The Areas of My Expertise: Difference between revisions
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| title = An Almanac of Complete World Knowledge Compiled with Instructive Annotation and Arranged in Useful Order by Me, John Hodgman, a Professional Writer, in the Areas of My Expertise, which Include: Matters Historical; Matters Literary; Matters Cryptozoological; Hobo Matters; Food, Drink, & Cheese (a Kind of Food); Squirrels & Lobsters & Eels; Haircuts; Utopia; What Will Happen in the Future; and Most Other Subjects; Illustrated with a Reasonable Number of Tables and Figures, and Featuring the Best of "Were You Aware of It?", John Hodgman's Long-Running Newspaper Novelty Column of Strange Facts and Oddities of the Bizarre |
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| author = John Hodgman |
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| central theme = |
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| elevator pitch = A pastiche of almanacks and trivia books in general |
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| genre = |
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| franchise = Complete World Knowledge |
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| followed by = More Information Than You Require |
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| publication date = October 20, 2005 |
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| wiki URL = |
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| wiki name = |
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{{quote|''"All of the historical oddities and amazing true facts contained herein are lies, made up by me -- and it is this astonishing innovation that allows each entry to contain more truths than if it were merely factual... Truth may be stranger than fiction, goes the old saw, but it is never as strange as lies, or for that matter, as true. Proof of which maxim is the fact that I just made it up."''|from the audiobook introduction}} |
{{quote|''"All of the historical oddities and amazing true facts contained herein are lies, made up by me -- and it is this astonishing innovation that allows each entry to contain more truths than if it were merely factual... Truth may be stranger than fiction, goes the old saw, but it is never as strange as lies, or for that matter, as true. Proof of which maxim is the fact that I just made it up."''|from the audiobook introduction}} |
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Short for: |
Short for: ''An Almanac of Complete World Knowledge Compiled with Instructive Annotation and Arranged in Useful Order by Me, John Hodgman, a Professional Writer, in '''[[Title Drop|the Areas of My Expertise]]''', which Include: Matters Historical; Matters Literary; Matters Cryptozoological; Hobo Matters; Food, Drink, & Cheese (a Kind of Food); Squirrels & Lobsters & Eels; Haircuts; Utopia; What Will Happen in the Future; and Most Other Subjects; Illustrated with a Reasonable Number of Tables and Figures, and Featuring the Best of "Were You Aware of It?", John Hodgman's Long-Running Newspaper Novelty Column of Strange Facts and Oddities of the Bizarre''. |
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As the name implies, it is a book of trivia written by John Hodgman, better known as [[Mascot|a PC]], and as ''[[The Daily Show]]'''s "Resident Expert". Every single fact in it is a lie ... or is it? |
As the name implies, it is a book of trivia written by John Hodgman, better known as [[Mascot|a PC]], and as ''[[The Daily Show]]'''s "Resident Expert". Every single fact in it is a lie ... or is it? |
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The first in the ''[[Complete World Knowledge]]'' trilogy, followed by ''[[More Information Than You Require]]'' and ''[[That Is All]]''. |
The first in the ''[[Complete World Knowledge]]'' trilogy, followed by ''[[More Information Than You Require]]'' and ''[[That Is All]]''. |
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=== This book provides examples (and parodies) of: === |
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{{tropelist|''The Areas of My Expertise'' provides examples of, and parodies, the following tropes:}} |
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* [[Alien Geometries]]: One house with a 666 phone number is described as having no right angles. |
* [[Alien Geometries]]: One house with a 666 phone number is described as having no right angles. |
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* [[Ancient Conspiracy]]: Subverted: The Skulls and Bones are said to have failed in their bid for world domination, and now spend all their time masturbating and tending to the pterodactyls on their private island. The Masonic symbols allegedly hidden in Washington DC's architecture are also parodied. |
* [[Ancient Conspiracy]]: Subverted: The Skulls and Bones are said to have failed in their bid for world domination, and now spend all their time masturbating and tending to the pterodactyls on their private island. The Masonic symbols allegedly hidden in Washington DC's architecture are also parodied. |
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* [[Attack of the Killer Whatever]]: [[Discussed Trope|Discussed]]. |
* [[Attack of the Killer Whatever]]: [[Discussed Trope|Discussed]]. |
