To have only just understood this pun...

[Cardboardeaux]

In a book I'm currently reading, a character talks about putting some coffee on the hob "to perk". I hadn't heard that use of the word "perk" before but it obviously derives from "percolate".

But then I realised... Central Perk (the coffee shop in Friends)!

Obviously I got the "Central Park" bit of the pun but it has taken me 25 years to get the "Perk" bit.

AIBU to think I can't be the only one not to have twigged?

same
and tbh although I know the meaning I don't think I have ever heard anyone actually use the word percolate in real life. Surely most people (outside of a lab or something) just refer to 'the coffee machine,' or 'making coffee,' If someone invited me over and said 'Just waiting for the coffee to percolate,' I'd be thinking 'pretentious twat....'

No way, it would have been spelled Perc not Perk.

I always assumed it was because coffee perks you up 😆

People called the older 80s style filter machines like they use in Friends percolators. I've not known it to be called a Coffee Perk though.

OP I cannot believe I didn't get this part of the pun either. Thank you for pointing it out. I consider myself quite the Friends expert so I now hang my head in shame!!!

I've always known this. I thought it was really obvious and am surprised that so many missed it 🤷🏼‍♀️

This is the new wipe sitting down vs stand to wipe. Everyone's in one group or the other and nobody can believe the other group exists...

I only really very very recently that Adrian edmonson played Vivian in the Young ones. 😳 While watching a documentary about Bottom featuring Ade himself.

@HaddyAbrams

wssh your mouth out!!

strikethrough is not saving you here!

I got it but more as in coffee perks you up.

Is that the same as something being perculated?

It didn't take any pondering

My parents had friends around for dinner a lot (sadly not those friends) so yes coffee perc was common useage.

im not pretending to be shocked 🙄🙄 I was just surprised, but thinking about it, I can see why it was natural for me to instantly make the connection & not do for others and as I said, I probably wouldn't if we hadn't had the perc.

30 years ago, it was a 30 year old show & as I said, not even a seconds worth of pondering, just an instant appreciation of the play on words.

It might depend on age, there was a coffee advert in the 80,sMaxwell House maybe?
Where a man invites a women back for coffee and pretends its percolated by making noises in the kitchen ,rather than instant, I think real coffee was a thing at the time.

I'm queen of puns and didn't get that until I saw your post!
To be fair, it's more likely to be lost on a British audience. I'd never have associated perk with percolating.

I’m not surprised that anyone after my generation wouldn’t get it - who on earth uses a percolator now? But they were fairly common a few decades ago. Even in the U.K.!

It's always funny to me how some people need to validate themselves by trying to be superior to people they've never met on the Internet. Something's lacking somewhere 😀

A few decades ago was the late 90s early 2000s. Percolators were not common at all after the 70s and 80s in the UK were they?

x2boys

Where a man invites a women back for coffee and pretends its percolated by making noises in the kitchen ,rather than instant, I think real coffee was a thing at the time.

I remember that now you've said it.
Yes, the idea being that this instant tasted as good as "real" coffee.

I bought my first coffee maker 2nd hand when I was a poor student. It was from a lovely old (to me then; probably younger than me now ) couple who'd been given it as a present.
They'd tried it once but, as it turned out, "We're more Mellow Birds folk, love".

You are Phoebe OP 🤩

To be honest, it's all a bit of a moo point... 🐄

I still have a percolator with a timing feature. Nothing better than waking up to the smell of a jug of fresh coffee.

Is that the coffee equivalent of a teasmaid ,,,?

TeamPolin

To be honest, it's all a bit of a moo point... 🐄

Kind of I suppose. Just set it all up the night before and it starts to percolate 10 mins before we get up.

😁