenever you notice something like that … a wizard did it.
- Frink: Yes, alright, yes, in Episode AG04 …
- Lucy Lawless: Wizard!
- Frink: Oh for glaven out loud.
It is also reminiscent of Terry Pratchett's reasoning for not making more use of magic in his fantasy novels, i.e. that because magic is a non-existent force that an author can use to do anything, it can become a deus ex machina plot device. "A wizard did it" can be used as a sarcastic retort to a fantasy story that overuses magic to drive the story forward.
The phrase (or similar reasoning) may well be older than either The Simpsons or Pratchett. Don Quixote often makes reference to 'sage enchanters' who assist knights-errant in their fantastic feats. In chapter four of book four of the first volume, Don Quixote refers to such enchanters bringing friends to a knight's aid and transporting them to their own homes for dinner afterwards, though the home was several thousand miles from the battlefield. The knight remarks on this in reference to the remarkable speed his squire Sancho Panza made in delivering a letter to his mistress Doña Dulcinea del Toboso, a journey of some thirty leagues, or approximately ninety miles, each way, in only three days.
A similar concept attaches to the Rabbinical principle of kfizat ha-derech or The Road Jumped (an idiomatic phrase for "shortcut") to explain how certain figures from the Talmud could be in two places hundreds of miles apart despite travelling between them on the same night.
America Junior
A term for Canada coined by Homer in "The Bart Wants What It Wants."
- Homer: Canada? Why should we leave America to visit America Junior?
America's Wang
A term coined by Homer in reference to Florida's shape, compared to the rest of the United States, resembling a penis.
- Homer: Florida?! But that's America's Wang!
- Psychiatrist: They prefer 'The Sunshine State.'
Assal Horizontology
A medical term coined by Dr. Nick Riviera in "King-Size Homer". Homer Simpson tries to gain weight to get on workers' compensation. While prescribing a diet consisting of a slow gorging process for Homer, Dr. Nick suggests that it be combined with assal horizontology.
Avoision
Kent Brockman's conflation of the words avoidance and evasion (and possibly aversion) in "Bart the Fink."
When corrected through his earpiece, Brockman responds to them on-air: "I say avoision." This is a reference to a William Shatner outtake where he argues with his director over "sabotage": "You say sabotage. I say sabot-age" (rhyming with the word badge).
The term avoision originated in the literature of the anti-taxation movement in the U.S. in the 1970s; it was coined to get around laws against advocating or providing advice relating to tax evasion.
B
Banjologist
An expert in banjo based musical styles.
In the episode "Home Away From Homer", Lisa listens to a radio program on obscure music, and hears the host refer to a guest as a banjologist, using ology as the suffix for the study of a subject (or sometimes the subject itself, although this is technically incorrect).
Bartesque
An invented French word that means "being like Bart" (i.e., mischievous).
- Bart: But it involves being a bit underhanded, a bit devious, a bit, as the French say: Bartesque.
Basegame
A variant of baseball, but without a ball, offered at Springfield Elementary while the school's only ball was being repaired.
Beginulate
Used by Professor John Frink as part of his pseudo-scientific jargon, merely as a more complicated verb form of "begin".
Its use appears in the "Treehouse of Horror XV" short In the Belly of the Boss:
- Frink: "Let the commencement… beginulate!"
Beheadbumped
Bumped on the head. Used in The Wettest Stories Ever Told when Ned Flanders is knocked unconscious by Homer's bowling ball from the roof.
Belly Fruit
A term for babies coined by Brandine.
Bemusement Park
An amusement park that bemuses instead of amusing. Coined by Ned Flanders in I'm Goin' to Praiseland.
- Ned: Oh, Maude, I've turned your dream of a Christian amusement park into a bemusement park.
- Homer: Don't say that, Ned!
- Ned: It is! It's a bemusement park!
The phrase might also be intended as a play on letter grading from A-musement to B-musement.
Blingwad
Unclassified transformed matter.
- Krusty the Clown: I oughta replace it right now with that Chinese cartoon with the robots that turn into...blingwads! But I'm a lazy, lazy man.
(From the episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show".)
Blubber-in-law
A term used by Patty and Selma to denigrate Homer.
Blundering Numbskullery
Burns' insult to an assassin who can't do the job of killing Grampa Simpson.
- Assassin: [after failing to kill Grampa] D'oh! Not again!
- Burns: I can't take much more of your blundering numbskullery.
From the episode "Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish"."
Bonus Eruptus
A medical condition coined by Dr. Nick Riviera that is described as "a terrible condition where the skeleton tries to leap out of the mouth and escape the body" in "22 Short Films About Springfield".
The term came to be when a frantic Abe Simpson demanded to see a quack. Abe's symptoms included being "edgy", having "ants in his pants" and being "discombobulated". Dr. Nick also warned Grandpa that if he didn't calm down to receive treatment, Grandpa would give himself skin failure. Dr. Nick's prescribed treatment for Bonus Eruptus was "Trans-dental Electromicide", which called for a golf-cart motor and a 1000-volt "Capacimator". High voltage is applied to the patient's teeth, presumably until he is either cured or dead.
This is a reference to the common cartoon trope of a skeleton escaping a character's mouth in fright, and possibly a reference to the Ray Bradbury short story "Skeleton".
Boo-urns
What Smithers tells Burns the angry movie audience is saying after a screening of his film "A Burns for All Seasons".
During the episode "A Star is Burns", Mr. Burns asks his faithful assistant Waylon Smithers if the crowd is booing his blatantly egotistical motion picture. Smithers, ever the yes-man, replies that they are saying "boo-urns" (i.e. "Burns"), and not "boo". When Burns asks for clarification, the crowd replies that they are indeed saying "boo", and not "boo-urns". After the crowd replies, Hans Moleman says that, in fact, he was saying "boo-urns".
- Hans Moleman: I was saying "boo-urns…"
Brain medicine
A fictitious medicine mentioned by Homer in an attempt to get Bart and Lisa to open the car's glove compartment.
Homer asks Bart to "open the glove compartment and fetch [him his] brain medicine" in the episode "Homerpalooza". The brain medicine turns out to be tickets to Hullabalooza.
The term "brain medicine" was also used in "Lisa's Wedding" by an insane relative of Lisa's fiancée:
- Lisa: I love that painting. Judging by the clothes, I'd say...seventeenth century?
- Mrs. Parkfield: Actually, Lisa, it's just Uncle Eldred.
- Eldred: [fishing in an empty fishbowl] I get me brain medicine from the National 'Ealth!
Brassafrax
Presumably an extremely antiquated cry of submission (as in "Uncle!") used by Montgomery Burns's mother in the episode "Homer the Smithers". When Smithers wants to regain Burns's trust, he tells Homer to call Burns's mother and transfer the call to his office. Smithers's plan is to rush in and rescue Burns from what will certainly be an awkward phone conversation.
- Smithers: Hello, Mrs. Burns? This is Waylon Smithers. I have your son Montgomery on the line...
- Mrs. Burns: That improvident lackwit? Always too busy stridin' about his atom mill to call his own mother. I'll give him what-fors 'till he cries brassafrax!
C
California Cheeseburger
A sandwich with a baby in the middle, first seen in The Secret War of Lisa Simpson.
Chief Wiggum shows a group of touring kids a museum display of a hippie couple who are getting stoned and ready to take a bite of the "California Cheeseburger."
Capdabbler
A word made up by Mr. Burns in "Last Exit to Springfield" for a song parodying Dr. Seuss's "The Grinch":
"Look at them all, through the darkness I'm bringing
They're not sad at all. They're actually singing!
They sing without juicers
They sing without blenders
They sing without flungers, capdabblers and smendlers!"
The word may be derived from the "Cap Snaffler" invented by Ron Popeil of Veg-o-matic and Pocket Fisherman fame.
