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April 3, 2014 8:12 AM   Subscribe

 
"It"
posted by Dr-Baa at 8:17 AM on April 3, 2014


"The" Holy Bible

The "Holy" Bible

The Holy "Bible"
posted by Cookiebastard at 8:20 AM on April 3, 2014


"Dang" it, item!
posted by Cookiebastard at 8:21 AM on April 3, 2014


First comment nails it:

College "Humor"
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 8:22 AM on April 3, 2014 [15 favorites]


"Pride" and Prejudice.
posted by Gridlock Joe at 8:22 AM on April 3, 2014


This thread should be "interesting".
posted by TedW at 8:22 AM on April 3, 2014 [4 favorites]


"Decision" Points
posted by obscurator at 8:23 AM on April 3, 2014


Some just get more accurate, though.

The "Trial".
Madness and "Civilization".
Bartleby, the "Scrivener".
posted by postcommunism at 8:24 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Moby "Dick"
posted by Cookiebastard at 8:26 AM on April 3, 2014 [9 favorites]


To Serve "Man", bestselling Kanamit vegan cookbook.
posted by jason_steakums at 8:32 AM on April 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


"Middlemarch"
posted by Bromius at 8:32 AM on April 3, 2014 [3 favorites]


"Infinite" Jest is kind of apropos. (and yes it is a classic, damn your eyes)
posted by Shepherd at 8:34 AM on April 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


Not reading the actual post but farting around my own:
Journey to the "End" of the Night
"Crime" and Punishment
Sons and "Lovers"

posted by Harvey Jerkwater at 8:35 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


"Joy" of Cooking
posted by obscurator at 8:35 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


This one makes my head hurt: Tristram "Shandy."

I have no idea what the hell that would be about.
posted by Harvey Jerkwater at 8:36 AM on April 3, 2014 [6 favorites]


obscurator, I prefer
Joy of "Cooking"
posted by aubilenon at 8:38 AM on April 3, 2014 [5 favorites]


Tractatus Logico-"Philosophicus"
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 8:38 AM on April 3, 2014 [7 favorites]


"The" "Five" "People" "You" "Meet" "In" "Heaven"
posted by emelenjr at 8:38 AM on April 3, 2014


"Principia" Mathematica

ok I'll stop now
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 8:39 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


The Wise "Virgins"
"Lady" Chatterley's Lover
The "Sorrows" of Young Werther (totes accurate)
posted by postcommunism at 8:40 AM on April 3, 2014 [3 favorites]


The Decline and Fall of the Roman "Empire"
The Protestant "Ethic" and the Spirit of Capitalism
How to Win "Friends" and Influence People

tehehehe
posted by postcommunism at 8:43 AM on April 3, 2014 [4 favorites]


What Katy "Did"
posted by greenish at 8:44 AM on April 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


How to make autobiographies look like confessions to a centuries-long doppelganger plot:

The Autobiography of "Benjamin Franklin"
The Life of "P.T. Barnum", Written by Himself
Life and Times of "Frederick Douglass"
The "Reagan" Diaries
The Secret Life of "Salvador Dali"
posted by jason_steakums at 8:44 AM on April 3, 2014 [3 favorites]


The Call of the "Wild"
posted by leotrotsky at 8:47 AM on April 3, 2014


The Secret "Garden"
posted by greenish at 8:47 AM on April 3, 2014


What do I need to whitelist to see comments on College Humor?
posted by postcommunism at 8:47 AM on April 3, 2014


A "Tree" Grows in Brookyn
posted by leotrotsky at 8:47 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


comments seem to be via fb
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 8:50 AM on April 3, 2014


"Mein" Kampf
posted by The Bellman at 8:50 AM on April 3, 2014 [3 favorites]


"Lord" of the Rings
The Divine "Comedy"
"Love" in the Time of Cholera
Zorba the "Greek"
In Search of "Lost" Time
Gulliver's "Travels"
The "Death" of Ivan Illyich
posted by leotrotsky at 8:51 AM on April 3, 2014


"Madame" Bovary
posted by leotrotsky at 8:52 AM on April 3, 2014


What Color is your "Parachute?"
posted by obscurator at 8:52 AM on April 3, 2014


"Principia" Mathematica

ok I'll stop now
So You're Saying These Are Pants?


