Life, 1926-09-30 · page 10 of 36
Life — September 30, 1926 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon depicts two figures outside a "Greek Restaurant." The accompanying text presents a pedestrian pun: **He (pedantically): "Most Greeks have Athens for their home."** **She (especially): "Why, I thought four out of five of them had Piraeus!"** The joke plays on homophones: "Athens" (the Greek capital) sounds like "a thens," while "Piraeus" (Athens's port city) sounds like "piraeus/pyre us." The humor relies on this linguistic wordplay rather than political commentary. The cartoon illustrates the "academic" nature of the pun—it's deliberate, forced, and relies on classical knowledge of Greek geography. The setting at a Greek restaurant provides contextual setup for the joke, making it a straightforward example of early 20th-century magazine humor based on linguistic cleverness rather than satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life [SUST BETWEEN US GIRLE | Quest H, some may covet a folding-bed that folds with- O out a tussle, And some may seck the theatre-seat that leaves a space for legs, And many may crave the iron-food that really feeds the muscle, While others hunt for burglar-proof locks that can’t be picked by. yeggs. But among these pallid out like a rocket: The thing I want is a pocket-size book that fits into the pocket. nes of desire my own stands I've known the man whose dearest aim was a working cigarette-lighter, And one who yearned for a window in a train to be unstuck, And a third who dreamed of a heavyweight champ that was really a prizefighter, While a fourth one pined for a radio that didn’t groan like a truck. But all of these gi off the doe! Means more to have a vest-pocket camera fitting into the pocket! s, for all of me, may be tumbled Simonetta, During the World Series EACHER: Jimmie, can you tell me what three and Jimaie: A tight corner for the pitcher, ma’am. Farry Story—Once upon a time there was a bottle of distilled ‘gin. Strictly Academic Pun He (pedantically) : MOST GREEKS HAVE ATHENS FOR THEIR HOME. She (peevishly): wuy, 1 THOUGHT FOUR OUT OF FIVE OF THEM HAD PiReus! ON’T you simply aDORE this new song and DANCE effect in the ‘SC y dear? I mean this ‘Bottoms UP’ or somethi BOTtom’ is what I MEAN, my dear—I simply NE can remember the names of anything any more because I mean I think I’ve got asP. A or something fright- ful that mal you forGE s i the y, vays, my dear, ANN Pennington s' daeees this perfectly DIVINE ‘Black Bottom’ which I mean I think is ACtually the MOST delightful thing I’ve ever SE because it’s so FRIGHT fully uNIQUE stly the most inTRIGUING thing you've ever KNOWN. I mean it's supposed to have originated in the SOUTH or something where the Negroes are always DANcing on the RIVer bottoms or something, my dear, and that’s why it’s called ‘Black BOTtom' because I mean it’s the sort of RHYTHmic shuffling of the Negroes’ muddy FEET, which I think is ACtually the most diVINE thing I've EVER heard of, my dear, because I mean the iDEA of the MUD and every- thing is so kind of irreSIStible it simply makes you want to PLUNGE into a RIVer or something and dance MADLY on the BOTtom—I mean it ACtually DOES! And I mean Ann PENnington sort of gets the SPIRit of the Negroes into it and it’s an ABsolute WOW, my dear—I mean it simply THRILLED me and I've got the intimate URGE to see it again—I mean I ACtually HAVE! I mean I'm so sort of SICK of ‘VALENCIA’ and that perfectly obNOXious ‘HORSES’ effect because it simply rePEATS the same thing over and OVER and I mean I think it’s the MOST NAUseating thing I’ve ever HEARD, my dear—I_ mean, I ACtually DO!” Lloyd Mayer. The Battle of the Sesqui LUGG: So you went to Phila- delphia to see the fight? What did you think of the Fair? Kiuce: What Fair? comicbooks.com