Style Invitational Week 1394: Two movies, one line
Write something to fit 2 different films or shows; plus compare/contrast winners
Image without a caption
(Bob Staake for The Washington Post)
By
Pat Myers
July 23, 2020 at 9:40 a.m. EDT
Add to list
(Click here to skip down to the compare/contrast winners)

A line that could be used in both “Dirty Dancing” and “Three Men and a Baby”: “Baby’s over there in the corner, guys. One of you should pick her up.”

How you could describe both “King Kong” and “Sleepless in Seattle”: He’s at the top of the Empire State Building with the woman he loves. Will they leave together, or will he get shot down?

A line that could be in both “Sex and the City” and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”: “Hold on a second — these shoes are killing me!”

This novel contest was suggested by Loser Hildy Zampella, one of the great names of The Style Invitational, not only because of her 150 blots of Invite ink but because of her actual great name, which is up there with such Real-Named Losers of History as Elwood Fitzner, Dixon Wragg, Mike Thring and Chuck Smith. This week: Cite a real or coined line, or give a description, that could work for two different movies, plays or TV shows, as in Hildy’s awfully good examples above.

Don't let a mask cover up your pretty smile. This week's second prize.
Don't let a mask cover up your pretty smile. This week's second prize.
AD

Submit up to 25 entries total at wapo.st/enter-invite-1394 (no capitals in the Web address). Deadline is Monday, Aug. 3; results will appear Aug. 23 in print, Aug. 20 online.

Winner gets the Lose Cannon, our Style Invitational trophy. Second place receives this fetching grimacing face mask, the first of four in a set that the Empress ordered because, well, we need funny face masks, do we not?

Other runners-up win their choice of our “For Best Results, Pour Into Top End” Loser Mug or our “Whole Fools” Grossery Bag. Honorable mentions get one of our new lusted-after Loser magnets, “No ’Bility” or “Punderachiever.” First Offenders receive only a smelly tree-shaped air “freshener” (FirStink for their first ink). See general contest rules and guidelines at wapo.st/InvRules. The headline “Crack a Simile” is by Bill Dorner; Bill as well as Jon Gearhart submitted the honorable-mentions subhead. Join the Style Invitational Devotees group on Facebook at on.fb.me/invdev; “like” the Style Invitational Ink of the Day on Facebook at bit.ly/inkofday; follow @StyleInvite on Twitter.

AD

The Style Conversational The Empress's weekly online column, published late afternoon on Thursday, July 23, discusses the new contest and results. Especially if you plan to enter, check it out at wapo.st/conv1394.

And from The Style Invitational four weeks ago . . .

Crack a simile: The compare/contrast winners of Week 1390
Week 1390 was the latest of our dozens of contests in which the Empress offers a list of random items — this time generated in a brainstorm in the Style Invitational Devotees Facebook group — and the Losers have to say how any two are alike, different or otherwise linked.

4th place:
An extra-long nasal swab is like John Bolton’s ego: Each is definitely irritating, but we can tolerate it if it helps defeat a deadly menace. (Jonathan Jensen, Baltimore)

3rd place:
The difference between a Confederate statue and sourdough starter: Everyone will smile when you announce that the starter will rise again. (John Doherty, Great Mills, Md.)

2nd place and the prank no-tear toilet paper:
How a Zoom wedding is like a seat at the Tulsa rally: In both cases, the best man is somewhere else. (Mark Raffman, Reston, Va.)

And the winner of the Lose Cannon:
Trump’s tie rack: Red neckwear. A skull-motif face mask: Redneck wear. (Jesse Frankovich, Lansing, Mich.)

Pairing down: Honorable mentions
The difference between the Lincoln Memorial and an Angry Goldfish is that the Lincoln Memorial doesn’t look like a tiny version of the U.S. president. (Dave Shombert, Harrisonburg, Va.)

AD

A Confederate statue and the last roll of toilet paper: The toilet paper is worth fighting for. (Francis Canavan, Reston, Va.)

A trikini and FedEx Field: By the time November rolls around, the season’s over for both of them. (Spencer Lu, Gaithersburg, Md.)

A seat at the Tulsa rally: Masks optional. A Zoom wedding: Pants optional. (Beverley Sharp, Montgomery, Ala.)

A Confederate statue is like Trump’s tie rack: Both will likely be moving soon. (Sam Mertens, Silver Spring, Md.)

