Current Events > I never understood this joke from Frasier

(+) Yeah! (+)

Woody Harrelson is visiting Seattle and asks Frasier, "by the way, what does burro mean?"

And Frasier says, "same as in English: jackass!"

And Woody says "okay, okay, I was just asking"

Now I know the intended joke is that Woody misinterpreted the answer to his question as a personal insult.

But.

What the fuck does "same as in English" mean in this context?

Burro isn't a loan word, it doesn't mean anything in English. Not to mention the joke still works fine if you omit that clause. You lose some of the grammatical word play (the colon is misinterpreted as a comma), but Woody is dumb enough that it would still be funny.

Idk man this has been bugging me for years

Burro is spanish for donkey. So burro = donkey and donkey = jackass, therefor burro = jackass.

Were_Wyrm posted...

Burro is spanish for donkey. So burro = donkey and donkey = jackass, therefor burro = jackass.

I know this part.

But even that doesn't make sense since "donkey" isn't synonymous with "jackass" in English. So the "same as in English" part still doesn't make sense >_>

You've never heard a donkey referred to as a jackass?

It's Spanish for donkey, but also a loan word in English.

El_Marsh posted...

You've never heard a donkey referred to as a jackass?

I've never heard anyone call anyone a donkey and also mean "jackass". Donkey as an insult has an entirely different connotation behind it.

In any even the confusion is specifically the "same as in English" part of the joke, since Burro means nothing in English. (And for added context they were talking about a restaurant anyway <_>)

Kim_Seong-a posted...

I know this part.

But even that doesn't make sense since "donkey" isn't synonymous with "jackass" in English. So the "same as in English" part still doesn't make sense >_>

Got news for you.

Yeah the missing piece of info for you is that a donkey = jackass. Maybe that term is disappearing. People only refer to a donkey as a jackass when theyre using wordplay really.

Kim_Seong-a posted...

I've never heard anyone call anyone a donkey and also mean "jackass". Donkey as an insult has an entirely different connotation behind it.

In any even the confusion is specifically the "same as in English" part of the joke, since Burro means nothing in English. (And for added context they were talking about a restaurant anyway <_>)

A jackass is literally a male donkey. And people sometimes use burro in English to refer to wild donkeys.

A "burro" is a neighborhood in a big city, was that what Woody was asking about?

Jackass = male donkey

But yeah that doesn't explain at all "burro means the same as in English". Seems like it's a mistake.

Was the line closer to "what did he mean by 'burro' ?"

'Donkey' is sometimes used in British English for someone who is stupid or stubborn.

Also footballers who are seen as slow and lacking skill.

Robot2600 posted...

A "burro" is a neighborhood in a big city, was that what Woody was asking about?

*"borough"

Kim_Seong-a posted...

Woody Harrelson is visiting Seattle and asks Frasier, "by the way, what does burro mean?"

And Frasier says, "same as in English: jackass!"

And Woody says "okay, okay, I was just asking"

Now I know the intended joke is that Woody misinterpreted the answer to his question as a personal insult.

But.

What the fuck does "same as in English" mean in this context?

Burro isn't a loan word, it doesn't mean anything in English. Not to mention the joke still works fine if you omit that clause. You lose some of the grammatical word play (the colon is misinterpreted as a comma), but Woody is dumb enough that it would still be funny.

Idk man this has been bugging me for years

I dont know the context of the conversation but perhaps the word used was burrow not burro.

-edit-

or borough apparently

Kim_Seong-a posted...

Burro isn't a loan word, it doesn't mean anything in English

It is a loan word, yes

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burro

Means a donkey, as was said

Donkeys are sometimes referred to as "jackasses"

So Woody, hearing a word that sounded foreign, asked what it meant. Frasier said "means the same thing [in Spanish] as it does in English, [donkey] jackass. Woody thought he was being called a jackass due to the way Frasier enunciated it

On the dictionary page, even has jackass as a synonym
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/4/8/AAe283AAEwmg.jpg

a burro is a donkey

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Ah I see. I've never heard that in the English language before but in that case the joke is correct. Still odd to phrase it as 'in English' though, considering it's a Spanish loan word.

Leaving it out would probably make more sense for the joke:

W: "What does burro mean?"
F: "Jackass!"
W: "No need to call names, I was just asking"

Kim_Seong-a posted...