Car Hole
A common man's term for garage, coined by Moe Szyslak in "The Springfield Connection".
While "Car Hole" appears only twice in the series itself, it is often used by fans to jokingly refer to a garage, or garage-like structure. The phrase first appears in a conversation between Moe Szyslak and Homer Simpson, wherein Moe ridicules Homer for his use of the overly formal word, "garage".
- Homer: Hmm. I wonder why he's so eager to go to the garage?
- Moe: The "garage"? Hey fellas, the "garage"! Well, ooh la di da, Mr. French Man.
- Homer: Well what do you call it?
- Moe: A car hole!
The phrase appears once more, as Homer Simpson expresses his shock, upon discovering a counterfeit jeans outfit has (inexplicably) taken up operation in his garage.
- Homer: [gasps] A counterfeit jeans ring operating out of my car hole!
Due to Hank Azaria's delivery of Moe's line (and perhaps closed-caption mistakes), many people have mistakenly heard this as "Car Hold".
Chazzwozzers
A fictitious Australian name for the American bullfrog.
As the Simpsons depart from Australia, an Australian equivalent of Squeaky Voiced Teen asks what the strange creature infesting his home country is called. Upon receiving its proper name, he responds, "Bullfrog! That's an odd name. I'd have called them chazzwozzers."
Cheese-eating surrender monkeys
A satirical and insulting phrase, referring to the French, which gained notoriety in the United States, particularly in the run-up to the war in Iraq.
Chestal
Of, or relating to, the chest.
- Bart: I'm all tense through the chestal area!
The word "chestal," in this sense, first became popular in the 1960s when Woody Allen used it in one of his stand-up comedy routines. It then appeared on the episode, "Bart's Girlfriend"
Also used: "neckal" and "scalpal". A similar term, "crotchal", was used in the movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
Chester A. Arthritis
A condition resulting from excitement over studying President Chester A. Arthur. Lisa jokes about having just gotten over her "Chester A. Arthritis" before coming down with "Jebeditis".
Chocotastic
One of the three neglected food groups, along with the Whipped group and the Congealed group, that Homer must concentrate on eating more of in "King-Size Homer"
This word has made its way into international culture, as there are Pop Tarts available in The Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe with the flavor of Chocotastic.
Clouseauesque
A combination of excessive clumsiness and ridiculously bad luck, in the manner of Peter Sellers's hapless Inspector Jacques Clouseau. From the episode "The Boy Who Knew Too Much".
The French waiter, who accused Freddy Quimby of attacking him, says in the court room, "This is an outrage! I am not a clumsy clouseauesque waiter!" He then falls out of the window into an open truck of rat traps.
Clown Pole
Some form of pole (presumably) used by clowns for poking, and other clown-related activities.
The phrase originates from the term "ten foot barge pole", which refers to a long pole used by boatmen to propel a vessel through shallow water. To "not touch (something) with a ten foot (barge) pole" is to stay away from or avoid it, through fear and apprehension, or self-importance and superiority. The latter usage applies to the phrase by Krusty the Clown.
- Krusty: You will now go back to your home towns and do kids' parties, swap meets, and all the other piddling crap I wouldn't touch with a ten foot clown pole.
From the episode "Homie the Clown".
Commie-Nazis
Fictional villains Rainier Wolfcastle faces in one of his McBain movies.
While delivering UNICEF pennies to "the puny children who need them", the airplane he is in gets attacked. He picks up the radio and says, "McBain to base, under attack by Commie-Nazis." These "Commie-Nazis" combine Russian Communism and Nazi ideology, and use a mix of the Swastika and Hammer and Sickle on a red background as their standard.
This phrase was appropriated without attribution - and apparently without irony - by right-wing radio personality and author Michael Savage, as a way to refer to all left-liberal opinion.
- See also: National Bolshevism
Crantastic
A reference to an Ocean Spray advertising device, where the word "cranberry" is reanalyzed as a compound of two distinct [morphemes] and "cran" becomes lexicalized.
Also note the reanalysis of "fantastic" using the same methodology. Said by the squeaky-voiced teen as he is swept away by a tide of cranberry juice in "Homer and Apu".
Crap Factory
Invented by Bart as a dysphemism for "stomach" after Nelson takes exception to his saying "tummy."
- Bart: "'Stomach,' 'gut,' 'crap factory!'"
Craptacular
A combination of "crap" and "spectacular."
Craptacular was used by Bart to describe the supposedly defective Christmas lights that Homer purchased in "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace". It is one of the more frequently used made-up words from The Simpsons, and, like a few others, was being used before The Simpsons popularized it.
Crisitunity
A portmanteau created by Homer when Lisa tells him that the Chinese have the same word for "crisis" and "opportunity". The actual Chinese words for those terms are different but share a common character (危機 for "crisis", 機會 for "opportunity").
From "Fear of Flying".
Cromulent
A word meaning valid or acceptable, coined by David X. Cohen for the Simpsons episode "Lisa the Iconoclast".
When schoolteacher Edna Krabappel hears the Springfield town motto, "A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man," she comments she'd never heard of the word embiggens before moving to Springfield. Miss Hoover, another teacher, replies, "I don't know why; it's a perfectly cromulent word".
Later in the same episode, while talking about Homer's audition for the role of town crier, Principal Skinner states "He's embiggened that role with his cromulent performance."
Based on the context in which Miss Hoover uses the word cromulent, we can interpret that she intends it to mean "legitimate", "applicable" or "appropriate." Principal Skinner seems to use it to mean "more than acceptable" or "more than adequate"; these usages would also (in an assumed lexical context) satisfy Miss Hoover's use of the word. Perhaps both characters intend it to mean "authentic", which would validate both uses of the word (e.g. "it's a perfectly authentic word" and "he embiggened that role with his authentic performance"). Lisa uses it later in that episode, when instead of telling the truth about Jebediah Springfield, she accepts that the myth and the made-up words have inspirational value. The word has a sort of recursive irony about it: as a made-up word it possesses none of the qualities that it describes.
Both "embiggen" and "cromulent" were quickly adopted and used by Simpsons fans. Cromulent has taken on an ironic meaning, to say that something is not at all legitimate and in fact spurious. Indeed the DVD commentary for "Lisa the Iconoclast" makes a point of reinforcing that "embiggen" and "cromulent" are completely made up by the writers and have since taken on a life of their own via the Internet and other media.
In the 2005 Xbox game Jade Empire, the player meets a British-colonialist-styled outsider (voiced by John Cleese) who uses made-up and mispronounced words. When the player confronts the man with this, the man claims that one of the words he used was "cromulent".
"Cromulent" has since appeared in the Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English. (lookup via reference.com.)
Crotch Dot
A red dot that appears on one's crotch, and is thought to be fatal (Chief Wiggum's uncle died of Crotch Dot). Seymour Skinner was suspected of having this disease, although in reality, it was a laser pointer used as a prank by Bart. From "The Dad Who Knew Too Little". Compare to "crotch rot", a slang term for jock itch.
D
Dash Hole
Another name for the cigarette lighter power socket.
This name was used by the automotive appliance salesman when asking Homer what he had plugged into his Dash Hole. From "Brake My Wife, Please."
Deceleratrix
The service brakes on a car.
Mr. Burns attempts to drive a car for the first time while proclaiming he is sure the owners' manual will instruct him as to which lever is the velocitator and which one is the deceleratrix. The word is formed by applying the largely antiquated feminine suffix '-trix' to the real word "decelerator". From "Homer the Smithers"
Dickety
Grandpa Simpson's made-up word for twenty in the episode "Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish"."
- Abe: Now, my story begins in nineteen-dickety-two. We had to say "dickety" 'cause the Kaiser had stolen our word "twenty". I chased that rascal to get it back, but gave up after dickety-six miles…
The word may have a faux "old timer" feel because of its similarity to the words "dicker" and lickety as in "lickety split." Dicker is a word for bargain that's sometimes associated with rural or antiquated settings.