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* [[Beware of Hitch |
* [[Beware of Hitch-Hiking Ghosts]] |
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* [[Brian Blessed]]:In the BBC adaptation, in the role of "Old John Hodgman, After He Accidentally Becomes British". |
* [[Brian Blessed]]:{{context|reason=Is this a trope?}} In the BBC adaptation, in the role of "Old John Hodgman, After He Accidentally Becomes British". |
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* [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]]: "Idiosyncrasies of the Great Detectives", parodying: |
* [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]]: "Idiosyncrasies of the Great Detectives", parodying: |
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** [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] |
** [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] |
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** [[Nero Wolfe]] |
** [[Nero Wolfe]] |
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** [[Miss Marple]] |
** [[Miss Marple]] |
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** [[ |
** [[Brother Cadfael]] |
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** [[Kid Detective|Kid Detectives]] in general |
** [[Kid Detective|Kid Detectives]] in general |
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* [[Call a Rabbit |
* [[Call a Rabbit a Smeerp]]: There was a species of otter called a "lobster", now driven to extinction by the New Lobsters. There's also a joke about how during the 1920s, when "gorilla" was a slang term for tough guy, the term for an actual gorilla was "mega-chimp" |
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* [[The Con]] |
* [[The Con]] |
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** One of which involves impersonating a [[Ninja]], and requires, as part of the con, the summoning of [[Mons]]. |
** One of which involves impersonating a [[Ninja]], and requires, as part of the con, the summoning of [[Mons]]. |
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* [[Creepy Child]]: The Virtuous Child, Child Prodigies. |
* [[Creepy Child]]: The Virtuous Child, Child Prodigies. |
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* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: "You know what?" I say. "Fuck you." |
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: "You know what?" I say. "Fuck you." |
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* [[Exactly What It Says |
* [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]] |
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* [[Flanderization]]: [[The Several States|Our 51 United States]]. |
* [[Flanderization]]: [[The Several States|Our 51 United States]]. |
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** [[The Big Easy]] |
** [[The Big Easy]] |
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** [[Down |
** [[Down on the Farm]] |
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** [[Everything Is Big in Texas]] |
** [[Everything Is Big in Texas]] |
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** [[Hollywood New England]] |
** [[Hollywood New England]] |
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** [[The Windy City]]: Hodgman claims Chicago is only a myth. |
** [[The Windy City]]: Hodgman claims Chicago is only a myth. |
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* [[The Great Depression]]: What You Did Not Know About Hoboes. |
* [[The Great Depression]]: What You Did Not Know About Hoboes. |
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* [[Historical |
* [[Historical In-Joke]]: Loads. |
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* [[Homage]]: |
* [[Homage]]: |
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** The mountains of Colorado (state nickname: [[The Lord of the Rings|The Dwarrowdelf]]) are described as "large and fairly [[The Lord of the Rings|Balrog]]-free". |
** The mountains of Colorado (state nickname: [[The Lord of the Rings|The Dwarrowdelf]]) are described as "large and fairly [[The Lord of the Rings|Balrog]]-free". |
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** When describing the correct manner of raising rabbits, Hodgman describes the phenomenon of [[Watership Down|El-Ahrairah worship]] |
** When describing the correct manner of raising rabbits, Hodgman describes the phenomenon of [[Watership Down|El-Ahrairah worship]] |
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** When building a snow fort, "watch out for [[Star Wars|wampas]]." |
** When building a snow fort, "watch out for [[Star Wars|wampas]]." |
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** Repeated references to ''[[ |
** Repeated references to ''[[Doctor Who]]'', including using a picture of Cybermen for "typical cyborg mischief". |
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** Repeated references to the ''[[Evil Dead]]'' series, such as the claim that George W. Bush has a [[Chainsaw Good|chainsaw]] for [[Arm Cannon|a hand]]. John Hodgman was Bruce Campbell's literary agent, and Campbell is listed as an expert consulted on the subject of fake blood [likely not a joke]. |
