326: Effect an Effect

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Effect an Effect

Title text: Time to paint another grammarian silhouette on the side of the desktop.

Explanation

"Affect" and "effect" can each both be noun and verb with the sense of influence, and are often confused. (See the usage note under "Affect".)

"Effect" is usually a noun, meaning a result, and "affect" usually a verb, meaning to act upon. "Effect" as a verb has the slightly different meaning to bring about. Cueball says that the foreign policy causes the situation, not, as the grammar nazi thinks, that it changes the situation.

The title of the comic translates to bring about an effect, which is just what Cueball does!

The title text refers to a practice common among fighter pilots in a war zone. Fighter pilots that score a "kill" on an opposing aircraft will have a silhouette of the downed plane painted on the side of their plane as a way of keeping track of kills. In this sense, Cueball "shot down," figuratively speaking, an online grammar nazi, and would mark it by painting a silhouette on the side of his computer.

Transcript

Narrator: MY HOBBY:

Using the more obscure meanings of "affect" and "effect" to try to trip up amateur grammar nazis.

Cueball: I think that our foreign policy effects the situation.

Computer [types]: You mean "affects".

Cueball: tee hee hee

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Discussion

Can someone explain the title text, thanks! –St.nerol (talk) 14:20, 22 March 2013 (UTC)

Yeah, I'd like to see that get added as well. I kind of assumed it was like taking a kill-count; one painting for each victim. I'm not sure what it specifically refers to, or what the origin of the term is. 76.106.251.87 05:55, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

seen the silhouette images of enemy planes painted next to the pilots canopy on mid 20th century fighter planes? its a reference to that. i've only seen it in films but presumably where there's smoke there's fire. *edit for improved explanation: the images are painted by the pilot to show how many 'bogies' he's shot down,much like how cueball will paint the grammarian on his desktop as another victim. Xseo (talk) 10:02, 15 April 2013 (UTC)

"mid 20th century fighter planes"?? As opposed to what? Late 18th century fighter planes?86.44.215.73 02:44, 23 April 2013 (UTC)

As opposed to late 20th and 21st century fighter planes perhaps? St.nerol (talk) 08:20, 24 April 2013 (UTC)