In the Latin American version the word used is "tijiri", which has no actual meaning or similarity to another word.
The German version is "zwickig", which also has no meaning, but sounds similar to "zwanzig" ("twenty").
The term pokes fun at the common habit of replacing words during the anti-German sentiment of World War I, such as the replacing of Sauerkraut with "Liberty Cabbage" (according to Grandpa, Liberty Cabbage was, in turn, known as "Super Slaw"). See also Political neologism.
Diddly
Ned Flanders' characteristic non-word.
Generally speaking, "diddly", though not in itself a made-up word, is used by Ned Flanders in what linguists call a filled pause, a non-word which a speaker uses to take up time or space in a sentence, and which are sometimes used for emphasis. Flanders often uses "diddly" as an alliteration in his sentences, i.e. "What can I diddly-do you for?" or "Dee-diddly-lighted!" Flanders also seems to use filled pauses as a crutch to avoid swearing, as in "son of a diddly...", until he finally snaps in "Hurricane Neddy" when the inept townspeople of Springfield, in a disasterous attempt to rebuild his house, push him too far: "Calm down, Neddilly-diddily-diddily-diddily.... They did their best.... Shoddilly-iddily-iddily-diddly... Gotta be nice.... hostility-ilitybilitydilityaaaw hell diddly ding dong crap! Can't you morons do anything right?!"
Occasionally, Flanders will use "diddly" as a tmesis such as in the episode "Summer of 4 Ft. 2" in his note at the summer house to the Simpsons ("Wel-diddly-elcome").
It was also used as a familial word when the 'Flanders Clan' has a reunion, Jose Flanders says when meeting Homer, "Buenos ding-dong-diddly dias señor".
In the Latin American version, "diddly" is often translated as "-irijillo", an overly elaborate and ridiculous diminutive (e.g. "Perfectirijillo").
Doctorb
Homer, in need of a triple bypass, sees an infomercial showcasing the surgical "talents" of Dr. Nick. In the ad, Dr. Nick gives the toll-free number as, "1-800-DOCTORB", going on to exclaim that, "...The B is for 'bargain'!". It is pronounced, [ˈdɔkˌtoːɻb]
Dodgerock
A game of dodgeball played with a rock instead of a ball. At least one (brief) match was played by Nelson Muntz and Milhouse.
D'oh!
An exclamation of annoyance often uttered by Homer.
In scripts and episode titles, D'oh is referred to as annoyed grunt.
Don't have a cow, man!
An exclamation and catchphrase of Bart that implies that the subject should calm down, or not get worked up about something. It was brought into pop culture mainly by merchandise, as is evidenced by the fact that it is only uttered by Bart on the show a handful of times, and only twice, both in the first season ("There's No Disgrace Like Home" and "Call of the Simpsons"), that weren't self-parodying uses.
In the third season's "Bart the Murderer", Eat My Shorts and Don't Have a Cow are horses in a race. It isn't used again by Bart until the eighth season. In "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show", in response to Homer's cartoon debut, Lisa explains, "you can't be cool just by spouting off a bunch of worn-out buzzwords." Bart replies, "don't have a cow, Lis!" In "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase", Bart sings it along with "eat my shorts!" as part of his musical introduction in the variety show spin-off.
Occasionally, another character has uttered the line. In another self-parodying use, Apu, a vegetarian, shows off his t-shirt with the saying surrounding an actual cow in a no symbol in the seventh season's "Lisa the Vegetarian". In the seventh season's "Summer of 4 Ft. 2", After Bart's complaining that Lisa is acting like him to get friends, Lisa is overheard to say "Don't have a cow, man!" (and later "¡Ay, caramba!") to which Marge replies, "you haven't said that in four years. Let Lisa have it."
Double-Bacon Geniusburger
A very intelligent person, used as an alternate lyric in Homer's version of the Grinch song.
"You're a Hero, Homer J. You're as crafty as a skunk! They'll thank you in the morning, for stealing Flanders's junk, Homer JAAAY! You're a double-bacon geniusburger, and just a little drunk!" From the episode "'Tis The Fifteenth Season".
Drunkening
The process of becoming drunk, a gerund form of the pseudo-verb "To Drunken".
Moe tells Homer he's late for his drunkening. From "Brake My Wife, Please".
Dumbening
The process of becoming dumber.
In the episode "Lisa the Simpson," Lisa is writing in her diary after speaking to Grandpa about "the Simpson Gene", which supposedly makes every male in the Simpson family stupid.
- Lisa: [writing] Dear log, can it be true? Does every Simpson go through a process of dumbening? Hey, that's not how you spell 'dumbening'. Wait a minute… 'dumbening' isn't even a word!
Dumpster Buns
Cinnamon buns thrown out into a dumpster.
In the episode "Thank God it's Doomsday", Homer wants to go to the mall to eat the day old throw aways from Cinnabon. While at the mall, Bart and Lisa run into their father eating out of the dumpster.
- Homer: Mmm... dumpster buns.
E
Electromicide
According to Dr. Nick Riviera, the only treatment for Bonus Eruptus.
Dr. Nick's procedure is trans-dental electromicide, a process of introducing severe electrical currents into the body through the mouth. The word electromicide is possibly a conflation of the prefix electro- with homicide.
Embiggen
To make something better. The opposite of belittle.
From a famous saying by Jebediah Springfield/Hans Sprungfeld: "A Noble Spirit Embiggens the Smallest Man", evoking the manner in which its antonym, belittle, was coined by Thomas Jefferson. It is likely a creative conflation of big with the word embolden (to render bold; to hearten, to encourage).
Examples of use:
- "He's embiggened that role."
- "Patriots will embiggen America."
F
Fantastipotamus
An animal located in a "different" zoo that contains creatures that people like Homer have never heard of.
- Ron Howard: Look, I'd love to help you out, Homer, but I'm taking my kids to the zoo.
- Homer: That's great. Even big stars take their kids to the zoo.
- Ron Howard: Well, it's a different zoo, containing animals you've never heard of.
- Howard's daughter: Daddy, we're missing the fantastipotamus. She only sings twice a day.
A conflation of the words "fantastic" and "hippopotamus".
Farkbot
As in, "What the farkbot?" Said by a frustrated Bart Simpson during the opening scroll of Cosmic Wars.
Faxtrola
What Burns calls a fax machine in "Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish"."
A conflation of the words "fax" and "victrola".
Flanswered
The act of Ned Flanders being the answer to a question or proposition.
- Homer: Single women of Springfield, your prayers have been Flanswered.
From "Alone Again, Natura-Diddly".
Floor Pie
A pie that is on the floor.
In the episode "Boy Scoutz N the Hood", Homer is lured into a trap set up by Bart in which the bait is a pie on the floor ("Ooooh, floor pie!"). This saying has been adapted by some for various objects (e.g. "floor candy" or "floor clothes"). As a general snowclone, Floor [word] is used for an object which is on the floor when it probably shouldn't be.
Swedish-American sculptor Claes Oldenburg also created a large sculpture of a piece of Cake to be displayed on the floor of a gallery entitled Floor Cake.
Flunjer
A word made up by Mr. Burns in "Last Exit to Springfield" for a song parodying Dr. Seuss's "The Grinch,":
"Look at them all, through the darkness I'm bringing
They're not sad at all. They're actually singing!
They sing without juicers
They sing without blenders
They sing without flunjers, capdabblers and smendlers!"
Foodbag
A derogatory term in "Burns, Baby Burns" used by Mr. Burns to describe Homer. It is used while they are eating a lavish dinner together, thus it is likely referring to the amount of food Homer was eating at the time and/or his weight in general.
- Burns: You, foodbag, do you have a son?
Foodrinkery
As seen on the sign for "TGI McScratchy's Goodtime Foodrinkery" in the episode "Itchy & Scratchy Land"
Forfty
A portmanteau of the words "Forty" and "Fifty".
