Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Pandemic of Nun-Punching

Nuns who punch back are right up there with cannibal kittens on my list of TERRIBLE INVADERS FROM THE BACKWARDS WORLDI have been known, on occasion, to describe things as "nun-punchingly bad", "nun-punchingly hard", or "so terrible that it punches nuns right in the face." The theory goes that there are three things that we as a society can agree are objectively bad - kicking puppies, punching nuns, and Hitler.

Friend, reader and generally awesome dude Phrancq warned me the other day that this phrase had in some fashion gotten loose from my blog and was now stalking the interweb looking for blood. Phrancq also claimed that I stole the phrase from him, and he in some fashion stole it from Jhonen Vasquez. My response is that Phrancq kicks puppies. Right-minded people agree.

In support of the "rogue language" threat alert, I helpfully offer examples drawn from the interweb:

1) The Magdalene Sisters was apparently a "nun-punchingly great movie".

2) Suggesting that the Tool song "The Pot" is about Mesopotamia is a "nun-punchingly stupid idea".

3) Salvia divinorum is a "nun-punchingly evil drug".

4) The following people are known to punch nuns: Tom Cruise, Jon Stewart, Sarah Palin, and any number of internet forum trolls. Apparently people who punch nuns are also highly likely to kick puppies, spit on kittens, drink the blood of babies and/or salute Hitler. Objectively bad.

Has anyone else spotted examples of people popularising a phrase which I totally invented and did not in any way steal? Failing that, have you, as a reader, managed to convince anyone that this is a real phrase which is in parlance among the hip children? If not, you totally should. Tell stories.

4 comments:

Phrancq said...

I do not kick puppies. I have been known to suck the blood out of wounded puppies, but that's completely original and not stolen from the same place as the punching nuns line.

Morgan said...

Of course, there is nothing at all wrong with punching puppies, kicking nuns or Goebels.

Phrancq seems more like the type to kick the puppies that Hitler's nuns owned.

But only if Hitler had nuns. If he had nun (lolololololololol pun), then Phranzq is in no way a puppy kicker. So Greg, you get to do some more research on Hitler!

Greg Tannahill said...

I will pretend to have understood, and nod politely, and reach for my shotgun.

Anonymous said...

NRMA stoled my 'un-verb' bit.

A line I use in job-interviews* when they ask what particular skills or worth you'll be bringing into the company/role is that I'm someone that can make things happen... and most importantly I can make things UNhappen. Give a few examples of me spotting problems with potential to grow into serious splodies and making them go away... and hello job!

...yes I know that NRMAs thing is 'Unworry', but there are unhappens in some of the ads.


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*(and at people that don't know me at social gatherings when the cinversation turns to defining strangers by finding out their profession *rolls eyes*)