Burro isn't a loan word, it doesn't mean anything in English.

I just googled , what is a burro, and it promptly opened up to a page with donkey

A burro may refer to the Spanish name for a domesticated donkey or a feral or wild donkey, depending on location, language, and context.

Burro is a word for donkey in both Spanish and Portuguese. In the United States, it is commonly applied to the feral donkeys that live west of the Rocky Mountains;[16] it may also refer to any small donkey.[17]: 147

burro ---> donkey ---> Jackass

there is no english word for wild donkey. Burro is what they call Feral\Wild Donkeys.

Kim_Seong-a posted...

I've never heard anyone call anyone a donkey and also mean "jackass". Donkey as an insult has an entirely different connotation behind it.

In any even the confusion is specifically the "same as in English" part of the joke, since Burro means nothing in English. (And for added context they were talking about a restaurant anyway <_>)

These guys are bound and determined to not read your posts

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

No shit.

Burrow also means burrow in English.

Borough also means borough in English.

Then he referred to Woody as a jackass.

The joke being that its a homonym and Frasier answered the question the. used the other meaning as an insult.

But since youve not supplied any of the surroundinng conversation thats as far as Ill argue the point.

ZaruenKosai posted...

I just googled , what is a burro, and it promptly opened up to a page with donkey

A burro may refer to the Spanish name for a domesticated donkey or a feral or wild donkey, depending on location, language, and context.

Burro is a word for donkey in both Spanish and Portuguese. In the United States, it is commonly applied to the feral donkeys that live west of the Rocky Mountains;[16] it may also refer to any small donkey.[17]: 147

burro ---> donkey ---> Jackass

there is no english word for wild donkey. Burro is what they call Feral\Wild Donkeys.

But that says the Spanish word for it. People are using that here. Much less a snob from Boston how now lives in Washington.

This would never happen on Black Frasier.

This is El Burro of the Diablos.

So its apparently about a restaurant called Two Burros.

And since according to what I read Woody asked whats it mean? technically Frasier is correct. A burro is the same as a jackass.

A rose by any other name smells as sweet,

or

A name is just a word that changes over time/across languages, the meaning still stays the same.

I think the question is why would Frasier specifically say "same as in English", as if Woody would know that Burro = Donkey.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FyiI7bBCoXY/hqdefault.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyiI7bBCoXY

episodes from tom and jerry referred to male donkeys as jackass, the episodes in question were from the 40's - 50's ish

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

That is to fruity and precocious for my pallette.

Does Seattle have boroughs? Not that Im aware of. The homophone interpretation (burrow/borough/burro) would make more sense if the show took place in New York.

I agree with TC that the joke doesnt make much sense. Its really just Frasier being mean.

Imagine Frasier being too highbrow

Were they perhaps referencing some B plotline were they were acting like two jackasses?

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Uh-huh, sure. No double entendre intended at all.

This board has too many Woody's and not enough Frasier's.

TimeForAction posted...

Imagine Frasier being too highbrow

It's the smartest show on TV.

0Renegade posted...

episodes from tom and jerry referred to male donkeys as jackass, the episodes in question were from the 40's - 50's ish

Yeah current culture has completely severed the link of jackass to donkey. I only am aware of this from watching the old cartoons where they often do the fade to jackass gag when a character has that moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSC87CI7yH4

https://youtu.be/Vp87yqMdcLg

realnifty1 posted...

This board has too many Woody's and not enough Frasier's.

Wait until CE learns the etymology of "burrito".

I think that most people can make the connection of burro = donkey/jackass
The "same as in English" part is what is being questioned.
"What does Gato mean?"
"Same as in English: cat!"
It's just weird

Dat_Cracka_Jax posted...

I think that most people can make the connection of burro = donkey/jackass
The "same as in English" part is what is being questioned.
"What does Gato mean?"
"Same as in English: cat!"
It's just weird

Yeah but did you know burro = donkey/jackass

Kim_Seong-a posted...

Burro isn't a loan word, it doesn't mean anything in English.

It means the donkey like animal...

Also, Frasier added "same as in English" because he is a know it all academic that likes to add in details to show his knowledge of the topic even when he is wrong.

It's a well constructed joke, even if it's a little corny.