In the TV program "The Simpsons", Homer Simpson is leading a crowd protesting the safety problem of the power plant and one of the power plant staff told the boss Homer Simpson used to work in the plant but was fired. Then the boss said: Get this Simpson character up here right now!"
What's the meaning of "this Simpson character"? Does it means "this Simpson is now being famous" ? Could you provide a couple of examples for this usage?
Thanks a lot!
2007-05-26 17:44:12 · 8 answers · asked by lotusgrass 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
I believe 'character' is used in this situation, and in others, to talk about a person who has been described to you, but whom you have never met. I think it's implying that the person (if he is real) is like a character in a book to you, until you actually meet him.
The joke is that Mr. Burns has actually met Homer Simpson a number of times, beyond ordinary boss/employee interaction in a large organization, and never remembers who he is. When he says "this Simpson character", he's revealing that he doesn't know who Homer is exactly.
One more detail: it's kind of an old-fashioned expression, of a sort that the very old Mr. Burns likes using.
2007-05-26 18:08:19 · answer #1 · answered by Doc Occam 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It loosely means "Get the person who is Mr. Simpsons here right now!"
You would use it when you're angry at someone but don't know them very well, so they're only a "character" and not important to you.
2007-05-26 17:49:01 · answer #2 · answered by Belie 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't know about that. I just find it funny that Homer has met Mr. Burns tons of times, But each time, both of them act in a way that would suggest that neither of them had met before.
2007-05-26 17:52:56 · answer #3 · answered by TheSilverBeetles 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think you over analyzed it.
Hes just saying
Get this person up here
Or
Get this simpson guy up here
since he was protesting there calling him a charahcter.
2007-05-26 17:48:37 · answer #4 · answered by Ans2003 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The usage of 'character' in this case is 'a person marked by notable traits' - in particular, the trait of being the leader of the rally - and in this case is meant to be slightly derrogatory; a decided undercurrent of "Who does this person think he is?"
2007-05-26 17:59:39 · answer #5 · answered by hogan.enterprises 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think this is ironically ambiguous meaning "get this character from 'the Simpsons' "
2007-05-26 17:59:01 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
i think he used the word "Character" as an adjective. Like when people say "so and so" is such a character, they mean to say he's mischievious.
2007-05-26 17:50:10 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It just simply means .. "person" or "individual"...
Nothing more, nothing less.
2007-05-26 17:48:28 · answer #8 · answered by Sapere Aude 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
"Character" being used in lieu of "jerk" or somesuch insult.
2007-05-26 17:47:19 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