In the episode "Homer the Vigilante", Homer mentions the word as he responds to Kent Brockman about statistics.
- Kent Brockman: Mr. Simpson, how do you respond to the charges that petty vandalism such as graffiti is down eighty percent, while heavy sack-beatings are up a shocking nine hundred percent?
- Homer Simpson: Aw, people can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. Forfty percent of all people know that.
Oddly enough, the captions read "forty" or "fourteen".
(The) Freak States
Alaska and Hawaii, the two American states that are not attached to the physical U.S. mainland.
In the episode "Fear of Flying", after Homer is mistaken for a pilot and damages a plane, the airline offers him him a trip to any of the 48 continental states in exchange for keeping quiet. The offer does not include Alaska or Hawaii, which the airline official describes as "the freak states".
Frinkahedron
Professor Frink's name for a cube (a.k.a. hexahedron).
In the Halloween episode "Treehouse of Horror VI", Professor Frink tries to explain Homer's disappearance into the third dimension. A possible real-life analog to the Frinkahedron is the tesseract.
- Frink: (at chalkboard) Here is an ordinary square.
- Chief Wiggum: Whoa, whoa, slow down, egghead!
- Frink: But, suppose we extend the square beyond the two dimensions of our universe, along the hypothetical Z-axis there.
- Marge, Lisa, Bart, Ned, Reverend Lovejoy, Chief Wiggums, Dr. Hibbert, Patty & Selma: [gasps] (as Frink draws a cube)
- Frink: This forms a three-dimensional object known as a cube or a Frinkahedron, in honour of its discoverer.
- Homer: Help me! Are you helping me, or are you going on and on?
- Frink: Oh, right. And, of course, within, we find the doomed individual.
Frogurt
Portmanteau of "frozen yogurt".
Not a proper neologism, as the term "frozen yogurt" has been used before its appearance on The Simpsons.
- Homer: Do you sell toys?
- Shopkeep: We sell forbidden objects from places men fear to tread. We also sell frozen yogurt, which I call frogurt.
- Homer: Well I need something for my son's birthday.
- Shopkeep: Ah, perhaps this will please the gentleman (points to a talking Krusty the Clown doll). Take this object, but beware - it carries a terrible curse.
- Homer: Oh, that's bad.
- Shopkeep: But it comes with a free frogurt.
- Homer: That's good.
- Shopkeep: The frogurt is also cursed.
- Homer: That's bad.
- Shopkeep: But you get your choice of topping.
- Homer: That's good.
- Shopkeep: The toppings contain potassium benzoate.
- Homer: (blank stare)
- Shopkeep: That's bad.
- Homer: Can I go now?
Fuchsiatard
The ballet teacher's name for Bart's ballet outfit.
Conflation of the words "fuchsia" and "leotard".
Fudrucker
A swear used by Marge during "The President Wore Pearls". When the police show up shortly after she says it, she thinks that they have come to arrest her for saying it. It may be a reference to the Fuddruckers chain of restaurants or alternatively a semi-concealed curse, perhaps inspired by the notorious Fuddle duddle incident in the career of former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau.
Führerific
A conflation of "führer" and "terrific".
This is how Bart describes what is claimed to be Hitler's car in the episode "Bart Carny".
- Bart: It's Führerific.
G
Gamblor
The name Homer gives to the monstrous gambling vice that has metaphorically "enslaved" Marge in "$pringfield." The creature is purported to have neon claws.
Garbagewater
Homer spills some detritus-laced liquid from the bottom of the garbage can on his slipper while taking out the trash and coins this word, as in, "eww! Garbagewater!"
Gibby Gabby
Marge's name for the Albanian language, as uttered upon hearing the dialog from the movie "Kosovo Autumn". From the episode "Home Away from Homer".
Glaven
A word used by Professor Frink when he's muttering. In one episode while he's shocked he says, "Great glaven in a glass!" or "Good glaven!" It is most often heard when Frink is in pain like "Oh, so much pain in the glaven!" (pronounced /ˈglejvn̩/) This is probably an adaptation of Jerry Lewis's interjection "froyndleyven!", which, in turn, is presumed to be Yiddish semi-nonsense roughly meaning "happytime!" (cf. standard German "Freund" ("friend"), "Freude" ("joy"), "Leben" ("life")). The similarity to Slavic words for 'head' (golova, glava, glowa) does not account for the vowels or 'n' and is probably coincidental. Interestingly, Lewis's portrayal of the Nutty Professor is considered by many Simpsons fans to be partial inspiration for Frink's character, and Lewis did a guest voice in one episode as Frink's father.
- Frink: That meteor is headed straight for us, with the fire, and the impact, and the hundred percent chance of pain!… Pain in the glaven!!
Alternate spelling: glavin or glayvin.
Groin-Grabbingly
A phrase used by Homer to describe anything positively during his brief stint as a food critic in the episode "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?":
- Lisa: Hmm. What's the English equivalent for [drools like Homer]? I'd say...transcendent.
- Homer: How about groin-grabbingly transcendent?
- Lisa: Uh ... I don't think so.
- Homer: We make a good team. A groin-grabbingly good team.
H
Holy Flurking Schnit
A vulgar exclamation used by Kang.
Homersexual
During a routine disciplinary visit to Principal Skinner's office, Bart must call Moe's Tavern looking for his father, Homer. But when Moe answers the phone, Bart preempts the original purpose of the call and substitutes one of his trademark prank-calls. Instead of asking for his father "Homer Simpson," Bart asks for "Homer Sexual." With the prank thus launched, Bart quickly hands the phone to the Principal, who is shocked and dismayed to hear Moe Szyslak's resulting tirade.
Later, when Homer marks Skinner as a possible mate for Selma, an imaginary heads-up display seen from Homer's point of view (a spoof of The Terminator movies) identifies Skinner as a possible "homer-sexual."
Though not exactly the same, Homer proclaims it is time to "get Homererotic" when he is having himself photographed in suggestive poses for a gift portfolio for Marge.
More recently the term homersexual has been used as a parody antonym for the expression metrosexual (which means a heterosexual with stereotypical gay habits), in this context homersexual refers to a gay person with stereotypical straight habits.
Hoyvin-Mayvin
A secret project by the Motherloving Sugar Corporation to get the town of Springfield addicted to sugar in the episode "Sweets and Sour Marge." The project was named after the vocal ramblings of its creator, Professor Frink. The Professor was also the project's whistleblower.
Hypohemia
Mr. Burns's rare blood disease, for which he needed a transfusion of Bart's blood in the episode "Blood Feud." The word stems from a combination of hypo (Greek prefix for under or below) and hemia (Greek for blood). The proper term for lack of circulatory fluids, however, is hypovolemia.
I
Introubulate
The act of getting someone into trouble. From "I'm With Cupid" where Kent Brockman reads a story about how Apu is giving his wife extravagant presents for Valentine's Day, and the rest of the town's wives are annoyed at their husbands for their comparative romantic lameness.
- Brockman: One Springfield man is treating his wife to an extra-special Valentine's Day this year, and introubulating the rest of us.
Perhaps related to Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's neologism enturbulate, meaning to bring into turbulent or troublesome conditions.
J
Jebeditis
A condition resulting from excitement over Jebediah Springfield. When Hollis Hurlbut, curator of the Springfield Historical Society, returns to Lisa with Johnny Cakes, she is acting strangely having just found "The Secret Confessions of Jebediah Springfield" hidden in Springfield's fife. Lisa attempts to disguise her behavior as "just the excitement of studying Jebediah," which Hurlbut characterizes jokingly as "Jebeditis."
