"Shakin' Like a Sheep in Arkansas..." OK, help me out here...

[tedbragg1]

Re-watching some older eps from season 3, came across 'Losing Time' and -- Crichtonisms are rare past season 2, so this stuck out. John describes the spaz attacks like they're 'shaking like a sheep in Arkansas'

Ok, I'm from the deep south, and I've NEVER heard of that one. Anybody know where this came from?

And...oh wow. Jool. Yummy. Oh wow. That harem outfit is...oh baby...

wow. :eek:

(wipes chin)

[Boron]

I'm in KY, and I never heard that particular one, Altho the "sheep" jokes are plentiful.

BTW, Do you know what the definition of "virgin" is in KY???








A 12-year old girl that can run faster than her dad and ALL of her brothers.

[FrelledProwler]

^^^^^^ this is what we call plausible deniability.. :D

[arthurfrdent]

hmmm, maybe you have to be FROM somwhere else... even when I was a kid it was
"[name of state], where men are men and sheep are afraid" so I always took the sheep joke to be an offshoot of that...

[littulkittons]

I have never heard that expression in the 26 years I have happily spent here in the great state of Arkansas. There aren't many sheep here. We do have lots of goats and beef cattle.

Now there have been ugly rumors about the Aggies....

[canadadoc]

I did come across this article on shaking sheep - something to do with preventing bone loss but no mention of Arkansas by the way.

Bone shaker could fight wasting diseases:

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991132

The World's No.1 Science & Technology News Service



Bone shaker could fight wasting diseases


19:00 08 August 01


People with bone wasting conditions could do with a good shaking, according to US scientists. They found that sheep that spent time standing on a vibrating plate developed much stronger bones than those that did not.

"The animals would line up to go on this thing," says Clinton Rubin at the State University of New York. "And if you used your imagination, they looked like they were smiling." Scientists previously thought that bones were only strengthened when subjected to the kinds of strains produced by activities like walking or running. But Rubin says that even when a person stands still, the bones in their legs are subjected to small cycling strains - due to muscle activity - that could have an effect on bone cells.

To check, Rubin rounded up a herd of sheep and set about shaking them. Each sheep stood on a plate which vibrated imperceptibly - producing tiny strains in the sheeps' limbs at 30 cycles a second. After a year's treatment of 20 minutes, five days a week, Rubin measured how much bone the sheep had gained in their legs. "We saw that this produced tonnes of bone - a 35 per cent increase."

:D :D :D


Sorry for this and I doubt John meant this. I have heard the expression related to lonely or separated sheep who get very upset if alone. I have also heard that the female if separated from her ewe will get very agitated and shake her head and stomp. Male sheep are known to have a 30% incidence of homosexual behaviour ( what ever that means in terms of shaking).I have also wondered if sheep with tics or other illnesses shake.Lastly sheep are traditionally thought of as fearful -especially around (disguised) wolves.

None of this has anything to do with Arkansas.

[Reefrunner]

The explanation I heard was rather vulgar.

In any case, it's not a phrase that's in use around here. When I was showing that episode to my parents and that line came up, my Dad got a "Huh?" look on his face. I'm 42, and my dad's in his 60's, and neither of us had heard it before hearing it in that episode.

[Lee in Limbo]

Perhaps it's time for someone to have words with Justin Monjo, to see if it was just something he wrote because it sounded good, or because he'd been missing the Crichtonisms.

[CosmicTheorist]

When I heard that line, it reminded me of a news report I saw on the CBS Evening News (I think) years ago about a "strange" disease that was affecting bald eagles in Arkansas. The eagles were shaking and unable to fly or even stand. The news report showed footage of other animals with similar symptoms, including some "shaking" sheep. I don't remember if the sheep were also in Arkansas, but the story started there with the eagles.

Anyway, I believe news reports about shaking eagles in Arkansas that showed shaking sheep as well was probably the source for this particular Crichtonism.

;)

[Dane]

I'm in KY, and I never heard that particular one, Altho the "sheep" jokes are plentiful.

BTW, Do you know what the definition of "virgin" is in KY???

A 12-year old girl that can run faster than her dad and ALL of her brothers.