Please don't.
posted by yeolcoatl at 8:53 AM on April 3, 2014


Who "Moved" My Cheese ?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:54 AM on April 3, 2014


The "Time Traveller"'s Wife



ohhhh this is the funnest game
posted by greenish at 8:54 AM on April 3, 2014


"Lean" In
posted by Cash4Lead at 8:56 AM on April 3, 2014


How to Avoid Huge "Ships"
posted by iotic at 8:56 AM on April 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


Charlotte's "Web"
posted by Pater Aletheias at 8:57 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Das "Kapital"
posted by leotrotsky at 8:57 AM on April 3, 2014


"Anna" Karenina
posted by likeatoaster at 8:57 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Charlotte's "Web"

ew.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:57 AM on April 3, 2014


John "Dies" At The End
posted by Rhaomi at 8:58 AM on April 3, 2014


"Everyone" Poops
posted by jason_steakums at 8:58 AM on April 3, 2014 [4 favorites]


The "Borrowers"
posted by leotrotsky at 8:58 AM on April 3, 2014


Bridge to "Terabithia"

sniff.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:59 AM on April 3, 2014


"Curious" George
posted by leotrotsky at 8:59 AM on April 3, 2014 [4 favorites]


Tuck "Everlasting"
posted by likeatoaster at 8:59 AM on April 3, 2014


Green "Eggs" and Ham
posted by leotrotsky at 8:59 AM on April 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's "Stone"
posted by leotrotsky at 9:00 AM on April 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


Harry Potter and the Chamber of "Secrets"
posted by jason_steakums at 9:00 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Winnie the "Pooh"
posted by leotrotsky at 9:00 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Are You There "God"? It's Me, Margaret.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:00 AM on April 3, 2014


Quo "Vadis"
posted by Pater Aletheias at 9:00 AM on April 3, 2014


A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering "Genius"
posted by leotrotsky at 9:02 AM on April 3, 2014 [3 favorites]


A "Game" of Thrones
A Clash of "Kings"
"A" Storm of Swords
A Feast for "Crows"
The Winds of "Winter"
A "Dream" of Spring
posted by Rock Steady at 9:03 AM on April 3, 2014


Infinite "Jest"
posted by leotrotsky at 9:03 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Harry Potter and the "Order" of the Phoenix

"Fifty" Shades of Grey

"Divergent"

The Hunger "Games"
posted by wabbittwax at 9:04 AM on April 3, 2014


OK yeah these are all pretty lame
posted by iotic at 9:04 AM on April 3, 2014 [3 favorites]


Studs Terkel, describing me right now: "Working"
posted by postcommunism at 9:04 AM on April 3, 2014 [11 favorites]


The Player of "Games"
posted by Rock Steady at 9:04 AM on April 3, 2014


The "Amazing" Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
posted by jason_steakums at 9:05 AM on April 3, 2014


Hamlet - "Prince" of Denmark

The Last "Temptation" of Christ
posted by wabbittwax at 9:05 AM on April 3, 2014


OK yeah these are all pretty "lame"
posted by iotic at 1:04 PM on April 3 [+] [!]
posted by leotrotsky at 9:06 AM on April 3, 2014


"Steal" this book.
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 9:06 AM on April 3, 2014


The "Hunger" Games
posted by Mchelly at 9:07 AM on April 3, 2014


Not just for novels either....

"Meta" Filter

The Huffington "Post"

The "Daily" Show with Jon Stewart

The Silence of the "Lambs"
posted by wabbittwax at 9:07 AM on April 3, 2014


How To Win "Friends" and Influence "People"
posted by wabbittwax at 9:08 AM on April 3, 2014 [3 favorites]


The "best" of the web
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 9:08 AM on April 3, 2014


The "Great" Divorce

Dammit, if we do this long enough, one of them has to be mildly amusing.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 9:08 AM on April 3, 2014 [3 favorites]


Mere "Christianity"
posted by wabbittwax at 9:09 AM on April 3, 2014


The "Fellowship" of the Ring
posted by wabbittwax at 9:09 AM on April 3, 2014


"Tinker," "Tailor," "Soldier," Spy

Getting Things "Done"

A History of the "English"-Speaking Peoples
posted by wenestvedt at 9:10 AM on April 3, 2014


The Agony and the "Ecstasy"
posted by Pater Aletheias at 9:10 AM on April 3, 2014


The "Fellowship" of the Ring

(Best said with a knowing smirk and a suggestive emphasis on the second word.)
posted by wenestvedt at 9:11 AM on April 3, 2014


The "Virgin" Suicides
posted by Pater Aletheias at 9:11 AM on April 3, 2014


Masters and "Johnson" - Human Sexual Response
posted by wabbittwax at 9:13 AM on April 3, 2014 [5 favorites]


"Common" Sense

The "Innocents" Abroad

The Last "Picture" Show
posted by wenestvedt at 9:14 AM on April 3, 2014


The Magic "Pudding"
posted by Pater Aletheias at 9:16 AM on April 3, 2014


Dammit, if we do this long enough, one of them has to be mildly amusing.