The Lincoln Memorial and a Confederate statue: See, very fine people on both sides! — D.T. (Jeff Strong, Fairfax, Va.)

A DIY haircut and an empty seat at the Tulsa rally: Both are said to be the work of hackers. (J. Larry Schott, West Plains, Mo.)

A DIY haircut and FedEx Field: Both usually feature unevenly matched sides. (Duncan Stevens, Vienna, Va.)

AD

An extra-long nasal swab and a seat at the Tulsa rally: Both are great for collecting covid samples. (Duncan Stevens; Steve Smith, Potomac, Md.)

An extra-long nasal swab vs. a seat at the Tulsa rally: The nasal swab could end up in the vicinity of a human brain. (James Kruger, New York; Sue Lin Chong, Baltimore)

The Lincoln Memorial includes the words “with charity for all” — which is what the home team’s defense usually shows at FedEx Field. (Duncan Stevens)

John Bolton’s ego vs. the Lincoln Memorial: Marble heads don’t swell. (Frank Mann, Washington)

The Lincoln Memorial vs. FedEx Field: FedEx Field last had four scores seven years ago. (Jesse Rifkin, Arlington, Va.)

Murder hornets and the last roll of toilet paper: One can induce mass fear and panic; the other is a type of invasive Asian insect. (Jeff Contompasis, Ashburn. Va.)

AD

Murder hornets: We’ll fail with a weak-kneed response. Sourdough starter: You’ll fail with a weak-knead response. (Chris Doyle, Denton, Tex.)

The difference between a CBD pet treat and FedEx Field: Train Rex with one; train wrecks at the other. (Kevin Dopart, Washington)

A Zoom wedding vs. Trump’s tie rack: I look at one and think, “Tie that knot!” I look at the other and think, “Not that tie!” (Neal Starkman, Seattle)

The difference between Trump’s tie rack and Finland is that Trump knows where his tie rack is. (Bill Cromwell, Keswick, Va.)

The last roll of toilet paper and an extra-long nasal swab: Neither will be the next title in the “Harry Potter and . . .” series. (John Glenn, Tyler Tex.)

A CBD pet treat and a slippery slope. A CBD pet treat is a slippery slope. Tomorrow your cat could be doing lines off the fish tank. (Sam Aaron, Chicago)

AD

Murder hornets and a used firecracker are both deadly, and both originated from CHINA . . . although one could be a hoax perpetrated by the Democrats to stop my reelection. Mike Pence will lead a task force to study this. (Stephen Dudzik, Olney, Md.)

A Zoom wedding vs. a Confederate statue: There will be tippling at the first, toppling at the second. (Kevin Dopart)

The last roll of toilet paper: Precious on-the-pot product. A CBD pet treat: Precious on the pot product. (Jesse Frankovich)

The last roll of toilet paper: RUSH TO A DRUGSTORE! Sourdough starter: It’s an anagram of that. (Jesse Frankovich)

A used firecracker results from frightful bangs; a DIY haircut results IN frightful bangs. (Jesse Frankovich)

A DIY haircut: Took me an hour last Sunday. 2,300 Style Invitational entries: Took Jesse Frankovich an hour last Sunday. (Steve Smith)

AD

The Lincoln Memorial and 2,300 Style Invitational entries: One is made of Doric columns; the other will make a dorky column. (Dave Zarrow, Reston, Va.)

A trikini: A pool fashion. 2,300 Style Invitational entries: A fool’s passion. (Mark Calandra, Wenham, Mass.)

2,300 Style Invitational entries give you 20 percent more wipes than the last roll of toilet paper. (John Kustka, Prince Frederick, Md.)

An extra-long nasal swab is made for a stupendous schnoz, but 2,300 Style Invitational entries make for a stupendous snooze. (Tom Witte, Montgomery Village, Md.)

Murder hornets overrun a bee’s nest: 2,300 Style Invitational entries overrun the E’s nest. (Jon Gearhart, Des Moines)

Finland: Its best could be Nokia. 2,300 Style Invitational entries: even the best could be jokier. (Kevin Dopart)

Still running — deadline Monday night, July 27: better descriptions for anagram businesses. See wapo.st/invite1393.

DON’T MISS AN INVITE! Sign up here to receive a once-a-week email from the Empress as soon as The Style Invitational and Style Conversational go online every Thursday, complete with links to the columns.