** Repeated references to the ''[[Evil Dead]]'' series, such as the claim that George W. Bush has a [[Chainsaw Good|chainsaw]] for [[Arm Cannon|a hand]]. John Hodgman was Bruce Campbell's literary agent, and Campbell is listed as an expert consulted on the subject of fake blood [likely not a joke]. |
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* [[Joisey]]: Listed as the "Too-easy-to-Mock State". |
* [[Joisey]]: Listed as the "Too-easy-to-Mock State". |
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* [[Pirate]]: Blackbeard pops up, briefly. There is also said to be [http://www.venganza.org/ a Utopian community that hopes to improve humanity through acting like stereotypical pirates]. |
* [[Pirate]]: Blackbeard pops up, briefly. There is also said to be [http://www.venganza.org/ a Utopian community that hopes to improve humanity through acting like stereotypical pirates]. |
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* [[Planet of Steves]]: The ringtail cats, who, by a curious coincidence, are all named John McCain. |
* [[Planet of Steves]]: The ringtail cats, who, by a curious coincidence, are all named John McCain. |
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* [[The Roaring Twenties]] |
* [[The Roaring Twenties]]{{context}} |
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* [[Running Gag]]: [[Our Werewolves Are Different|The different varieties of werewolf]], [[A Date |
* [[Running Gag]]: [[Our Werewolves Are Different|The different varieties of werewolf]], [[A Date with Rosie Palms|masturbation]], eels, zeppelins, cheese, [[Hair Tropes|haircuts/facial hair]], distrust for people who use pseudonyms, Henry David Thoreau, giant Brazilian monkeys, Alexander Graham Bell, Yale University, crabs and lobsters (although the term "lobster" originally referred to a type of sea otter), the non-existence of Chicago, getting either [[Intoxication Ensues|"very high or very autistic"]], common flammable gels, Percoset, and, of course, the hoboes. |
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* [[Shout |
* [[Shout-Out]]: "The Amazing Duo of [[They Might Be Giants|Flansburgh]] and Goldwasser", Bruce Campbell, "[[Elf Quest|Skywise the Sexual Elf"]]. |
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* [[Shown Their Work]]: Ironically enough. |
* [[Shown Their Work]]: Ironically enough. |
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* [[Serious Business]]: "If you wish for sports information, might I kindly refer you to every other aspect of our culture?" |
* [[Serious Business]]: "If you wish for sports information, might I kindly refer you to every other aspect of our culture?" |
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* [[Word Salad Title]]: The whole title. |
* [[Word Salad Title]]: The whole title. |
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* [[You Can Panic Now]]: One minor character is afraid that terrorists will attack the Mall of America. |
* [[You Can Panic Now]]: One minor character is afraid that terrorists will attack the Mall of America. |
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⚫ | | [[Umineko no Naku Koro ni|Magicians v. Detectives]] || [[Attack of the Killer Whatever|All animals attack all humans]] || [[The New Rock and Roll|Society persecutes inventor of revolutionary fabric or vehicle]] || [[Betty and Veronica|Hero must choose between excellent sexual partner and stable companion]] || [[Steampunk|Return of Civil War-era cyborgs that are powered by steam]] |
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⚫ | | [[Save Our Students|Teacher v. Unruly class; both learn lessons]] || [[Do Not Touch the Funnel Cloud|Hunted by tornadoes]] || Self-satisfied loner flouts irrational laws, reveals [[Strawman Political|absurdity of society]], congratulates self || [[Amnesiac Dissonance|Past life reasserts itself]] || [[Enemy Within|Cyborg fights the man within]] |
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⚫ | | [[Les Misérables|Pursuit throughout life]] by [[Inspector Javert|a French constable whose determination exceeds his reason]] || [[Convection, Schmonvection|Volcanoes come to town]] || [[Torches and Pitchforks|Hero is chased by townspeople bearing torches]] || [[Divide and Conquer|Hero wonders if closest friend is actually his archenemy, then lives in fear]] || [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight|Man seeks control of his own cybernetic brain]] |
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⚫ | | [[Country Mouse]] v. [[City Mouse]] || One partially blinded by bear seeks [[Revenge]] || [[Stylistic Self Parody|Person living in two-dimensional world]] encourages [[Conspicuous CG|embrace of third dimension]] [[Flatland|and is shunned]] || [[The Grotesque|A horrible physical deformity is overcome]], only to be revealed that [[All Just a Dream|it is all in the protagonist's imagination]] || [[Only Sane Man|Only the hero can see the cyborgs]] who [[Conspiracy Kitchen Sink|secretly run our government and media]] |
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⚫ | | [[Cranky Neighbor|Devil worshippers]] v. [[Odd Couple|Apartment dwellers]] || [[Journey to Find Oneself|Wilderness becomes crucible in which asthmatic learns to grow a beard]] || Conscience prevents acceptance of [[Soylent Green]] || [[Animal Nemesis|One partially blinded by bear overcomes need for revenge]] || [[Et Tu, Brute?|Family discovers pet to be cyborg]] |
