Ch-ch-chest

[NotWise]

In a draft of my WIP, the main female character used "ch-ch-chest" to refer to an attractive man's build (YMMV). I edited it out, thinking it was borrowed from a line in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and it would be an anachronistic reference. Then I went searching, and I can't find the reference. Almost all references to The Rocky Horror Picture Show I found with Google/Gemini were to The Time Warp lyrics.

My recollection was that Dr. Frankenfurter used "ch-ch-chest" to refer to Rocky. Or was it Columbia, describing Eddy?

Probably a question for the older crowd. Does anyone remember?

I guess if I can't find the Rocky Horror reference, then I don't need to worry about the anachronism. I just need to worry if readers understand.

 

[AlinaX]

~ In just seven days
~ I can make you a ma- a-a a-an

 

[SimonDoom]

I don't think you have to worry, regardless.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Never heard it, never saw the flick, wouldn't make a connection.


Might make a good easter egg though to see if anybody does.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I don't recall that in the script, which I have a copy of. There's t-t-t-t-t-touch me, and reference to his 'chest, arms and legs' - an actor in the show might easily improvise with a 'ch-ch-chest'.

 

[TheLobster]

Speaking of obscure references that do not cross generations, this reminds me I’ve yet to have any of my characters quip “Amazing chest ahead.”

 

[Bramblethorn]

Not in RHPS, but it shows up in several other song lyrics: LipstickAngel C.E.L.E.B.R.I.T.Y., Jazz Emu Popping the Question, Man Charade Let's Play Man Charade for instance. It's a straightforward stuttering of a common word; I think you can use it without it being taken as a reference to anything in particular.

 

[NotWise]

Thanks, all. I had edited to "Chest with a capital C" and that didn't work for me. I'll go back to ch-ch-chest.

 

[filthytrancendence]

Speaking of obscure references that do not cross generations, this reminds me I’ve yet to have any of my characters quip “Amazing chest ahead.”

Try fingers but hole

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

Try fingers but hole

Behold! Dog

 

[MillieDynamite]

Individual lines aren't exactly copyrighted. I've heard a dozen versions of, "I'm not in the habit of throwing coal oil, kerosene, gasoline on a fire." Borrowing many lines from other sources would be a no-no. But how many ways can you say, "Hello, my name is such and so."

 

[NotWise]

Individual lines aren't exactly copyrighted. I've heard a dozen versions of, "I'm not in the habit of throwing coal oil, kerosene, gasoline on a fire." Borrowing many lines from other sources would be a no-no. But how many ways can you say, "Hello, my name is such and so."

Copyright wasn't my issue. I was concerned that it would be so dated it would seem anachronistic--old line, relatively young character--to someone who recognized it.

Turns out I may have the origin wrong. My wife was much more of a Rocky Horror fan than I was. I need to talk to her. It could just be something that came from her group of friends.

 

[TheRedChamber]

Speaking of obscure references that do not cross generations, this reminds me I’ve yet to have any of my characters quip “Amazing chest ahead.”

I have a whole story called Amazing Chest Ahead.

 

[jsmiam]

Ch-ch-ch-chia?

Ironically a shock-jock from the 90’s in Florida used that as a euphemism for “bush” (pubic hair) on the air.

 

[NotWise]

I talked to my wife about ch-ch-chest. She couldn't remember for sure, but she thought it might have been an audience response, rather than actually part of Rocky Horror.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Copyright wasn't my issue. I was concerned that it would be so dated it would seem anachronistic--old line, relatively young character--to someone who recognized it.

Turns out I may have the origin wrong. My wife was much more of a Rocky Horror fan than I was. I need to talk to her. It could just be something that came from her group of friends.

There's plenty of student-age Rocky Horror fans still, and teenagers who have been shown the film/taken to the show with their parents (friend took their kid last week, mine didn't want to go).

