No. “Hugs Bosom” written over the bosom is an actual pun; it clearly describes one thing (a bosom for hugging) while sounding like something else (a fundamental particle predicted by Peter Higgs and others). “Hugs Boson”, with no additional context, doesn’t describe anything in particular. Is it a particle that gives hugs? A particle that causes people to hug each other? An excitation of the Hugs Field, caused by hugs? Is Amber a fundamental particle? It could be worked into a pun, but simply written on a t-shirt like that, it doesn’t really mean anything.
It’s possible that this was already taken into account, and that’s why the shirt is being revealed the way it is. Or it’s a coincidence, utterly failing to demonstrate the light touch of a master who anticipated and solved the problem of his pun’s phonetic awkwardness by introducing it in a way that plays to its typographical strength.
So, the actual story is that I was a couple of years too late to get all the “Clever Anagram” accounts I wanted, but clever enough to think of an alternative. I
“I told my friend I’m in an open relationship and he was like
‘Dude! That means you can have sex with whoever you want!’.
‘I couldn’t do that when I was SINGLE!'”
I feel like Danny could probably tell Joe he was trying out polyamory and Joe would…well, probably be disbelieving, given this is Danny we’re talking about, but also impressed if he could get past that.
I mean he is basically the equivalent of a comic book super scientist in the Walkyverse, so it’s not unreasonable that he would understand what they are talking about.
I don’t think that’s a typo. Think of it like this sentence: “I had had a cold that day so I didn’t go to class.” It’s the kind of awkward construction you would probably edit out of an email or essay or narration, but that would come up in spoken language, and so is far game for dialogue.
I don’t think so, although I’m not infallible. Usually, it would be either “I have possibly” or “I possibly have,” not both. I was thinking that this was just a case of a last-second change combined with a line break.
But maybe I’m wrong. *shrug* Not a huge deal, either way.
Go with, “So, Amber, you still down for that threesome with Amazi-Girl later?” Danny. Joe will be too busy high-fiving you to remember that there’s no joeing way that you’d ever do something like that.
UBB codes were cutting edge when I was 40, and still had kids in HS. Intro to Computers should at least be confined to technology that was current in this century if not this decade… Excuse me while I comb out my neck beard and compile a fresh Linux kernal.
Methinks that Joe is perplexed not at Danny’s awkward covering, but at the idea that having a different lady-friend should preclude him from humping Amber.
Danny you can just tell Joe you’re dating Amber he never believed you were dating a superhero anyway, and he’d probably be proud of you for actually getting some anyway
He didn’t believe he had a chance with “the one girl in CS” either, and here they are.
Joe probably still believes that the superhero girlfriend Danny todl him about is imaginary.
There was a conversation about a newspaper article, so Joe knows the superhero is not imaginary, but still probably not convinced that she is dating Danny.
I know you drew this at least four months ago and it’s been in the buffer since then, but how weird is it that Randal Munroe ran this cartoon on xkcd.com yesterday?
Ohh…looks like Danny is fine. I was thinking he might be weirded out given his “Ethan” thing. Good for both him and for Amber, too. That girl needs something nice in her life.
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Maybe Amber could start dating her OWN superhero! Like Danny the Animal! DANIMAL
no wait
No! We are not turning Danny into a vigilante! Dina next, then Sal, then maybe Sarah. Not Danny!
Also apologies if the coding messes up.
well, coding worked, just not how it was supposed to.
Original line was “Did I hear something about Danimals?”
It kinda worked, the “Did I hear something about Danimals?” is there as hovertext.
That’s the kind of superhero identity that could lure Walky away from Dorothy.
To which Joe replies “Oh, well, ok then”.
I’d probably pick up on it if I cared about your Social life even a little bit.
In panel 4, Joe is actually wondering where he left his keys.
Or why Amber isn’t on his “do” list.
They have made it clear that Amber and Danny are not dating, after all…
More likely he’s thinking ‘is Danny setting up a threesome?’
And should I want to get involved?
That’s Joe for you.
Is he buying it? Is he buying it? I think he’s buying it! He’s not buying it, is he… Cheese it!
Really, if Joe thought Danny was banging two women at the same time, he’d be proud of him.
Joe seems to be an ethical slut. He’d be proud of Danny having two casual FWBs, but I think he’d frown on Danny cheating on a girlfriend.
Joe looks like Shortpacked! Joe.
I think it’s the shave
it looks good on him
You can just tell he’s the kind of guy that needs to shave once every 48 hours. Give him a week and he’ll be at full mountain man beard levels.
48 hours? Try 24.
Still?!!!
Way to fuck the moment up, Joe. Asshole
There is profit to be made in selling Amber’s t-shirt…
Agreed.
I have money that cannot currently buy that shirt, and it is sad. Please rectify.
This is fairly close: http://www.bumblemumble.com/product/hugs-bison-shirt
I want it on MY hugs bosom. 😀
your avatar just drove that point home lol
Is the HUGS BOSON by any chance a new line of merch you’re pushing Willis?
