I used to be a huge fan of “The Simpsons,” but I haven’t watched the show in quite a while, but it still pleases me the show is still a huge part of our popular culture.
One of my favorite quotes came from the show when Homer Simpson blurted out: “If we had $10,000, we’d be millionaires.”
Another well-known quote, which includes a made-up word that’s now a real word, if you’re a huge Simpsons fan comes from Springfield’s motto: “A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.”
The made-up word “embiggen” was used on the show 22 years ago and while it’s taken 22 years, the word as received its just due. A couple weeks ago I wrote about Merriam-Webster’s latest editions to its dicitionary, but in an oversight I failed to mention “embiggen” was one of the words added.
It took 22 years for Merriam-Webster also to see this unjust oversight, but embiggen is now an official word. Merriam-Webster defines embiggen as “to make bigger or more expansive.”
There’s no need to “embiggen” this latest tale of Simpsons lore, but recently an unidentified driver was stopped in southern England he actually presented the officer with a Homer Simpson license.
The man also didn’t have insurance. So the driver’s car was taken and he was reported for driving without insurance and a “proper license.”
What’s more the man didn’t have the right address for the Simpsons on the driver’s license, which Simpsons fans quickly pointed out.
The address on the license said 728 Springfield Way. Any real Simpsons fan could have spotted the bogus Homer Simpson license when seeing that address. Of course The Simpsons address is 742 Evergreen Terrace.
No word if the man who was taken was told the address was wrong and then replied, “D’oh!”
— Charles Whisnand
