Editing 1221: Nomenclature

{{comic
| number    = 1221
| date      = June 5, 2013
| title     = Nomenclature
| image     = nomenclature.png
| titletext = [shouted, from the field] 'Aunt Beast hit a pop fly to second! Dive for it, Mrs Whatsit!'
}}

==Explanation==
Nomenclature can be defined as the devising or choosing of names for things. Here [[Randall]] connects three pop culture references that each contain one or more instances of ambiguous nomenclature based on pronouns: the "{{w|Who's on First?}}" skit, the "{{w|Doctor Who}}" television series, and in the title text also the novel "{{w|A Wrinkle in Time}}" by {{w|Madeleine L'Engle}}.

The comic references the famous "{{w|Who's on First?}}" skit by the American comedy duo {{w|Abbott and Costello}} in the 1930s. This [http://youtu.be/airT-m9LcoY video] is one of the original performances. Costello is the shorter character, with a round brimmed hat and baseball bat, while Abbott is taller and wearing a baseball cap. This reflects the [http://www.ramsheadgroup.com/files/2013/04/abbott-and-costello-whos-on-first.jpg most common image] associated with the skit. In the routine, Costello is confused by the nicknames the {{w|Baseball|ball}} players go by. The man playing first base goes by the name "Who", the man on second base goes by "What", and the one on third calls himself "I Don't Know". Costello asks "Who's on first?", inquiring the name of the first-baseman, and Abbott replies "that's right", affirming that the first-baseman's name is Who. Both parties become confused within a matter of seconds.

{{w|Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor}} from the long-running British television series ''Doctor Who'' is often referred to as "Doctor Who" by people who [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IAmNotShazam think the series' name and their name are the same] (although it should be noted that the name "Doctor Who" is not entirely incorrect; the character [https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSipAqHqoHH-Ma04kMV_d0rmCVD7p6co_iItlcmSXfOqt6BiCmGDQ was referred to as such in the end credits for several seasons], as well as in the spin-off theatrical films starring Peter Cushing). In-universe, the character often introduces themself as "The Doctor", which elicits the response "[http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/The_%22Doctor_Who%3F%22_running_joke Doctor who?]". Their response to this question is: "Just 'The Doctor'". [[Megan]] appears to have interrupted the "Who's on First?" skit to clarify the confusion that the person on first is not called "Who", but just "The Doctor".

The title text references the Madeleine L'Engle novel {{w|A Wrinkle In Time|A Wrinkle in Time}}, which has characters with similarly ambiguous names. Mrs. Whatsit appears to be on second base (like What in the original sketch). Aunt Beast is the batter and hits a {{w|pop fly}} towards second base, while Mrs. Whatsit is being encouraged to dive to catch the ball before it hits the ground, to get the batter out. Another character in the book, Mrs. Who, may also be on the field; Megan may be pointing out that she should be the player referred to as "Who" rather than The Doctor.

==Transcript==
:[Mrs. Whatsit, a woman drawn as Megan with her hand held out, is talking to Abbott, a tall guy with a baseball cap and Costello, a short guy with a round brimmed hat and baseball bat. The names comes from the [http://xkcd.com/1221/info.0.json original transcript].]
:Mrs. Whatsit: You're both confused.
:Mrs. Whatsit: He's just "The Doctor".

{{comic discussion}}

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