I think it’s HUGS BOSOM. Would make sense for a girl’s shirt.
But HUGS BOSON is funnier, surely…
I concur.
The elusive final particle predicted by our Standard Snuggling Model.
Danny has confirmed it’s existence. Using high-velocity impacts at high temperature and pressure.
No. “Hugs Bosom” written over the bosom is an actual pun; it clearly describes one thing (a bosom for hugging) while sounding like something else (a fundamental particle predicted by Peter Higgs and others). “Hugs Boson”, with no additional context, doesn’t describe anything in particular. Is it a particle that gives hugs? A particle that causes people to hug each other? An excitation of the Hugs Field, caused by hugs? Is Amber a fundamental particle? It could be worked into a pun, but simply written on a t-shirt like that, it doesn’t really mean anything.
I conquer.
Is that a correctly-spelled word used incorrectly, or a massive pun?
especially a rather busty girl like Amber.
I think this needs a subtitle:
Hugs Bosom
The Goddess Particulars
Hard to tell from the drawing, but I think the positioning makes quite clear that the lettering has to be “HUGS BOSOM”.
I believe it’s actually Hugs Bosom. Which is even better.
Blanket response to multiple people: Yes, it is Hugs Bosom.
At least I’m able to use my legal blindness as an excuse for assuming it’s HUGS BOSON.
Aw, I liked “hugs Boson” more.
Even I am certain I would prefer it to be the Hugs Boson. No, the Huggs Boson. Two g’s is clearly essential.
If Willis won’t make this t-shirt a thing, I will. From beyond the grave if need be.
The direction is set, then. We know where we are on this. Huggs Boson it shall be.
Alas, that means how long it will take has to remain an uncertainty.
Yeah… Sorry about that.
All that means is I’ll be getting a HUGS BOSON T-Shirt custom printed.
It would have been better this way …..
http://minimumble.thebookofbiff.com/comics/2012-03-07-0058.png
It’s great as “HUGS BOSON.” “HUGS BOSOM” is phonically weirder as a pun.
Every time! I can’t get a read on you, Willis.
I agree. Hugs Boson is more clear as a pun
It’s possible that this was already taken into account, and that’s why the shirt is being revealed the way it is. Or it’s a coincidence, utterly failing to demonstrate the light touch of a master who anticipated and solved the problem of his pun’s phonetic awkwardness by introducing it in a way that plays to its typographical strength.
I like your name, Bustle… Or is it Bluest?
So, the actual story is that I was a couple of years too late to get all the “Clever Anagram” accounts I wanted, but clever enough to think of an alternative. I
…wasn’t clever enough to avoid hitting Tab+Space Bar just then, though.
Danny…Cheating on your girlfriend? UP TOP.
There is always the “open relationship” excuse?
“I told my friend I’m in an open relationship and he was like
‘Dude! That means you can have sex with whoever you want!’.
‘I couldn’t do that when I was SINGLE!'”
Like Joe would believe that Danny is enough of a hit with the ladies to pull something like that off.
I feel like Danny could probably tell Joe he was trying out polyamory and Joe would…well, probably be disbelieving, given this is Danny we’re talking about, but also impressed if he could get past that.
Polyamory is the solution for SO MANY THINGS.
Joe is just thinking , ” I since dirty talk but I don’t know why.”
I also Sense it.
“My Joe Sense is tingling!”
Preeetty sure Joe only knows enough geeky computer talk to turn “formatting your hard drive” inta an innuendo.
He would need someone like howerd to translate everything else they just said.
He can hear the tone, flirting is all in the tone.
I mean he is basically the equivalent of a comic book super scientist in the Walkyverse, so it’s not unreasonable that he would understand what they are talking about.
You are SO GOOD at this secret identity stuff, guys.
Even though you’ve been found out by like 4 other people I still say you have this secret identity stuff perfectly masterd.
(N+1)th time’s the charm.
X-th time’s the charm.
3x-50=41
Not to be that guy, but I guess it’s better to have a typo pointed out and fixed.
Panel 2: “Besides, what could I have possibly have missed…”
Maybe Amber just likes to throw in extra words.
The hugs boson is causing a causing a temporal paradox.
I read that that wrong the first time.
It’s spilling in the the comments!
Does Willis not appreciate that kind of thing? If not, I’m that guy, too, over in yesterday’s “It’s Walky” . . . Oops. No offense meant, Willis!
I don’t think that’s a typo. Think of it like this sentence: “I had had a cold that day so I didn’t go to class.” It’s the kind of awkward construction you would probably edit out of an email or essay or narration, but that would come up in spoken language, and so is far game for dialogue.
fair* game, haha, the irony
Perfectly normal past perfect tense?
I don’t think so, although I’m not infallible. Usually, it would be either “I have possibly” or “I possibly have,” not both. I was thinking that this was just a case of a last-second change combined with a line break.
But maybe I’m wrong. *shrug* Not a huge deal, either way.