That's what the Keanes said about The Family Circus.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:17 AM on April 3, 2014 [13 favorites]


I think you mean The "Family" Circus.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 9:18 AM on April 3, 2014


"Breakfast" at Tiffanys
posted by chavenet at 9:18 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Finnegans "Wake"
posted by chavenet at 9:18 AM on April 3, 2014


The "Sun" Also Rises
posted by chavenet at 9:20 AM on April 3, 2014


Who Moved My "Cheese"
To "Kill" a Mockingbird
Animal "Farm"
posted by Bella Donna at 9:23 AM on April 3, 2014


Jane "Eyre"
The Taming "of" the Shrew
Moth"erless Bro"oklyn
S"uper""fud"ge
posted by griphus at 9:25 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


The "Feminine" Mystique
(OK, so my ideas about gender politics were formed by reading back-issues of Mad Magazine from the 1960s. So sue me!)
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:26 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


The Oxford Shakespeare: "Comedies"
posted by Tool of the Conspiracy at 9:28 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


1"Q"84
posted by moonmilk at 9:28 AM on April 3, 2014 [3 favorites]


Deep "Throat"
posted by wabbittwax at 9:28 AM on April 3, 2014


All the President's "Men"
posted by wabbittwax at 9:29 AM on April 3, 2014


Goodnight "Moon"
posted by Xalf at 9:29 AM on April 3, 2014


Kill the "Wabbit"
posted by Bella Donna at 9:30 AM on April 3, 2014


The "Complete" Plays of William Shakespeare
posted by Pater Aletheias at 9:31 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


The "Conquest" of Gaul
Decline and Fall of the Roman "Empire"
Wuthering "Heights"
"Bleak" House
Road to Wigan "Pier"
"Rendezvous" With Rama
The "King" In Yellow

posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:31 AM on April 3, 2014


Kill the "Wabbit"

eek!
posted by wabbittwax at 9:32 AM on April 3, 2014


The Complete Plays of "William Shakespeare"
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:34 AM on April 3, 2014 [6 favorites]


I haven't really been looking for an example of a premise that seems like it ought to have humor potential but actually doesn't. This is it, though.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 9:34 AM on April 3, 2014 [8 favorites]


I know it isn't a book, but I've always been suspicious of Pet Supplies "Plus".

Plus what? I don't see anything else in there. It makes me nervous.
posted by charred husk at 9:36 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


> I haven't really been looking for an example of a premise that seems like it ought to have humor potential but actually doesn't. This is it, though.

The actual book covers help. Especially the iconic "Gatsby" one, and it's reception by highschoolers.
posted by postcommunism at 9:38 AM on April 3, 2014


I haven't really been looking for an example of a premise that seems like it ought to have humor potential but actually doesn't. This is it, though.

No, it does have potential. We just screwed it up here by veering off into goofball subversions of it too soon.
posted by aubilenon at 9:55 AM on April 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


"Atlas" Shrugged
The "Analyst"


And if I may be permitted a scientific paper:
The Character Table for E8, or How We Wrote Down a 453,060 × 453,060 Matrix and Found "Happiness"
posted by Proofs and Refutations at 9:55 AM on April 3, 2014


"Infinite" Jest is kind of apropos. (and yes it is a classic, damn your eyes)
posted by Shepherd at 4:34 PM on April 3


Someone has beaten me to it, but Infinite "Jest" is far more appropriate.
posted by Decani at 9:58 AM on April 3, 2014


With an "introduction" by...
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:58 AM on April 3, 2014


"Breakfast" at Tiffanys

If I recall the movie's premise correctly, that should be: Breakfast "at" Tiffany's
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:02 AM on April 3, 2014


Tlon, "Uqbar", Orbis Tertius

ROFL!
posted by LionIndex at 10:02 AM on April 3, 2014


Fear and Loathing in "Las Vegas"
posted by jeribus at 10:06 AM on April 3, 2014


A Million "Random" Digits with 100,000 Normal Deviates
posted by idiopath at 10:24 AM on April 3, 2014 [5 favorites]