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⚫ | | [[Foe Yay|Rivals in business become partners in bed]] || [[Failure Is the Only Option|The ocean arrives to put an end to well-laid plans]] || True talent [[Straw Critic|overlooked]] in favour of kiss-asses || [[Enemy Within|Struggle to overcome]] the effects of [[Brainwashed|brainwashing/hypnosis]] || Young, handsome [[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul|cyborg Army officer kills his own family]], [[You Can Panic Now|blames hippies]] |
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⚫ | | Former lovers who are [[Adventurer Archaeologist|archeologists]] seek same [[Public Domain Artifact|ancient curio]] || [[The Determinator|Petty jealousy inspires tireless pursuit]] of [[Moby Dick|whale]] || [[Cloning Blues|New numbering system for clones proves problematic for non-clones]] || [[All Just a Dream|Everything turns out to be a dream]] || Man creates cyborg who wishes [[Become a Real Boy|to become a real boy]] |
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⚫ | | Evil cousins thwart romance || [[Big Friendly Dog|Saint Bernards]] come first as rescuers, [[The Mole|then reveal themselves as enemies]] || [[Star-Crossed Lovers|Shark loves Jet]] (also can be [[Interspecies Romance|Man v. Nature]] or [[Crack Pairing|Nature v. Technology]]) || [[Helping Hands|Body part is severed, gains mind of its own: Watch out]] || [[Turned Against Their Masters|Cyborg servants turn on master]] |
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⚫ | | Professional debunker v. Popular spoon-bending psychic || [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent|Snakes lie in wait]] || Child [[Raised by Wolves|raised by Saint Bernard assassins]] seeks [[The Atoner|acceptance and forgiveness of human society]] || [[Who Dunnit to Me?|Hero in coma seeks to solve own murder]], discovers [[The Killer in Me|culprit is himself]] || Cyborgs seek fortune on Broadway, settle for bartending gig, [[Almighty Janitor|and learn much about human life]] |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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[[Category:Comic Literature]] |
[[Category:Comic Literature]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Non-Fiction Literature]] |
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[[Category:Books on Trope]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Pages with working Wikipedia tabs]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Cult Classic]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Literature of the 2000s]] |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Areas of My Expertise, The}} |
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Latest revision as of 18:13, 16 May 2024
Short for: An Almanac of Complete World Knowledge Compiled with Instructive Annotation and Arranged in Useful Order by Me, John Hodgman, a Professional Writer, in the Areas of My Expertise, which Include: Matters Historical; Matters Literary; Matters Cryptozoological; Hobo Matters; Food, Drink, & Cheese (a Kind of Food); Squirrels & Lobsters & Eels; Haircuts; Utopia; What Will Happen in the Future; and Most Other Subjects; Illustrated with a Reasonable Number of Tables and Figures, and Featuring the Best of "Were You Aware of It?", John Hodgman's Long-Running Newspaper Novelty Column of Strange Facts and Oddities of the Bizarre.
Written by: | John Hodgman |
---|---|
Central Theme: | |
Synopsis: | A pastiche of almanacks and trivia books in general |
Series: | Complete World Knowledge |
Followed by: | More Information Than You Require |
First published: | October 20, 2005 |
"All of the historical oddities and amazing true facts contained herein are lies, made up by me -- and it is this astonishing innovation that allows each entry to contain more truths than if it were merely factual... Truth may be stranger than fiction, goes the old saw, but it is never as strange as lies, or for that matter, as true. Proof of which maxim is the fact that I just made it up."
—from the audiobook introduction
|
As the name implies, it is a book of trivia written by John Hodgman, better known as a PC, and as The Daily Show's "Resident Expert". Every single fact in it is a lie ... or is it?
It is intelligent, absurd humour, and primarily a parody of Poor Richard's Almanack, written by Benjamin Franklin, and more broadly, a pastiche of almanacks and trivia books in general. In order to properly get every joke in it, you'd need to take a course. (In fact, one can imagine students in the far future doing so. ELL 321: Early 21st Century Comedy: John Hodgman).
The audiobook version, which in many ways is even more hilarious, is read by Hodgman in his trademark deadpan style. It also features Jonathan Coulton singing the book's theme song, the songs of the various American states, and generally acting as Hodgman's foil and straightman throughout.
The first in the Complete World Knowledge trilogy, followed by More Information Than You Require and That Is All.
- Alien Geometries: One house with a 666 phone number is described as having no right angles.
- Ancient Conspiracy: Subverted: The Skulls and Bones are said to have failed in their bid for world domination, and now spend all their time masturbating and tending to the pterodactyls on their private island. The Masonic symbols allegedly hidden in Washington DC's architecture are also parodied.
- Attack of the Killer Whatever: Discussed.
