Watched Community on NBC for the first time. Set in a community college, it may offer context for discussions with students. Saw episode 311, and saw it on demand so I don’t know when it originally aired – 3rd season I’m guessing.
Joel McHale’s character starts a wedding toast (a draft) and a Alison Brie’s character stops him. The best I can remember the dialogue goes:
McHale: Webster’ dictionary defines marriage as…
Brie: [interupting] What! Stop! “Webster’s dictionary defines…”? That’s the Jim Belushi of lines. Everyone keep using it but no one knows why .
That’s hilarious, and in keeping with my long standing issue with students using this rhetorical ploy ( See here for my first rant, and see here for faculty responses to my question whether this irritation with the cliched rhetorical is personal or wide spread).
I like Jim Belushi as a person, but can’t stand watching him in TV or movies. I read dictionaries, but don’t like seeing them quoted.