"Infinite" Jest is kind of apropos. (and yes it is a classic, damn your eyes)

Funny, my first thought was Infinite "Jest."
posted by Lutoslawski at 10:32 AM on April 3, 2014


We've gotta go back to the days when books had hella long titles, to wit:

An "Inquiry" into the "Nature" and "Causes" of the "Wealth" of "Nations"

On the "Origin" of "Species" by Means of "Natural Selection," or the "Preservation" of "Favoured Races" in the "Struggle" for "Life"

And, the piece de resistance:

The "Fortunes" and "Misfortunes" of the "Famous" Moll Flanders, &c. Who was "Born" in "Newgate," and during a "Life" of continu'd "Variety" for Threescore Years, besides her "Childhood," was Twelve Year a "Whore," five times a "Wife" (whereof once to her own "Brother"), Twelve Year a "Thief," Eight Year a "Transported Felon" in "Virginia," at last grew "Rich," liv'd "Honest," and "died" a "Penitent"
posted by Cash4Lead at 10:39 AM on April 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


"Paradise" Lost
posted by Westringia F. at 10:56 AM on April 3, 2014


Njáls "Saga"
The Bhagavad "Gita"
Lún Yǔ of Kǒng "Zǐ"
The "Prince"
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 10:57 AM on April 3, 2014


The SAS "survival" guide
posted by Lanark at 11:23 AM on April 3, 2014 [4 favorites]


The ``\LaTeX'' Companion
posted by Westringia F. at 11:32 AM on April 3, 2014 [6 favorites]


Foucaults "Pendulum"
The Elements of Typographic "Style"
War and "Peace"
posted by Lanark at 11:34 AM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


"Necro"nomicon
posted by Rock Steady at 11:39 AM on April 3, 2014


So Long, and Thanks for All the "Fish"
posted by schmod at 12:31 PM on April 3, 2014


How I Met Your "Mother"
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 12:32 PM on April 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


"To the Lighthouse"

When I was subjected to this piece of "literature" in High School, my book's previous student/victim wrote "Plot Missing" into the damage report box inside the front cover. He was right.
posted by schmod at 12:33 PM on April 3, 2014


JavaScript: The "Good" Parts
posted by schmod at 12:34 PM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


"Understanding" Regular Expressions
posted by schmod at 12:35 PM on April 3, 2014 [5 favorites]


"Clean" Code
posted by schmod at 12:35 PM on April 3, 2014


How I Met Your "Mother"

How I "Met" Your Mother



Honestly, people.
posted by aubilenon at 12:37 PM on April 3, 2014 [4 favorites]


Harry Potter and the Half-Blood "Prince" (that might be a spoiler)
Harry Potter and the "Deathly" Hallows

The Golden "Compass"
The "Subtle" Knife
The Amber "Spyglass"
posted by divabat at 12:49 PM on April 3, 2014


The "Golden" Ass
posted by infodiva at 1:07 PM on April 3, 2014


No, it does have potential. We just screwed it up here by veering off into goofball subversions of it too soon.

Yeah, it surprises me how many of these examples have (IMO) the wrong word in sarcasm quotes. I don't know if it's a difference in conception or being unclear on which is the best word to put quotes around for comic/sarcastic effect. Granted, for some titles there can be more than one workable way to do it, but others just don't seem to work very well. For example, here's how I would have done some of the titles above:

The "Secret" Garden
Mein "Kampf"
So Long, and "Thanks" for All the Fish

Maybe it's just me and I'm being a jerk, in which case I apologize. ...Or "apologize".
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:11 PM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


The Brief "Wondrous" Life of Oscar Wao (FOR SERIOUS)
posted by psoas at 1:15 PM on April 3, 2014


The Stuff of "Thought"
posted by univac at 1:39 PM on April 3, 2014


The Man Who "Mistook" His Wife for a Hat
posted by univac at 1:43 PM on April 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


Richards "Bicycle" book
posted by Lanark at 1:45 PM on April 3, 2014


There's a "Wocket" in my "Pocket"
posted by drlith at 1:49 PM on April 3, 2014


Jonathan "Strange" and Mr. Norrell
posted by LionIndex at 1:54 PM on April 3, 2014


How I Met Your "Mother"

How I "Met" Your Mother



Honestly, people.



