[Idiom] Never get over the moon?

[michael_1999]

Hi,

Here's a joke in the book "Grammar with Laughter" by George Woolard:

A: I saw something last night that I will never get over.
B: What?
A: The moon.

I'm afraid I don't get this joke. Will anybody help me with it? Thanks a lot!

 

[IHIVG]

There is an informal expression 'to get over something', which means that either something annoys/amazes you or you can't forget it or stop thinking about it (most often in a negative way).
He couldn't get over this accident.
We can't get over his sudden decision to leave the country.
His wife cannot get over his having got drunk again.

So, when 'A' said that he saw something he will never get over, I think the other person automatically thought of some annoying/impressive incident that has happened to 'A'. The punch line is that 'A' meant 'to get over' in a more literal sense, which expalins why he will never get over moon - can anyone put themselves above celestial bodies? - No.

That is my take on it anyway. I'm not a teacher, maybe we'll wait for a better explanation.

 

[bhaisahab]

There is an informal expression 'to get over something', which means that either something annoys/amazes you or you can't forget it or stop thinking about it (most often in a negative way).
He couldn't get over this accident.
We can't get over his sudden decision to leave the country.
His wife cannot ge over his having got drunk again.

So, when 'A' said that he saw something he will never get over, I think the other person automatically thought of some annoying/impressive incident that has happened to 'A'. The punch line is that 'A' meant 'to get over' in a more literal sense, which expalins why he will never get over the moon - can anyone put themselves above celestial bodies? - No.

That is my take on it anyway. I'm not a teacher, maybe we'll wait for a better explanation.

That's a good explanation.

 

[mmasny]

There is an informal expression 'to get over something', which means that either something annoys/amazes you or you can't forget it or stop thinking about it (most often in a negative way).

Is it really used most often in a negative way? I think it's simply used in both negative and positive ways. I often hear both at least and I couldn't tell which is more frequent.

 

[Raymott]

Is it really used most often in a negative way?

Yes, mostly.

 

[BobK]

Is it really used most often in a negative way? I think it's simply used in both negative and positive ways. I often hear both at least and I couldn't tell which is more frequent.

I'm happy with IHIVG's answer; it depends on the interpretation of 'negative'; someone can have an unwelcome surprise on seeing something pleasant; I think I'd've said 'surprising/disturbing' rather than negative.

A nit-picking answer might also point out that 'over' just doesn't apply to celestial bodies (except for the few - terminal - moments when they enter another body's gravitational field)! But I think, for the purposes of understanding the joke, this needn't concern us.... ;-)

b

 

[mmasny]

Thank you, good to know. I heard things like You're just so cool, I can't get over it. But I understand now that it's rarer.

 

[Raymott]

Thank you, good to know. I heard things like You're just so cool, I can't get over it. But I understand now that it's rarer.

That's right.
It's not uncommon to hear:
1. "I can't get over how pretty she is!"
But firstly, it's much more commonly used for negative things, and secondly, when you can't get over something negative, it's usually more momentous and lasts longer, and is actually truer.
2. "I can't get over her leaving me!"

1. is used more figuratively. It's another way of saying "She is very pretty; she always strikes me as being very pretty".
But 2. is literal. The person can't get over it. So it tends to assume more importance than its positive counterpart.