Appendix:Snowclones/I'm an X, not a Y
English edit
Etymology edit
Star Trek, 1966-1969 and later, where the character Dr. McCoy tells Captain Kirk, "I'm a doctor, not a(n) [mechanic, engineer, etc.]" The first usage of the exact formula (similar ideas differently worded had previously appeared) was in the 1967 episode "The Devil in the Dark": "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer." It was used again in four subsequent episodes of Star Trek (with other Ys), and further in the spinoff TV series and movies.
Phrase edit
- (snowclone) An indignant or incredulous reply to a request etc., implying that what is being expected, suitable for Y, is absurd to ask of the speaker, who is an X. X and Y are usually professions or beliefs, and significantly different from one another.
Statistics edit
- Frequency: Very frequent (upward of 10 million Google results)
From the first two pages of Google results: "I'm an entertainer, not a fighter", "I'm an alcoholic, not a Barbie doll", "I'm an environmentalist, not a hippie", "I'm an anarchist not a capitalist", "I'm an anarchist not a Republican", "I'm an airplane mechanic, not a miracle worker", and "I'm an optimist, not a sap".
External links edit
- "I'm a doctor, not a..." on Memory Alpha, a Star Trek reference wiki
- Discussion of this phrase at Snowclones.org