Lorrie answers “I do not get the How’s Tricks joke with...”

Allison G Herbert asked this question about Anxious People:

I do not get the How’s Tricks joke with the real estate agency. Can anyone explain that?

Lorrie It’s a pun. How’s = house. North Americans pronounce ‘house’ differently, shorter vowel sound. Europeans pronounce it as ‘howze’; North Americans say …moreIt’s a pun. How’s = house. North Americans pronounce ‘house’ differently, shorter vowel sound. Europeans pronounce it as ‘howze’; North Americans say ‘hause’. How’s Tricks? is also an old way of saying ‘what’s up?’ or ‘how’s it going?’ It’s not particularly funny, but that, I think, is part of the joke. There is also mentioned in the book a hair salon called ‘The Upper Cut’ - it’s that type of name-pun.(less)

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Pbocian I wonder what the actual Swedish phrase that Backman used was and it’s literal English translation.
Dec 02, 2020 02:31PM · flag

Courtney Autumn Thank you! I understood the part of "how's" sounding like "house" but was confused on why she kept saying the phrase then at the end. Knowing it's mea ...more
Feb 23, 2023 08:48AM · flag

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