From: "Baldwin" <revbill@gte.net>
Newsgroups: alt.humor.best-of-usenet
Subject: [rec.arts.poems] Re: Abbot and Costello meet Unix and English
Date: 30 Nov 1997 18:52:22 GMT

Subject: Re: Abbot and Costello meet Unix and English
From: Tom Christiansen <tchrist@mox.perl.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.poems, ; misc.writing; alt.usage.english

 [courtesy cc of this posting sent to cited author via email]

In alt.usage.english, Beth <grethy@pacbell.net> writes:

: I am reminded of the old Bud Abbott and Lue Costello scene
: referring to a baseball game, that starts out:
:
: There is also this one:
: Costello calls Abbott with some questions about UNIX:

And don't forget this for people who can't figure out the
difference between contractions and possessive pronouns:

    A: It's not that it's a mortal sin, it's just that its spelling sucks.
    C: Whose spelling?
    A: Its spelling.
    C: It's spelling what?
    A: No, just its spelling.
    C: What's it spelling?
    A: Spelling?  It's not spelling.
    C: YOU SAID IT WAS SPELLING SUCKS!
    A: No, I never said it was spelling anything.
       I merely remarked that its spelling sucks.
    C: There!  You said its again.
    A: No I didn't, I said its spelling.  It doesn't have an again.
       And you're the one who said it's spelling.
    C: I wish you would tell me what it's spelling.
    A: Who's spelling anything?
    C: I don't even know whose spelling we're using!  Your spelling!
    A: I'm not spelling.  I'm Abbott.  You're the one who's spelling things,
       and whose spelling sucks.  And your spelling is none too good.
    C: I give up.  Can't we please just speak French?