- Beware of Hitch-Hiking Ghosts
- Brian Blessed:[context?] In the BBC adaptation, in the role of "Old John Hodgman, After He Accidentally Becomes British".
- Bunny Ears Lawyer: "Idiosyncrasies of the Great Detectives", parodying:
- Call a Rabbit a Smeerp: There was a species of otter called a "lobster", now driven to extinction by the New Lobsters. There's also a joke about how during the 1920s, when "gorilla" was a slang term for tough guy, the term for an actual gorilla was "mega-chimp"
- The Con
- One of which involves impersonating a Ninja, and requires, as part of the con, the summoning of Mons.
- Another requires several thousand people and the cooperation of the subject's family.
- Another requires control of the weather.
- And one requires a ferret.
- And one involves three-card monte. With a collaborator posing as the table.
- Contemptible Cover: Discussed in the Paratext.
- Cool Airship: President Hoover's hoveryacht in the Caspian Sea.
- Creepy Child: The Virtuous Child, Child Prodigies.
- Deadpan Snarker: "You know what?" I say. "Fuck you."
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin
- Flanderization: Our 51 United States.
- The Big Easy
- Down on the Farm
- Everything Is Big in Texas
- Hollywood New England
- Lost World: Hohoq (also known as "Ar"), the 51st state, also a floating plateau populated by thunderbirds, Magical Native Americans, and Germans, who appear to be "simply German".
- Viva Las Vegas
- The Windy City: Hodgman claims Chicago is only a myth.
- The Great Depression: What You Did Not Know About Hoboes.
- Historical In-Joke: Loads.
- Homage:
- The mountains of Colorado (state nickname: The Dwarrowdelf) are described as "large and fairly Balrog-free".
- When describing the correct manner of raising rabbits, Hodgman describes the phenomenon of El-Ahrairah worship
- When building a snow fort, "watch out for wampas."
- Repeated references to Doctor Who, including using a picture of Cybermen for "typical cyborg mischief".
- Repeated references to the Evil Dead series, such as the claim that George W. Bush has a chainsaw for a hand. John Hodgman was Bruce Campbell's literary agent, and Campbell is listed as an expert consulted on the subject of fake blood [likely not a joke].
- Joisey: Listed as the "Too-easy-to-Mock State".
- The Killer in Me / Jekyll and Hyde: Lord Miles Overstreet is Dr. Craig Kittles!
- Killer Rabbit: Squirrels.
- Long List: 700 Hobo Names. 800, in the paperback.
- Mascot: Discussion of breakfast cereal mascots.
- Mockumentary: In book form!
- Nonsense Classification: For example the column on "food, drink, and cheese", where there are "only so many kinds of foods to write about", namely "abs, polar bear steaks, chili, chili, and polar bear steaks."
- Pirate: Blackbeard pops up, briefly. There is also said to be a Utopian community that hopes to improve humanity through acting like stereotypical pirates.
- Planet of Steves: The ringtail cats, who, by a curious coincidence, are all named John McCain.
- The Roaring Twenties[context?]
- Running Gag: The different varieties of werewolf, masturbation, eels, zeppelins, cheese, haircuts/facial hair, distrust for people who use pseudonyms, Henry David Thoreau, giant Brazilian monkeys, Alexander Graham Bell, Yale University, crabs and lobsters (although the term "lobster" originally referred to a type of sea otter), the non-existence of Chicago, getting either "very high or very autistic", common flammable gels, Percoset, and, of course, the hoboes.
- Shout-Out: "The Amazing Duo of Flansburgh and Goldwasser", Bruce Campbell, "Skywise the Sexual Elf".
- Shown Their Work: Ironically enough.
- Serious Business: "If you wish for sports information, might I kindly refer you to every other aspect of our culture?"
- Take That: Parodied with the "attack ad" segments, in which he jokingly accuses Jonathan Coulton of being an awful catsitter, and another person of masturbating out a window on two separate occasions, while John Hodgman has only masturbated out a window once. Also, one of the Hobo Names is Nick Nolte.
- More Information Than You Require takes this even further.
- That Is All brings the Nicke Nolte Take That to its inevitable conclusion declaring him a Cosmic Horror.
- More Information Than You Require takes this even further.
- Weasel Mascot: Fig. 22: "Let's Use My Ferret To Steal That Diamond..."
- Whoopi Epiphany Speech / Children Are Innocent: Parodied with Hodgmina.
- Word Salad Title: The whole title.
- You Can Panic Now: One minor character is afraid that terrorists will attack the Mall of America.