Jebus
According to Matt Groening, The Simpsons writers have an ongoing competition to write a line that "most represents Homer at his singularly most stupid." Most likely the current champion is Homer's faux term for Jesus, first mentioned in the episode "Missionary: Impossible". When asked to be a missionary, Homer replies that he "[doesn't] even believe in Jebus!". When the plane that is carrying Homer is taking off, he cries, "Save me Jebus!"
There are several theories of earlier uses of this misspelling. One attributes it to Frank Zappa, of whom Matt Groening is a fan. The earliest says it was used by jazz performer Duke Ellington, in a throwback to his Catholic school days. He used it instead of Jesus so that the nuns couldn't beat him. He used it instead of Jesus for the rest of his life, which is how Zappa probably found it.[citation needed]
In another animated show, Family Guy, Jebus appears as a typo on page 375 in The Bible.
The Old Testament of the Bible mentions a people called the Jebusites, residing in Jebus, which was renamed Jerusalem after being conquered by the Israelites.
Jebus (spelled jeebus at times) is also prevalent in some webcomics, one of those being 8-Bit Theatre by Brian Clevinger.
İt is also the nickname of the Tommy Oliver Character from Power Rangers dubbed by the short lived group Church of Oliver on Rangerboard.
In popular usage on many discussion boards, such as Fark.com, it is often seems to be deliberately used by Liberals as an implied "cut" or "chop" against Christians, particularly fundamentalist Christians from the South of the United States.
Jiminy Jillikers
A phrase used by Radioactive Man's sidekick Fallout Boy, this phrase featured largely in the portion of the Radioactive Man film that was shot in Springfield. According to Radioactive Man, it is a form of profanity.
Jumping Box
Used by Mr. Burns when describing a television.
- Mr. Burns: Jumping box, television, picto-cube, just crank it up!
K
Killbot Factory
Kent Brockman's openly-declared "more alarmist" name for the United States Army, an institution Brockman shockingly describes as a place where "hundreds of men are given weapons and trained to kill!" The term "killbot" has gone on to be widely used in Futurama.
Knifey Spooney
A fictional Australian barroom game made in the episode "Bart vs. Australia", in a parody of a scene from the movie Crocodile Dundee, Bart is confronted by an Australian local who shows him a spoon and says "This is a knife!" Most often used in the phrase "I see you've played knifey-spooney before."
Knowitallism
Knowitallism (also Know-it-all-ism) is a fictitious word made up by the faculty of Springfield Elementary School to describe Lisa Simpson's precocious personality. The students break into the school's vault and find their permanent records and when Lisa reads that her teachers have labelled her as suffering from "knowitallism", she exclaims, "That's not even a word!"
Kwyjibo
Kwyjibo (IPA: [ˈkwɪdʒiˌbo]) is a word made up by Bart Simpson during a game of Scrabble with his family. In the episode "Bart the Genius," Bart puts "kwyjibo" on the board, scoring more than 150 points. When Homer demands Bart say what a kwyjibo is, Bart replies, "A big, dumb, balding North American ape… with no chin." Marge adds in, "…and a short temper." At this point, Homer chases Bart away, causing him to exclaim, "Uh oh! Kwyjibo on the loose!"
'Kwyjibo' was used as one of the aliases of the creator of the Melissa worm, and is the name of a yo-yo string trick. 'Kweejibo' is a handmade clothing company in San Francisco.
Recently, Yahoo's online version of Scrabble was advertised on the Yahoo home page with a visual representation of letter tiles spelling out K-W-Y-J-I-B-O.
On fellow James L. Brooks-produced animated series The Critic, Duke Phillips also made up a fictional word in Scrabble: quyzbuk. Unlike Homer, Duke was able to immediately legitimize the word by contacting Noah Webster to have the word added to Webster's Dictionary, defining it to mean "a big problem". When he found out no one was using his other word "Dukelicious", he sadly called the situation a "Duketastrophe."
A similar scene took place in the Dilbert animated series during a Scrabble match between Dilbert and the powerful supercomputer Comp-U-Comp. Comp-U-Comp's first move was to lay down all its seven tiles randomly, spelling wipqozn; it then used its control of worldwide computer systems to immediately bring the word into circulation (in newscasts, for example). In meaning and usage, "wipqozn" seems roughly equivalent to "crap."
L
Land Cow
How a pilgrim describes a buffalo after seeing one for the first time, in the episode "Lisa the Iconoclast". In the film Young Jebediah Springfield, which relates the founding of Springfield, the group of pilgrims see a wild buffalo, with one of them proclaiming, "It's some sort of land cow!" Presumably a reference to sea cows, also known as manatees. In the video game The Simpsons Hit & Run when driving with Cletus Spuckler he will when hitting something yell "MOVE IT LAND COW".
Lupper
When Bart and Lisa embarrass their parents while having brunch, Homer decides to leave and go to Moe's, stating he will see them at "lupper" (a portmanteau of lunch and supper). This rather obvious parallel portmanteau has appeared before in Archie comics and in the television sitcom Seinfeld.
Liberty Log
Liberty log, according to Abe Simpson, was the name given to sushi during the 2nd World War.
M
Malparkage
The state or condition of being illegally parked. In "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" Barney had left Homer's car illegally parked at what was believed to be the World Trade Center. Homer then received a letter regarding this violation:
- "Dear motorist, your vehicle is illegally parked in the Borough of Manhattan. If you do not remedy this malparkage within 72 hours, your car will be thrown into the East River at your expense."
This could be a reference to George Orwell's Newspeak, featured in his book 1984, where mal is a prefix for mistake, bad, or wrong. The following is a bureaucratic jargon quote (not actually Newspeak, but using Newspeak prefixing) from 1984 asking the protagonist to fix an error in Big Brother's speech on Africa:
- "times 17.3.84 bb speech malreported Africa rectify"
(Translated into standard English: "There is an error in the reporting of Big Brother's speech in the Times of 17 March 1984 with regards to Africa; it needs to be rectified.")
"Mal-" is also a Latin root word meaning "bad," and is used in several English words such as "malfunction," "malignant," and "maladjusted."
It could also be a play on the legal term "malpractice" in medical law.
Mazuma
Money. See Zazz below.
Megacide
The murder of a giant. Used by Eddie in "Simpsons Bible Stories". When he is one of the Israelite soldiers who arrests King David (Bart) after killing Goliath's son, Goliath II, this is the crime with which he is charged.
Menapplause
Applause specifically directed towards menopause. Coined by guest star Robert Wagner in the episode "Goo Goo Gai Pan".
Money Fight
This is like a snow-ball fight, only with wads of cash in place of snow-balls. It can be done with two or more people within close range of each other. Mr. Burns and Mr. Smithers decide to have a money fight in the middle of a difficult conversation concerning the power plant's safety budget.
N
Neglecterino
Ned Flanders' typically cuddly and innocent term for a neglected child. The line was originally pitched by Matt Groening to be "abuserino", but was dismissed as sounding too harsh.
Neighborino
A Ned-Flanderized version of the word "neighbor." Possibly inspired by comedian Louis Nye on the Steve Allen Comedy Hour (1967), whose character Gordon Hathaway greeted Allen by saying "Hi, ho, Steve-a-reeno."
May also be inspired by Kimmy Gibbler's "Hola, Tanneritos" from the sitcom Full House.
Nuclear Whipping Boy (NWB)
In the episode "Worst Episode Ever", it is revealed, in a film that Bart and Milhouse find in Comic Book Guy's stash of illegal films hidden in his basement, that Springfield is classified Nuclear Whipping Boy in case of an emergency and will be bombed at will by all allies to calibrate their missiles. The General who is divulging this information then terminates the cameraman.
Nucleon
Homer's stated place of work; mispronunciation of nuclear power plant.
A nucleon is actually a term for the particles of matter within a nucleus.
Nulecule
According to Homer, the mother of all atomic particles.
