In the survival/extraction/horror game Escape From Tarkov, this rhythm is used to signal "friendly" when there's no other means of communication.
Shave and a Haircut
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Re: Shave and a Haircut
#42Wow, so this is the where Nardwuar's "Doot doola doot do..." comes from! I always wondered how it was so ubiquitous that even people unfamiliar with his interviews knew how to respond. Very interesting.
I was thinking the same!
Re: Shave and a Haircut
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've definitely heard expressions that go something like, "Why you no-good, two-bit etc etc!", and never connected that to this until now.
Me neither! I always tentatively assumed it's about computer bits, where two bits would be "not much", and that somehow it entered into normie vernacular. So, TIL that this is another case of society and culture in the 19th and 20th century US evolving primarily around the stock exchange :o.
And of course bytes are divided into eight bits - but that's just a coincidence, because bits came first and byte sizes weren't standardized until the 1970s.
Re: Shave and a Haircut
#44A made a little “secret knock” authentication demo. Shave and a haircut is obviously the secret knock used in the demo https://miniatureape.github.io/prohibition/ (Nb: I’m sure this doesn’t work great on some devices)
It just always says scram no matter what I do, I can record a single knock and it will still say "scram". Latest Safari on latest macOS.
Re: Shave and a Haircut
#45Wow, so this is the where Nardwuar's "Doot doola doot do..." comes from! I always wondered how it was so ubiquitous that even people unfamiliar with his interviews knew how to respond. Very interesting.
I’m interested in learning where you’re from—I’d assume outside of North America/Western Europe? I take familiarity with it so much for granted that it’s fascinating that someone’s familiarity with it comes from Narduwar.
Re: Shave and a Haircut
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
2 bit is still used in Canada as an indicator of something less than good, otherwise unused.
Same in the US, but I can't imagine anyone would be able to accurately pinpoint its etymology.
Surprised to hear that, I would have guessed folks over 40 would be accustomed to "2-bit wh*re" - my dad used to scream that all the time about his personal banker "god damn that man he's a f'ing 2 bit wh..." - pretty sure my grandpa used it regularly also. Maybe my family are not the most refined of people. ;)
Re: Shave and a Haircut
#47> The former prisoner of war and U.S. Navy seaman Doug Hegdahl reports fellow U.S. captives in the Vietnam War would authenticate a new prisoner's U.S. identity by using "Shave and a Haircut" as a shibboleth, tapping the first five notes against a cell wall and waiting for the appropriate response. With the mass export of western culture, I wonder if there are any songs, tunes, or patterns like this that would still…
I imagine they would have to be hyper-local at this point. You could authenticate someone from a major metropolis, maybe, but not likely the whole of the US.
The whole of the US would be hard since national level news and culture is what is getting exported, but local knowledge by state/region is a possible source. Like pronunciation of location names pronunciation (like pronunciation of Tilamuk Oregon, Miami Oklahoma, etc.), songs and chants for university sports teams, and jingles and phrases from local commercials.
Rock Chalk...
Re: Shave and a Haircut
#48The Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps ended many of their segments in the 80s with "Watch out for that tree" rhythm from the George of the Jungle theme. Seen here[1] around 10:20 to 10:22.
Re: Shave and a Haircut
#49Are there other rhythms that can convey the same or more information in fewer knocks?
I would argue that three knocks at regular (quick) intervals is the minimum to convey "there's someone at the door" rather than "something fell down in the other room".
Re: Shave and a Haircut
#50Wow, so "two bits" is what Roger says in response to Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I can hear it now, but I never actually knew what was said.
I never understood that either. It only took me about 30 years to get the joke.
This is the funniest scene in the entire movie IMHO.
Roger's compulsive, uncontrollable need to respond with "Two Bits" kills me every time.