IRENE
Questions about some lines of a sitcom I’m watching a old TV show called "The Golden Girls", and there are some lines I can't understand. When Blanche is dating a younger man, she exercises so hard for looking younger. She said:“No pain, no gain. Gotta look good for Dirk. A man his age is used to a trim body with good tone.” And Dorothy said:“Then buy him a Princess phone.” I don't know why Dorothy said this. When Blanche was praised by the younger man, she said:"I do believe the man said "gorgeous." I'm gonna live forever!" Dorothy said:"Not outside of an institution." What did Dorothy mean?
Dec 1, 2016 6:05 AM
Answers · 2
1
"Princess Phone" was a style of telephone that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The phone had a small, narrow design. Blanche was talking about having a skinny body with good muscle tone, and Dorothy was teasing her by suggesting that a Princess Phone also has a thin body (the design) and a good tone (the ring-tone). In the second joke, Dorothy is using "institution" in two ways: (1) People sometimes donate large amounts of money to institutions (like schools and hospitals) so that their name will live on after they die; and (2) "Institution" also can mean a mental hospital. So the joke is a good double-entendre (using a word for two different meanings).
December 1, 2016
1
The first quote is just Dorothy teasing Blanche. The second quote Dorothy is saying that the only place Blanche could actually believe she'll live forever is inside of a mental institution
December 1, 2016
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