Moe is a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and as his lifeline, calls Homer for help on which of "electron", "neutron", "proton" or "bonbon", is not an atomic particle. Homer begins a diatribe, "Well, it all starts when a nulecule comes out of its nest..." then Lisa grabs the phone and tells Moe that the correct answer is "bonbon". Moe follows Lisa's advice and wins $500,000. Moe then passes on the million dollar question and the Millionaire babes burn other half of the million dollars in a wheelbarrow.
The true essence of a nulecule and how it gets pregnant (and who or what gets it pregnant) and gives birth to atomic particles has not yet been explained.
Nuisancefon
Mock German, meaning a phone which causes distress.
In the episode "Bart vs. Australia", Bart dials several Southern Hemisphere countries attempting to discover in which direction their toilets flush. One of those countries is Argentina, where Bart winds up dialing a man who appears to be Adolf Hitler. When the man can't answer his phone in time, he laments, "Ach! Das wagenfon ist ein...nuisancefon!"
Nutty Fudgekins
A euphemistic exclamation Marge uses when something bad happens.
- Marge: Aaah, nutty fudgekins!
O
Okely Dokely
Ned Flanders' version of the phrase, "Okie Dokie."
Onetuplet
Pronounced /wɐntɐplɪt/ or one-tuplit, a child not born as part of a multiple-birth pregnancy. Specifically, what Homer laments his children are compared to the free gift-receiving octuplets of Apu and Manjula.
Ovulicious
A portmanteau of "ovulation" and "delicious." (See sacrilicious.)
When Apu's wife Manjula gives birth to octuplets, Apu confesses to secretly giving his wife fertility drugs. Several of the Simpsons admit that they had done the same, and Homer says "Mine tasted like strawberry." He pops one of the pills into his mouth, moaning "Mmm, ovulicious!".
P
Pointy kitty
Ralph Wiggum's description of a rat, when he and Bart are looking for a lost key to the electric chair of Morningwood Penetentiary in the episode "This Little Wiggy".
- Ralph: There's the key! [A rat takes the key] Aagh! The pointy kitty took it!
Posturologists
Scientists who study the field of posture. Mrs. Krabappel informs her students that their oddly curved chairs were designed by such scientists in "The Boy Who Knew Too Much." Possibly just a marketing term used to sell the uncomfortable chairs.
- Edna Krabappel: Well, children, our new ultra-hard Posturefect chairs have arrived. They've been designed by eminent posturologists to eliminate slouching by the year 3000.
Presbylutheran
Formally The Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism, it is the Protestant church attended by the Simpson family. Presbylutheranism was formed as a result of a schism with the Presbyterian and Lutheran churches over the right for worshippers to attend church with wet hair (a tenet the Presbylutheran church has since abandoned). A group of Presbylutheran ministers were also responsible for the approval of the stop-motion Gravey and Jobriath (a parody of Davey and Goliath, possibly referring to the singer Jobriath); we see one episode in which Gravey builds a pipe bomb to blow up a Planned Parenthood. See The Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism.
Pricetaggery
"To spoil the fun of buying something by noticing the exorbitant price"; when Mr. Burns decides to make amends for his ingratitude after receiving the gift of life from Bart's blood, he takes Smithers shopping and then berates him for his pricetaggery.
Pull a Homer
"To succeed despite idiocy", or rather, to have great amounts of dumb luck. After Homer does so in the episode "Homer Defined", this phrase becomes a temporary fad in the Simpsonverse.
Q
Quantum Tunnel
A tunnel (that will be invented in the future) which does not physically exist, but traffic may pass through, by some quirk of physics. Future Homer drives his hovercar through the Quantum Tunnel on his way to Moe's Bar. It may be that the Quantum Tunnel replaced the Warren G. Harding Memorial Throughhole.
Quetzlzacatenango
During the episode "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Our Homer)", Homer samples many different chilis proudly served by Springfield residents at the annual chili cook-off. Chief Wiggum prepares an especially spicy concoction for Homer containing, "The merciless insanity peppers of Quetzlzacatenango… grown deep in the jungle primeval by the inmates of a Guatemalan insane asylum." "Quetzal" is a Central American bird and the currency of Guatemala. "Tenango" means in K'iche "land of". Acatenango is a volcano in Guatemala. "Quetzaltenango", also known as "Xela", is the second largest city in Guatemala. "Quetzalcoatl" was an Aztec deity.
R
Rageohol
A fictitious substance that creates rage. From the episode "I Am Furious Yellow", in which Homer admits: "I'm a rageoholic! I just can't live without rageohol!"
Like workaholic, the word is based on alcoholic, using "oholic" as a suffix for "addicted to."
Rastafy
To make more Rastafarian. Used by an animation executive designing Poochie, the unpopular character added to Itchy and Scratchy, as a byword for coolness.
Raytheist
Disbelief in the existence of Ray. Used by Ned Flanders during an episode where Ray Romano guest stars and everyone believes that Ray is a figment of Homer's imagination.
Rear Admiral
Fully, The Dreaded Rear Admiral: a fictitious school bully prank mentioned by Milhouse.
Re-Dorkulated
In "The Blunder Years", a hypnotist turns Professor Frink into a suave ladies man, which suggests strongly that Frink's character is modeled on Jerry Lewis's Nutty Professor/Buddy Love very closely. When the spell wears off Frink says, "Oh dear, I've redorkulated." Literally, the word means, "to become dorky again."
Retirony
In the episode "Homer vs. Dignity", Chief Wiggum explains to a financial planner that retirony means he'll get shot three days before retirement. Seemingly a portmanteau of 'retire' and 'irony'.
Based on a common cliché in crime and action films, examples of retirony are one of the show's longest-lasting running gags, as illustrated by these instances:
- "Saturdays of Thunder" — Homer watches a McBain movie, where McBain's doomed partner (an apparent substitute for Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon) is killed right before retirement.
- "Homer and Apu" — When Homer smashes the hidden camera hat used to spy on Apu, Kent Brockman tells him that the hat had one day left until retirement.
- "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons" — a man writes on a billboard "Today: Bachelor Auction. Tomorrow: I Retire, Ya Bastards!". Finishing up with the "!" the man topples off the ladder and falls to the ground.
- "Natural Born Kissers" — When a police dog sniffs a pair of Homer's underwear, it runs away, prompting Wiggum to say that the dog had one day left until retirement.
- "Homer to the Max" — A tree falls onto a police car, destroying it. Wiggum notes that the car had one day left until retirement.
See: On-screen clichés
Reverse Vampires
Vampires that only come out during the day and sleep at night. First, mockingly suggested by Lisa in the episode "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" as to the reason why parents were going to bed early. Later added to Bart's Grand Conspiracy Theory diagram along with the Saucer People and the Rand Corporation. ("We're through the looking glass, people" comments Milhouse, quoting a line from the film JFK).
In the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode "Bus of the Undead" Master Shake refers to a supposedly vampiritic bus as a reverse vampire.
Reversifying Glass
According to Cletus's wife (and sister), Brandine, "mirror" is just "a big city word for Reversifying Glass" (From the episode "The Seven-Beer Snitch").
S
Sacrilicious
Homer's description of his act after eating a waffle that Bart threw on the ceiling, which he was praying to as if it were God. In the episode's DVD commentary, the writers stated that it was related to a disgusting candy on the ceiling of the writing room. The word is a portmanteau of the words sacrilegious and delicious. From the episode "Homer Loves Flanders".
Safen
In the episode "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk", Homer is eager to look busy in front of the new German owners of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and says, 'Hey you, stop being... so unsafe! Smitty! Safen up!'.
Saxamaphone
Homer's word for Lisa's favorite instrument.
He also seems to be unable to pronounce several other instruments. In "Lisa's Sax" where Homer tells Lisa the story of how she got her sax, he suggests a few other potential instruments: oboe-ma-bo, vio-mo-lin and tuba-ma-ba. There is a chance this may be a form of Gibberish.
