Earlier today: a David Borchart New Yorker cartoon with an entertaining ambiguity, #2 here. Borchart’s first appearance on this blog, though he’s a prolific cartoonist. Now another Borchart with some linguistic interest, plus one that just tickles me.
First, a play on barbiturate-induced coma:
(#1)
From Wikipedia on induced coma:
A barbiturate-induced coma, or barb coma, is a temporary coma (a deep state of unconsciousness) brought on by a controlled dose of a barbiturate drug, usually pentobarbital or thiopental. Barbiturate comas are used to protect the brain during major neurosurgery, and as a last line of treatment in certain cases of status epilepticus that have not responded to other treatments.
In the cartoon, the coma is induced by conversation — mind-numbing conversation, presumably.
Then, just for fun:
(#2)
Three bits (at least) of knowledge needed here: one, that those are anteaters in the cartoon; two, that they’re at a picnic on the grass; three, that ants are conventionally said to be attracted by picnics, especially those involving sweets, as in the cartoon.
The line “Now we wait” occurs often enough that it has a page on the Television Tropes and Idioms site.
I don’t have much information on Borchart, but he does have a website for his serialized graphic novel A Prisoner of Ghoul Island.