I don't understand this "correction" of the joke. When the quotation marks are around mother, the joke is that Ted's story to his kids wasn't really about the mother at all. It was about Robin.
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 2:19 PM on April 3, 2014


The post title made me think this was about a weblog about the hit sitcom "Community." And... now I kinda wish it was.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 2:37 PM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


"1984"
posted by Monkeymoo at 2:46 PM on April 3, 2014


The funniest thing collegehumor.com has ever posted, simply by virtue of being the only remotely funny thing collegehumor.com has ever posted.
posted by sourcequench at 3:23 PM on April 3, 2014


I don't understand this "correction" of the joke. When the quotation marks are around mother, the joke is that Ted's story to his kids wasn't really about the mother at all. It was about Robin.

Ok I've got little else to do so I'll give you my take on this correction, because initially I thought the same thing as you, and because I enjoy plates with beans on them:

How I Met Your "Mother" would work if Ted were in any way passing Robin off as the kids' mother -- here's a story about how I met the person that I'm referring to as your mother, even though she isn't. But Ted isn't pretending that Robin is their mother.

How I "Met" Your Mother can -- and I agree that it takes a lot of squinting -- be read as, here's a story that pretends to be about how I fell in love with your mother, but is really about how I happened to marry her after spending 8 years in love with one of my best friends.

I dunno.
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 3:35 PM on April 3, 2014


Upon reflection, I'd go with How I "Met your Mother"
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 3:36 PM on April 3, 2014


The implications of How "I" Met Your Mother are too dark for prime-time TV.
posted by LionIndex at 3:41 PM on April 3, 2014 [5 favorites]


How I Met "Your" Mother

Well there's a spin-off I hope never takes off.
posted by cacofonie at 4:53 PM on April 3, 2014


Thus "spake" Zarathustra
posted by Anything at 5:30 PM on April 3, 2014


On the origin of "species"
posted by Anything at 5:32 PM on April 3, 2014


Nichomachean "ethics"
posted by Anything at 5:37 PM on April 3, 2014 [2 favorites]




How I "Met" Your Mother can -- and I agree that it takes a lot of squinting -- be read as, here's a story that pretends to be about how I fell in love with your mother, but is really about how I happened to marry her after spending 8 years in love with one of my best friends.

I dunno.


OK. I can see how that works. Thanks.
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 6:26 PM on April 3, 2014


The "Conscience" of a Conservative.
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 6:30 PM on April 3, 2014 [2 favorites]


To clarify, How I "Met" Your Mother was intended as a general purpose your-mom joke, without any regard for the people or situations in the show itself. I haven't watched the show and I'm not at all trying to improve the accuracy of the title, I'm trying to change the meaning altogether. Like adding an "if you know what I mean" to the end.
posted by aubilenon at 7:53 PM on April 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Ah, that makes plenty more sense! We were riffing off of the implications of the newly-aired finale.
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 8:42 PM on April 3, 2014


I do an activity (which I found somewhere online) with my students where we read "I'm so glad you're here this evening" emphasizing each word in turn and discussing the implications. The point is to make them sound less like robots when we read aloud.
Thus, I'm hearing the goofiest of my students really over-exaggerate the marked word in each title, with wobbly neck and eye-roll and everything. That makes them all pretty funny.
posted by MsDaniB at 1:23 AM on April 4, 2014 [3 favorites]


Samuel L. Jackson special edition:

"Coming" to America
"Pulp" Fiction
Un"break"able
"Star Wars:" The Attack of the Clones
Marvel's "The" Avengers
Go the Fuck to "Sleep"
posted by kewb at 5:06 AM on April 4, 2014 [1 favorite]


What, you can do the Joy of Cooking but not:
The "Joy" Of Sex?
Or The Joy Of "Sex"?
posted by Mezentian at 5:12 AM on April 4, 2014 [1 favorite]


Samuel L. Jackson special edition:

You forgot this one:

"Snakes" On A Plane
posted by pianoblack at 8:06 AM on April 4, 2014 [1 favorite]


The "Structure" and "Interpretation" of Computer Programs

The C "Programming Language"

"Design" "Patterns"
posted by Vulgar Euphemism at 8:46 AM on April 4, 2014 [1 favorite]


Snakes "On" A Plane
("Dude, they were totally in that plane!" "I know, right?")
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:59 AM on April 4, 2014 [2 favorites]


"Deliverance"
posted by judson at 9:00 AM on April 4, 2014


Listed on Amazon:

"Friends": The Official Trivia Quiz Book
posted by Lanark at 11:29 AM on April 4, 2014


Metafilter: Community "weblog" (if you know what I mean)
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 1:54 PM on April 4, 2014


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