Nowadays it has a similar nostalgia value to Grease. Though I don't recognise a bunch of the non-Rocky lines in this thread, so my opinion is worth what you paid for it. (Watching Rocky is a pivotal scene in my story Homesick Halloween, too)

 

[Zeronix]

Copyright wasn't my issue. I was concerned that it would be so dated it would seem anachronistic--old line, relatively young character--to someone who recognized it.

IMO people ARE anachronistic though. I’m pretty young. I only saw RHPS for the first time a few months ago, but I loved it. I also enjoy 80s music and want to learn the charleston. I think it’s fun when characters break your preconceived notions I’d only worry if there was a glaring contradiction somewhere.

 

[NotWise]

IMO people ARE anachronistic though. I’m pretty young. I only saw RHPS for the first time a few months ago, but I loved it. I also enjoy 80s music and want to learn the charleston. I think it’s fun when characters break your preconceived notions I’d only worry if there was a glaring contradiction somewhere.

Did the audience still to all the chatter (talking back to the screen) when you saw it?

 

[NotWise]

There's plenty of student-age Rocky Horror fans still, and teenagers who have been shown the film/taken to the show with their parents (friend took their kid last week, mine didn't want to go).

Nowadays it has a similar nostalgia value to Grease. Though I don't recognise a bunch of the non-Rocky lines in this thread, so my opinion is worth what you paid for it. (Watching Rocky is a pivotal scene in my story Homesick Halloween, too)

I have to ask... How did you come by a script of Rocky Horror?

 

[Zeronix]

Did the audience still to all the chatter (talking back to the screen) when you saw it?

Oh, you bet! Definitely not what I expected from a movie screening. But it was a fun mood for sure.

 

[filthytrancendence]

Though I don't recognise a bunch of the non-Rocky lines in this thread

I have my doubts that explaining is going to help or is even wanted, but that's what I'm here for.

There's this very particular kind of joke that originates from English-speaking players of Japanese game studio FromSoft's games, most famous for making the Dark Souls trilogy and more recently Elden Ring. There's a system in these games where players can leave messages for each other and then approve or disprove of the message. The hitch is, you can only use a very limited and specific set of words that are supposed to be focused on things in the game.

Naturally, a whole genre of meme has developed around mixing these limited words into jokes, ideally dirty jokes. The most iconic of these is "Amazing Chest Ahead" which I think originated on the approach to Gwen in Dark Souls 1 (she's a giant and has comedically large anime titties). But now you see it pretty much any time you're about to encounter a female NPC/boss.

The one I quoted is from Elden Ring in specific, which has a lore component of giant deific fingers that wave silently to communicate their divine will. Naturally, this means 'finger' was added to the message vocabulary. So any time you see a prominent hole in something, you'll get a "try finger but hole"

 

[yowser]

"Do you have a nice chest?"

Reminds me of an account by newspaper columnist Herb Caen some time ago. The state of California was experiencing an insect infestation that was affecting crops (Mediterranean fruit fly maybe?) and there were checkpoints all around the state where agricultural inspectors would pull over random cars, wanting to inspect fruit for signs of infestation and confiscate such, track data about the spread, etc.

One inspector, when talking to a handsome young woman pulled over in her car, asked his standard question "Do you have an ice chest?" (cooler).

Her immortal response was "My boyfriend thinks so."

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I have to ask... How did you come by a script of Rocky Horror?

It was posted on Usenet and one of my mates printed it out, in 1992. Complete with annotations of when to do the audience bits.

I assume it's still on the internet somewhere, legal or not.

 

[MillieDynamite]

This is just the first two scripts I found for The Rocky Horror Picture Show (movie) script.

The Rock Horror Picture Show (movie)

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

So, it's out there in many, many places.

It was posted on Usenet and one of my mates printed it out, in 1992. Complete with annotations of when to do the audience bits.

I assume it's still on the internet somewhere, legal or not.

 

[NotWise]

It was posted on Usenet and one of my mates printed it out, in 1992. Complete with annotations of when to do the audience bits.

I assume it's still on the internet somewhere, legal or not.

Usenet lives on in one form or another.