January 09, 2006
Better the wonk you know
While plugging the phrase "holy tango" into Technorati (as one does), I was startled to discover a recent Wonkette item that used the phrase in a way that had absolutely nothing to do with my book -- as if "holy tango" were a phrase in common parlance. The item notes that Jack Abramoff and Monica Lewinsky both attended the Hawthorne School and Beverly Hills High, and then adds:
It's like a Holy Tango of Taint, y'all, but it reminds us of a constant complaint we have with the Harry Potter universe: why don't they just tear Slytherin down?
I will be mightily impressed if "holy tango" actually catches a wave of semantic drift and comes to mean something besides "a phrase I made up because it was an anagram of 'anthology' and sounded funny".
Posted by Francis at 06:33 PMBetter rush out and register your holytango.com domain before someone grabs it.
Posted by: Rich at January 9, 2006 07:10 PMit's not inconceivable that someone caught wind of your book and thought "holy tango" was some such expression, and only much, MUCH later caught onto the anagram. that definitely didn't happen to me. no way.
Posted by: Ken/Cazique at January 9, 2006 11:16 PMKen, I have no idea what you're talking about. That couldn't possibly happen to anyone like, say, me.
Posted by: David. at January 10, 2006 08:33 AMFrancis, are you geisting the zeit?
Posted by: Orange at January 10, 2006 12:30 PMHello - I didn't know if you'd mind, so I thought I'd write and say that I've linked to your book from my blog, as well as to the amazon page to buy it. My wife and I are buying three to give as gifts (keeping one for ourselves of course). As an English Honours major you really made my day.
Posted by: thomas at January 11, 2006 01:23 AMHeck no I don't mind! The more people who link to it, the better. I hope no one orders it from that person selling it for $42 Canadian though. That's just ridiculous.
Posted by: Francis at January 11, 2006 01:31 AMI think DCeiver, the Wonketter who posted that item, has decided he'll be getting that phrase into common usage, no matter what it takes.
at the very least.
And you can take pride (or not) in the fact that Holy Tango and Is A Sperm Like A Whale? turn up in a lot of Googlespam.
Posted by: Scott at January 11, 2006 03:24 AMHi there! I just wanted you to know that whenever I use the phrase "holy tango", it is indeed meant as a subliminal shout out to you. I hope that this is a good thing!
Posted by: DCeiver at January 11, 2006 11:48 AMI do indeed think that it's a good thing; in fact, it adds up considerable spicery to my liveliness. Thanks!
Posted by: Francis at January 11, 2006 03:01 PMI've come to use the term in everyday conversation, where it is a synonym for "lollapalooza" or "humdinger". Occasionally, a shebang is involved.
Posted by: bpd at January 11, 2006 04:28 PMAren't you glad you didn't go with "ghooly ant" or "gothy loan"?
Posted by: Eileen at January 12, 2006 07:39 PM