Talk:take a wrong turn at Albuquerque

Latest comment: 7 years ago by Pingku in topic RFC discussion: September 2016

RFC discussion: September 2016 edit

 

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This entry is obviously wrong, but I'm not sure what to do about it. The definition:

  1. To take a wrong or missed turn in a journey that will inevitably land the traveler in a place far divorced from their original goal.

There are examples of usage in Google Books, but they're only loosely arranged around the idea of taking a wrong turn or going wrong. What they really are is attempts to evoke the absurdity of the scene from a Warner Brothers cartoon where the phrase originated. I don't think anyone would really understand this without knowledge of the cartoon.

In other words, it's an allusion, not a lexical item. Chuck Entz (talk) 03:18, 7 September 2016 (UTC)Reply

Very strong keep. I know that this isn't a deletion discussion, but it offends me how you called this term which is used outside of reference to Bug's Bunny, an "allusion and not a lexical item." You seem to have a strong idea that allusions are somehow a bad thing. I already have 1 citation that I can put here. It's from another TV series; Beyblade. I'll tell you one thing, they've said two things in relation to Bug's Bunny in the entire anime: took a wrong turn at Albuquerque and what's up Doc (I think). I'm actually surprised that "what's up Doc" is not already here, as it is a common phrase I see in TV shows where they don't refer to Bugs Bunny at all, and it's just synonymous to what's up. These are actually used now. How much should I stress this to you? It's idiomatic, used by people outside of a reference to the TV shows it came from, and it shouldn't be deleted. If you want my Beyblade citation I can give it to you later, but now I have to go. I'm already late enough as it is. Virtually any phrase coming from a TV show could be argued to be an "allusion". on like Donkey Kong could be referred to as an allusion to the first popular culture song who used it, but heck it made WOTD for crying out loud. PseudoSkull (talk) 11:56, 7 September 2016 (UTC)Reply
Usage is key, is it used to mean what it says it means or is it only used in reference to the cartoon. Evidence, gentlemen! Renard Migrant (talk) 12:01, 7 September 2016 (UTC)Reply
I've made a couple of tweaks and cited it. — Pingkudimmi 13:24, 7 September 2016 (UTC)Reply


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