Go with, “So, Amber, you still down for that threesome with Amazi-Girl later?” Danny. Joe will be too busy high-fiving you to remember that there’s no joeing way that you’d ever do something like that.
Nice to see Amber in a happy mood for once.
Time for another character(s) to get shat on.
as if Joe really cares.
I would, in fact, pay money for a Hugs Boson shirt. Not enough money to build an LHC-class accelerator… but some money.
Look at their faces on panel 3.
Now I want them both to turn to villainy.
Aren’t they the best!?
Just look at those delightful little mugs.
It should be on a shirt.
Also, great touch on the hugs bosom or hugs boson shirt.
I’m really liking witty, confident Amber.
That’s why!
They all just leave their doors unlocked.
Love is an open…
(y)
Sandwich!
That’s what I was going to say!
DOOOOOOOOOOOOR~!
Butt!
Love is a battlefield.
Love is a cannibal.
Love stinks.
Yeah, yeah.
Love stinks.
Yep. 😉 <3
Particularly if she is a bowling ball.
UBB codes were cutting edge when I was 40, and still had kids in HS. Intro to Computers should at least be confined to technology that was current in this century if not this decade… Excuse me while I comb out my neck beard and compile a fresh Linux kernal.
Yeah now everyone has rich JS editors and/or support a few html tags. Or Markdown
Some day I’ll understand this.
Cmon Joe use your critical thinking skills. This one isn’t hard to puzzle out.
*plays “I’m Not The Same Girl” on the Muzak*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1XLETvMMg0
“Well, you’re why.”
…Huh?
You’re why the door was open …
This is some champion Danning.
Wait, is Danny claiming that Amber is not his girlfriend or assuring Joe that HE is not his girlfriend?
Danny’s girlfriend is ‘Amazigirl.’
Methinks that Joe is perplexed not at Danny’s awkward covering, but at the idea that having a different lady-friend should preclude him from humping Amber.
Danny you can just tell Joe you’re dating Amber he never believed you were dating a superhero anyway, and he’d probably be proud of you for actually getting some anyway
He didn’t believe he had a chance with “the one girl in CS” either, and here they are.
Joe probably still believes that the superhero girlfriend Danny todl him about is imaginary.
There was a conversation about a newspaper article, so Joe knows the superhero is not imaginary, but still probably not convinced that she is dating Danny.
Yes! Happy characters! Who are smiling and joking around! Insta-better mood.
If you find that you are in need of insta-better mooding, just…y’know. BABY PENGUINS! 😀
Ask and ye shall receive : http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_asoBLjh5Bk0/TKnvlcesCZI/AAAAAAAAAuY/lxePxItuz9g/s400/1267625626_cute-baby-penguins-2.jpg
This is so weird on so many levels, but okay as nobody is screaming.
Ugh this is so adorable!
What a lie, obviously they were (learning how (to) (type (like this)))
(not (enough ()))
“……….Threesome??”
… Is…is learning UBB code in CompSci classes really a thing, these days?
And Joe’s like “you know, I wasn’t suspicious about anything until that last thing you said.”
I’ve been waiting to get back to this side of the plot yay!
Hey Joe, welcome back to the funny papers (of the Net). Experimenting with stubble, is he?
If they were being anymore suggestive, their eyebrows would form a union and go on strike.
Nice save, you two.
Blu-ray? Is that some kind of fancy new modem?
Does Amber’s shirt say “Hugs Bosom”?
Up thread ^
BBCodes are easy.
HTML code is also easy.
Not using one on a site that only accepts the other,
[i]that’s[/i]that’s hard.20 years of computer science, and I don’t even know what UBB codes are. D:
http://www.freebok.net/help/ubbcode.html
I did google it, don’t worry.
Didn’t know they taught those in school.^^
if this comic was animated i imagine they would be waggling their eyebrows at each other the whole time
I’ve noticed Dumbing of Age doesn’t seem to be syncing with Comic Chameleon these last couple of days, does anyone know why?
Oh my god, nerd dirty talk. Forget Joyce, forget Walky, forget Billie and Ruth, THIS is the most adorable thing ever.
I am in total agreement.
thirded
I think they just broke Joe.
And I love that t-shirt.
I know you drew this at least four months ago and it’s been in the buffer since then, but how weird is it that Randal Munroe ran this cartoon on xkcd.com yesterday?
Only Dan could Dan his way into cheating on his girlfriend with his girlfriend’s alter-ego. Way to go Dan.
I like the new Slipshine banner. Somehow showing more skin manages to make it more SFW.
I love when they talk about their intro class, particularly now that they can flat-out flirt about it. I need more nerdy flirting in my comics.
Ohh…looks like Danny is fine. I was thinking he might be weirded out given his “Ethan” thing. Good for both him and for Amber, too. That girl needs something nice in her life.
Oh hey, the Slipshine ad changed to a less explicit one. Is that because of that one dude that complained?
Less explicit? Danny is naked in the pic!
Laugh it up, Danny is still smarter than most of the cast of Smallville.