During Lisa's absence in "Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily", Homer attempted to "play" Lisa's baritone saxophone in her memory by singing "Saxamaphone" to the tune of the initial motif from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony into the instrument.
Science Pole
A long pole, usually made of metal, used for scientific purposes.
- Scientist: Frink, are you mad?! Put down that science pole!
Scientician
An incorrect name for a scientist. From the "educational film" Meat and You -- Partners in Freedom featured in "Lisa the Vegetarian":
- Jimmy: Uhh, Mr. McClure? I have a crazy friend who says it's wrong to eat meat. Is he crazy?
- Troy: No, just ignorant. You see, your crazy friend never heard of "The Food Chain." Just ask this scientician.
- "Scientician": [Looks up from microscope] Uh -
- Troy: He'll tell you that, in nature, one creature invariably eats another creature to survive.
Probably a combination of the words 'science' or 'scientist' and the -cian ending of such words as 'dietician', 'physician', or 'statistician'.
Possibly a jab at Scientology; more likely a term used by the "Meat Council" to hoodwink the audience into believing the film's spurious logic is scientifically sound.
Scrod Basket
The fictional town of Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport is called "America's scrod basket" in "Summer of 4 Ft. 2". Conversely, Springfield is "America's Crud Bucket", according to Newsweek. Scrod means "A young cod or haddock, especially one split and boned for cooking as the catch of the day," so a scrod basket would be a type of fish container, or, in this context, a place producing lots of fish (Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport appears to be on the coast, so this is feasible).
- Lisa:So where are we going anyway?
Marge:Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport. Apparently it's America's Scrod basket.
Bart:I thought Springfield was America's Scrod basket.
Marge:No, Springfield is America's crud bucket. At least, according to Newsweek.
She. U.I.
A D.U.I. committed by a woman.
- Chief Wiggum: This D.U.I. is a She. U.I.!
Shinning
A play on the mispronunciation of the word "Shining" as a reference to the sixth sense, as in the Stephen King novel and Stanley Kubrick film The Shining. It appears in episode "Treehouse of Horror V."
- Groundskeeper Willie: Boy, you read my thoughts! You've got the Shinning.
- Bart: You mean Shining.
- Groundskeeper Willie: Shhh! Do ya' want to get sued?
Shirkaday
In "22 Short Films About Springfield," while he and Mr. Burns are riding a tandem bicycle, Smithers is stung by a bee and goes into anaphylactic shock. To save his lackey, Mr. Burns employs an insult-based motivational technique to inspire Smithers to pedal them both to the hospital. As they collapse upon arrival at the hospital, with his last gasp Mr. Burns calls Smithers a "wretched shirkaday." From "to shirk," meaning to avoid duty or responsibility, plus "workaday."
Shirt-wiener
From "Thank God It's Doomsday", while hunting for a winning "photo" to be hung in the school lobby for the rest of the year, the Springfield Elementary Photo Club sees Principal Skinner's shirt sticking out of his pants zipper. Nelson declares "Look! The Principal has a shirt-wiener!" Much photo snapping ensues to the chagrin of Skinner.
Shiva H. Vishnu
An expression of surprise used by Apu, a Hindu. Obvious reference to "Jesus H. Christ".
Sisterectomy
A request Bart made to the 911 operator while Lisa was babysitting him. "-ectomy" as a suffix means "surgical removal". In this case, the surgical removal of a sister.
Smashy Smashy
Used to inform others of your intentions to wantonly destroy an object or objects, or to encourage others to do so.
e.g. "What do you think we do with this old television?" "Smashy Smashy!"
From the episode "Itchy & Scratchy Land".
Smeckler's Powder
A fictional treatment option suggested in jest by Bart in "Lady Bouvier's Lover", to mock Grampa's and Grandma Jackie's competing suggestions for a medicinal response to Maggie's frightened reaction to flashbulbs, candles, and a darkened room during her birthday party. Said suggestions included: "Lister's Carbolic Unguent" on a wad of cotton, placed in Maggie's ear (from Grampa); a "balsam specific" (from Grandma Jackie); and a "curative galvanic belt" (facetiously from Grampa).
Smendler
A word made up by Mr. Burns in "Last Exit to Springfield" for a song parodying Dr. Seuss's The Grinch:
- "Look at them all, through the darkness I'm bringing
They're not sad at all. They're actually singing!
They sing without juicers
They sing without blenders
They sing without flunjers, capdabblers and smendlers!"
The word is also used by Professor Frink's father after being given an unspecified type of hors d'œuvre possibly containing fish.
- Frink's father: Mmmm, that's a good smendler.
- Professor Frink: Oh, I've waited so long to hear you say that again! ...What does it mean? Is it dirty?
Smokesperson
A spokesperson for a cigarette company, such as Laramie Cigarettes' Menthol Moose, or Joe Camel.
The American Cancer Society has used this term frequently in a recent anti-smoking ad campaign parodying "American Idol" entitled "America's Next Smokesperson".
Also used to describe Nick Naylor in the 1994 book "Thank You For Smoking: A Novel."
Snacktacular
In the episode "Lisa Gets an "A"", Snacktacular is offered by Edna Krabappel as an acceptable atomic weight for the element Bolognium as taken from a promotional periodic table provided by Oscar Mayer.
Sophistimacated Doowhackey
Homer's term for a complex machine, used to describe Frink's matter transporter. i.e "Bart, this is a highly sophistimacated doowhackey," proving that he can't even get the word "doohickey" right.
Speedholes or Speed Holes
While dressed as Krusty the Clown, Homer is shot at by mob assassins (under the direction of Fat Tony) as he visits a car dealership. Asking about the new bullet holes peppering the vehicle he is interested in (after they shoot and miss), Homer is told by the quick-thinking salesman that they are speedholes to make the car go faster. (Homer responds knowingly, "Oh, yeah. Speed holes!") Later in the episode, Homer 'installs' speedholes in his existing car with a pick-axe, to the bafflement of Ned Flanders. The word has been picked up by many fans to jokingly describe the condition of run-down cars (specifically, those with holes in the body).
In reality, Buick cars are famous for having holes in the front fender, on either side. Originally they were used as air intakes but today the holes are decorative. However, more holes do indirectly imply a faster car, as on current models eight holes (four on each side) indicates a V-8 engine and six holes indicates a V-6.
Spiritual De-pantsing
Apu's description for his karmic fall from grace, suffered in Episode 1F10, "Homer & Apu". In response to Marge asking him if he would accompany her to the Kwik-E-Mart for milk, Apu says "I cannot go there. That is the scene of my spiritual de-pantsing".
Spokesrebel
A corporate mascot designed to appeal to the anti-authoritarian streak in children and teens.
Stabby
From "Grift of the Magi"; the state or condition of being likely to stab.
- Fat Tony: I don't get mad. I get stabby.
Steamed Hams
An alternate name for hamburgers. As one of the segments from "22 Short Films About Springfield", a mishap in the kitchen forces Principal Skinner to tell Superintendent Chalmers they were having steamed clams. After Skinner sneaks back from Krustyburger with lunch, Chalmers confronts him on the change in menu. Skinner tries to pass off that he in fact said 'steamed hams', a regional term from upstate New York synonymous with hamburgers. When Chalmers retorts that he is from Utica, and has never heard the term, and that the nickname "steamed hams" made no sense because the burgers were "obviously grilled", Skinner's final stab at alleviating his discomfort is "oh, no, it's an Albany expression". To this, an inexplicably satisfied Chalmers replies, "I see," and ceases the questioning immediately. This is probably Skinner's best performance at dealing with Chalmers; at the end of the night, Chalmers remarks "Well, Seymour, you are an odd fellow, but I must say... you steam a good ham."
Successmanship
The practice of success through the use of "Megatronics"; Homer enrolls in Stark Richdale's extension class Successmanship 101, which gives him the "Megatronics: The 48 Tips to Corporate Success" tools needed to take over the SNPP. From "C.E. D'oh".
