Woman: Look in the fridge and help yourself.

[angliholic]

Man: I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat?
Woman: Look in the fridge and help yourself.




Does the bolded part refer to "Look inside the fridge ...?" Does it also make sense to say "Check out the fridge ...?" Thanks.

 

[rewboss]

Yes, it means to open the fridge and look inside. After all, the fridge is commonly used to store food. ;-)

I think you could say "Check out the fridge", and it would be understood in the context. But normally, I think most people would use it to mean, "Please admire the fridge":

"Hey, check out this fridge -- it's got a Super Deluxe Freeze-O-Matic Ice Maker and a built-in flatscreen TV and DVD player!"

 

[angliholic]

Yes, it means to open the fridge and look inside. After all, the fridge is commonly used to store food. ;-)

I think you could say "Check out the fridge", and it would be understood in the context. But normally, I think most people would use it to mean, "Please admire the fridge":

"Hey, check out this fridge -- it's got a Super Deluxe Freeze-O-Matic Ice Maker and a built-in flatscreen TV and DVD player!"

Thanks, rewboss.

By the way, what does "Deluxe Freeze-O-Matic" mean? I guess "Deluxe" refer to "luxurious," right?

 

[Delmobile]

We are venturing into the realm of pop culture here. "Deluxe" is a standard dictionary word, but "o-Matic" is advertising lingo from---what, the 1960s?---derived from the word "automatic." It was incorporated into the name of various gadgets that were designed to make a task easier. Dan Aykroyd famously made fun of this whole line of thinking in the immortal SNL "Bass-O-Matic" skit.

 

[rewboss]

"o-Matic" is advertising lingo from---what, the 1960s?

Slightly earlier, I think: it was a product of America's post-war economy, when, as you say, just about any gadget had "O-Matic" or "O-Mat" somewhere in its name. A few of them have survived to become generic terms, like "laundromat".

These days, the suffix "O-Matic" is usually used, as here, humorously as part of an invented trade name for a labour-saving device. In the real world, companies these days prefer shorter, easily-remembered names.

 

[angliholic]

We are venturing into the realm of pop culture here. Does this line amount to "We are bravely exploring the kingdom/field of pop culture here?"

"Deluxe" is a standard dictionary word, but "o-Matic" is advertising lingo from---what, the 1960s?---derived from the word "automatic." It was incorporated into the name of various gadgets that were designed to make a task easier.

Dan Aykroyd famously made fun of this whole line of thinking in the immortal SNL "Bass-O-Matic" skit. Would you shed more light on this one?

Thanks, Delmobile.

Slightly earlier, I think: it was a product of America's post-war economy, when, as you say, just about any gadget had "O-Matic" or "O-Mat" somewhere in its name. A few of them have survived to become generic terms, like "laundromat".

These days, the suffix "O-Matic" is usually used, as here, humorously as part of an invented trade name for a labour-saving device. In the real world, companies these days prefer shorter, easily-remembered names.

Thanks, rewboss.

 

[Delmobile]

Does this line amount to "We are bravely exploring the kingdom/field of pop culture here?"

Yes, exactly. And I am speaking ironically, of course.

Bass-O-Matic - There was a US company called Ronco that used to run endless, cheaply made television commercials touting their various gadgets, which (in those days) couldn't be found in stores, but only ordered by calling the telephone number shown on the screen. Their pitch man had a very distinctive vocal cadence, and the commercials always followed the same pattern: the device would be described in glowing terms, then more gadgets would be added to the "total package," and then the announcer would ask, "How much would YOU PAY?" before informing viewers of the incredibly low, low price. Then a few bars of a Christmas carol would play, to indicate that this product would make a terrific holiday gift.

There was one line that entered the language briefly - can't remember the product, but I do remember: "It slices! It dices! And it makes MOUNDS and MOUNDS of delicious cole slaw!" Cole slaw, in case you do not know, is a salad made from shredded raw cabbage (what we used to call "round cabbage" in Hawaii) with a mayonnaise or vinegar-based dressing. Serving sizes are typically rather small, and I always wondered who on earth wanted to make, or eat, mounds and mounds of the stuff.

 

[angliholic]

Bass-O-Matic - There was a US company called Ronco that used to run endless, cheaply made television commercials touting their various gadgets, which (in those days) couldn't be found in stores, but only ordered by calling the telephone number shown on the screen. Their pitch man had a very distinctive vocal cadence, and the commercials always followed the same pattern: the device would be described in glowing terms, then more gadgets would be added to the "total package," and then the announcer would ask, "How much would YOU PAY?" before informing viewers of the incredibly low, low price.

Thanks, Delmobile, for the amusing and informative reply.

But I still have two questions. One is about "Bass-O-Matic." What does "Bass" refer to here?
The second is the meaning of "pitch man." What is he?

 

[Delmobile]

Bass is a type of fish. It's pronounced differently (but spelled the same way) as the musical instrument(s).

A "pitch man" is the person who makes the "sales pitch," or attempt to sell the product. I'm pretty sure the expression comes from baseball.

"Before beginning his first day of work as a door-to-door salesman for the Fuller Brush Company, Charlie spent hours practicing his sales pitch in front of a mirror. But the winning smile and witty speech he'd worked so hard on were wasted that day, as door after door slammed in his face."