1 - the "sheep" jokes are plentiful. - you'd feel at home in Wales

2 - A 12-year old girl that can run faster than her dad and ALL of her brothers
I find this disturbing :eek:

[Boron]

2 - A 12-year old girl that can run faster than her dad and ALL of her brothers
I find this disturbing :eek:

So did the 12-year old girl.........

[Nicola]

I thought the "shaking like a sheep in Arkansas" was actually a rather hilariously lewd reference to the sexual preferences of those who live in Arkansas.

And I laugh everytime I hear it.

Personally, I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with a disease suffered by eagles.

[Reefrunner]

I'm sure that was the intent of the joke, but for those of us who live in Arkansas, it's rather offensive. One of those Dumb and Backward Southerner jokes. There's a reason folks who live in the south tend to try to change their accents or pretend they come from somewhere else. We all get painted with the same tarry brush.

[generic_screenname]

Yeah, it's meant as a sexual thing. I'd imagine you wouldn't hear it if you lived in Arkansas, but I just thought people in Arkansas would have adjusted it to something like "a sheep in Montana" or something. Here in New England, it's usually a sheep in Maine. Cause there's really not much to do in Maine.

[canadadoc]

I thought the "shaking like a sheep in Arkansas" was actually a rather hilariously lewd reference to the sexual preferences of those who live in Arkansas.

And I laugh everytime I hear it.

Personally, I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with a disease suffered by eagles.

Well - we substitute Alberta for Arkansas where I come from. :mischief: (goes running fast to escape the wrath of Nicola - see you soon). :hug2:

I still think that my scientific research explanation is much more plausible. :rolleyes:

[TheBladeRoden]

What about the ol' Australian one?
Where men are men and sheep are scared.

[Nicola]

Well - we substitute Alberta for Arkansas where I come from. :mischief: (goes running fast to escape the wrath of Nicola - see you soon). :hug2:

Yeah, I was expecting something like that... :ppbb:

Thems fightin' words.... I live in cattle country! (So the joke really should be something along the lines of "shaking like a heifer in Alberta" - but somehow it just doesn't flow as well as "shaking like a sheep in Arkansas")

I still think that my scientific research explanation is much more plausible. :rolleyes:

Plausible? Yes.

Funny. No.

See you soon in Burbank! :D

[canadadoc]

What about the ol' Australian one?
Where men are men and sheep are scared.

How about this one ( with apologies to Men At Work )

Down Under

Traveling in a fried-out combie
On a hippie trail, head full of zombie
I met a strange lady, she made me nervous
She took me in and gave me breakfast
And she said,

"Do you come from a land down under?
Where SHEEP glow and men plunder?
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover."

Buying bread from a man in Brussels
He was six foot four and full of muscles
I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"
He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich
And he said,

"I come from a land down under
Where beer does flow and men chunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover."

Lying in a den in Bombay
With a slack jaw, and not much to say
I said to the man, "Are you trying to tempt me
Because I come from the land of plenty?"
And he said,

"Oh! Do you come from a land down under? (oh yeah yeah)
Where SHEEP glow and men plunder?
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover."

[Nhoj]

Personaly, I don't think anyone who gets as much interspecies sex as John does should be throwing stones in his own glass house. :D

[Sunderflame]

Reading this thread really makes me wonder why some of you put so much thoought into this topic. Of course, it is Farscape and that's why we're such a wild bunch of Scapers...juts so much thought :think:and effort goes into some of these various topics....but is a whole lot of fun.... :horror: :fencing: :headbang: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :tiptoe: :fear:

[Dane]

So did the 12-year old girl.........

I think looking after at my last post I need to explain what I meant, it makes no sense, what I meant was that I thought it was disturbing that the 12 year old girl had to run from her father and brothers to stay a virgin, not that I find it disturbing that she can run faster than her dad and brothers.

Reading this thread really makes me wonder why some of you put so much thoought into this topic.

Tis true, we are an odd bunch 'speacialy me

[GroovyChk]

I'm sure that was the intent of the joke, but for those of us who live in Arkansas, it's rather offensive. One of those Dumb and Backward Southerner jokes. There's a reason folks who live in the south tend to try to change their accents or pretend they come from somewhere else. We all get painted with the same tarry brush.
Yup, being from Ft. Smith originally - I agree completely.