- [Homer leaves the class and is reading the Successmanship book while driving]
- Homer: "Step One, 'Live every day as if it were your last.'"
- [cut to next scene: Homer sobbing inconsolably on the curb]
- Homer: "Step Two..."
"Megatronics: The 48 Tips to Corporate Success" is a direct refference to the book "The 48 Laws of Power."
Supercalifragilistics
A field of science apparently made up (and studied) by Professor Frink.
This is a spoof of the term "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from the movie Mary Poppins.
Superliminal
The most direct of the three methods ("Subliminal, liminal, and superliminal") used by Navy recruiter Lt. L. T. Smash to convince new recruits. The term was coined in the 12th season episode "New Kids on the Blecch" when Lt. Smash shouted out a window telling Lenny and Carl to join the Navy.
- Lisa: But you have recruiting ads on TV. Why do you need subliminal messages?
Smash: It's a three-pronged attack. Subliminal, liminal, and superliminal.
Lisa: Superliminal?
Smash: I'll show you. [opens the window, and shouts at Lenny and Carl, who are standing on the corner] Hey, you! Join the Navy!
Carl: Uh, yeah, all right.
Lenny: I'm in.
Swedish Lunchbox
What Grampa Simpson used to call a suitcase in his youth.
- Grampa: Back in my day, a suitcase was called a Swedish lunchbox!
From the episode "Jaws Wired Shut".
Swishifying
The effect of the modern world, what with its MTV and diet sodas, on the youth of today, as stated by keen-eyed observer of humanity Moe Szyslak in the episode "Homer's Phobia". Suggested remedies involve killing men, or, better yet, a deer, which Barney declares is "like killing a beautiful man".
T
Tasty-Fake
A food product designed to look like something other than what it actually is.
In "All's Fair in Oven War", Marge enters the Ovenfresh Bakeoff with "Dessert Dogs" - hot dogs which are actually made of cookie dough "dogs", meringue "buns", cherry sauce "ketchup", and caramel "mustard". When she presents the idea to an experienced contestant, he refers to the idea as a "tasty-fake".
Throughhole
A type of road of relatively unknown description; it could be a combination of a thruway and a tunnel.
In the episode "Thank God It's Doomsday" there are two references to a road leading out of Springfield called the Warren Harding Memorial Throughhole.
Tomacco
A fictional hybrid fruit that is half tomato and half tobacco, from the episode "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)".
Tomorry
Homer's former mangling of the word "tomorrow", as revealed in "HOMЯ".
Traumedy
Perhaps spelled 'Traumady', Traumedy is a portmanteau of 'trauma' and 'comedy' identified by Dr Hibbert in the episode "Faith Off" as a syndrome of horrifying yet amusing injuries. Also a pun on the term "dramedy".
Tromboner
A term for one who plays the trombone. Mr. Largo the music teacher asks Lisa if she finds something funny about the word "tromboner" after she chuckles at a prank Nelson Muntz plays on Groundskeeper Willie in "Lisa's Date with Density."
U
Unblowupable
The state or condition of being unable to be blown up. Describing his toy rocket, Homer says: "The word unblowupable is thrown around a lot these days, but I think I can say for certain that... (Boom)". This may refer to the people who confidently predicted that the Titanic was "unsinkable."
Unfaceuptoable
Used by Mayor Quimby to describe the dire straits the town found itself in after Homer became Sanitation Commissioner, requiring the implementation of the town's all-purpose contingency plan.
Unpossible
Spoken by Ralph Wiggum in the episode "Lisa on Ice," as a synonym of "impossible."
- Ralph: [Upon Principal Skinner informing him that he's failing English class] Me fail English? That's unpossible!
Interestingly, "unpossible" appears in Shakespeare's play Richard II, Act 2, Scene 2 (Wikisource:The Tragedy of King Richard the Second).
The word first came into contemporary use in Walt Kelly's comic strip Pogo.
Uppity Box
Cletus' term for an elevator (from the episode "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife")
V
Vegetabletarian
What Homer calls a Vegetarian. This word also appeared in the 1960s in a Dennis the Menace cartoon strip.
Velocitator
Mr. Burns's archaic name for a car's accelerator pedal. Burns attempts to drive a car for the first time while proclaiming he is sure the owners manual will instruct him as to which lever is the velocitator and which one is the deceleratrix.
Volleybrick
Volleyball played with a brick instead of a ball.
W
Walking Bird
Another name for a turkey. In "Lisa v. Malibu Stacy," Grandpa Simpson drones on with a rambling story about Thanksgiving:
- "I just used [my washtub] that morning to wash my turkey, which in those days was known as a walking bird. We'd always have walking bird on Thanksgiving with all the trimmings: cranberries, injun eyes, yams stuffed with gunpowder. Then we'd all watch football, which in those days was called 'baseball'..."
Wiggle Puppy
An imaginary dog made up by Ralph Wiggum, who can wiggle his tail to fly.
Marge: Is that normal?
Chief Wiggum: Oh, he's just playing Wiggle Puppy. I tell ya, that dog has had some amazing adventures...
Woozle Wuzzle
Spoken by Bart on Krusty's TV show after his rendition of his catchphrase, "I didn't do it!" for the umpteenth time yielded only a cough and some crickets. From the "Bart Gets Famous" episode.
Initially said earlier in the episode by Homer, hoping to exploit his other children for financial gain, as a suggestion for something funny for Lisa to say:
- Homer: Come on, Lisa, say something funny.
- [holds a tape recorder with a microphone]
- Lisa: Like what?
- Homer: Oh, something stupid like Bart would say. "Bucka Bucka" or "Woozle Wuzzle": something like that.
"Woozled" is also a colloquial term for "drunk; intoxicated with alcohol". "Wuzzled" is a possible variation.
Word hole
Used by Chief Wiggum in "Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming" to mean mouth.
- Bob: There. That's the last condom wrapper.
- [a jet flies by, blowing all the neatly piled trash away]
- Bob: Oh, I renew my objection to this pointless endeavor! Informally now and by affidavit later. Time permitting.
- Wiggum: Shut your word hole! We've got to get this place clean for the air show.
Y
Yellow Fatty-Beans
What Grampa calls bananas. At the end of one of his trademark long, pointless speeches, he says, "...and that's why today, bananas are called yellow fatty-beans. Any questions?". From the episode "Natural Born Kissers".
Yoink!
After appearing many times on The Simpsons, "Yoink" has gained widespread usage as a verbal exclamation made when removing or stealing an object from its owner or rightful place. It can also be used as a verb: "I yoinked it" First used by Homer in "Duffless", when he snatches the wad of money he saved, by not drinking for a month, from Marge. Coined by Simpsons writer George Meyer. [1]
Similar to "Goink, goink, goink!", first appearing on The Flintstones in the final episode of Season One, "Fred Flintstone - Before and After", which first aired April 7, 1961. It was used by Fred's "sponsor" from Food Anonymous, whenever he obnoxiously retrieved whatever unhealthy snack Fred was about to consume.
- See also: The Yoink List.
Z
Zazz
Used to describe that certain je ne sais quoi that Bart has as an anchor of Kidz News, and that Lisa, a much better investigative reporter, does not. From the episode "Girly Edition":
- Lisa: What is 'zazz'?
- Lady: Zing! Zork! Kapowza! Call it what you want, in any language it spells mazuma in the bank!
- Lisa: 'Zork'? What is 'zork'?
- Lady: I didn't say 'zork'. The point is, the camera loves him!
Zuh
Exclamation used when one cannot comprehend a complex situation or statement. Used by Bart Simpson, in the episode "The PTA Disbands" Milhouse says to Bart: "Bart, you'll never get Krabappel and Skinner together again. They're like two positively charged ions." Bart responds, "Zuh?"
