--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After Elner Shimfissle accidentally poked…" description: "\"“After Elner Shimfissle accidentally poked that wasps’ nest up in her fig tree, the last thing she remembered was thinking “Uh-oh.”\" — Fannie Flagg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/fannie-flagg-3065_wasps_after-elner-shimfissle-accidentally-poke_594072.png" --- # After Elner Shimfissle accidentally poked that wasps’ nest… ![“After Elner Shimfissle accidentally poked that wasps’ nest up in her fig tree, the last thing she remembered was thinking “Uh-oh.” quote by Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/fannie-flagg-3065_wasps_after-elner-shimfissle-accidentally-poke_594072.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/fannie-flagg-3065_wasps_after-elner-shimfissle-accidentally-poke_594072.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/fannie-flagg-3065_wasps_after-elner-shimfissle-accidentally-poke_594072.png) > ““After Elner Shimfissle accidentally poked that wasps’ nest up in her fig tree, the last thing she remembered was thinking “Uh-oh.”” [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An unexpected encounter with danger can trigger instinctive fear and humor in storytelling. **In simple terms:** Unexpected danger sparks fear and humor. Key Takeaway Embrace humor in tense moments. Themes humor danger instinct storytelling Mood lighthearted comic Type anecdotal humorous When to use this quote - campfire stories - children’s tales - personal anecdotes Key Concepts anecdote comic timing fear response Questions to Reflect On - When have you turned a scary moment into a joke? - How does humor affect our perception of danger? A Different Perspective Humor may downplay real risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“But sometimes when you are getting nowhere, you have to give the wasps' nest a wallop”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-black/but-sometimes-when-you-are-getting-nowhere-you-have-to-give-the-wasps/) [Benjamin Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-black/) > [Spring rain leaking through the roof dripping from the wasps' nest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/spring-rain-leaking-through-the-roof-dripping-from-the-wasps-nest/) [Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/) > [“He felt that he had unwittingly stuck his hand into The Great Wasps' Nest of Life. As an image it stank. As a cameo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-felt-that-he-had-unwittingly-stuck-his-hand-into-the-great-wasps/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“newly formed group of women fliers known as the WASPs. 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Burge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-m-burge/) > [“Some plant wild fig trees near cultivated fig trees, and there are others who, to remedy the weakness of the productive fig tree of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-schaff/some-plant-wild-fig-trees-near-cultivated-fig-trees-and-there-are/) [Philip Schaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-schaff/) > [Matthew 21:21 Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus/matthew-21-21-jesus-replied-i-tell-you-the-truth-if-you-have-faith/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus/) ## More by Fannie Flagg > [“Oh it don't make no kind of sense. Big ol' ox like Grady won't sit next to a colored child. But he eats eggs-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/oh-it-don-t-make-no-kind-of-sense-big-ol-ox-like-grady-won-t-sit-next/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [“Lately, it had been an endless procession of long, black nights and gray mornings, when her sense of failure swept over her like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/lately-it-had-been-an-endless-procession-of-long-black-nights-and/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [“The little girl knew if she bit any member of her family, they would get rabies too, and she died without ever having been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/the-little-girl-knew-if-she-bit-any-member-of-her-family-they-would/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [Albert and I would spend hours and hours looking at them. Cleo had this big magnifying glass on his desk, and we'd find centipedes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/albert-and-i-would-spend-hours-and-hours-looking-at-them-cleo-had/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [There Lives More Faith in Honest Doubt, Believe Me, Than Half the Creeds. - Alfred, Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/there-lives-more-faith-in-honest-doubt-believe-me-than-half-the/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [“Harris had done exactly what he had been told to do by the sexy dame from Oklahoma. After he had removed all of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/harris-had-done-exactly-what-he-had-been-told-to-do-by-the-sexy-dame/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [“he surprised her by signing, “You are the most beautiful girl in the world.” Ander didn’t know it, but he had signed, “You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/he-surprised-her-by-signing-you-are-the-most-beautiful-girl-in-the/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [“Because, honey," she said, "after you've been to the moon, where else is there to go?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/because-honey-she-said-after-you-ve-been-to-the-moon-where-else-is/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [“Hello... is this Mrs. Fritzi Bevins?' 'Yes, it is.' 'From Pulaski, Wisconsin?' 'Yes.' 'Uh... you don't know me, but I recently received some papers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/hello-is-this-mrs-fritzi-bevins-yes-it-is-from-pulaski-wisconsin-yes/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [“Lenore had pushed her into had been a complete disaster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/lenore-had-pushed-her-into-had-been-a-complete-disaster/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [Face it girls. I'm older and I have more insurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/face-it-girls-i-m-older-and-i-have-more-insurance/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [“I hate a book that jumps around. Also I can promise”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/i-hate-a-book-that-jumps-around-also-i-can-promise/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [“Remember, if people talk behind your back, it only that you are two steps ahead of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/remember-if-people-talk-behind-your-back-it-only-that-you-are-two/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [“Depression years come back to me now as the happy times, even though we were all struggling. We were happy and didn't know it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/depression-years-come-back-to-me-now-as-the-happy-times-even-though/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [One gal drank a can of floor wax and topped it off with a cup of Clorox, trying to separate herself from the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/one-gal-drank-a-can-of-floor-wax-and-topped-it-off-with-a-cup-of/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) [Explore all 137 Fannie Flagg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) ## More Wasps quotes > [I hope the day will come when a wasp-waist and a pair of thin shoulders will not be esteemed beauty: we have had our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-mcnair-wright/i-hope-the-day-will-come-when-a-wasp-waist-and-a-pair-of-thin/) [Julia McNair Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-mcnair-wright/) > [A king who feared wasps once decreed that they were abolished. As it happened, they did him no harm. But he was eventually stung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/a-king-who-feared-wasps-once-decreed-that-they-were-abolished-as-it/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [Petruchio: Come, come, you wasp; i' faith, you are too angry. Katherine: If I be waspish, best beware my sting. Petruchio: My remedy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/petruchio-come-come-you-wasp-i-faith-you-are-too-angry-katherine-if-i/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Example is a dangerous lure: where the wasp got through the gnat sticks fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-fontaine/example-is-a-dangerous-lure-where-the-wasp-got-through-the-gnat/) [Jean de La Fontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-fontaine/) > [I have gone into town to buy a few last things we need for the expedition: Peruvian wasp repellent, toothbrushes, canned peaches, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-gone-into-town-to-buy-a-few-last-things-we-need-for-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created parasitic wasps with the express intention of their feeding within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-cannot-persuade-myself-that-a-beneficent-and-omnipotent-god-would/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [Tis no extravagant arithmetic to say, that for every ten jokes, thou hast got an hundred enemies; and till thou hast gone on, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/tis-no-extravagant-arithmetic-to-say-that-for-every-ten-jokes-thou/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [ The venerable emeritus professors still at Yale when I entered graduate school \[in the 1960s\] may have been reserved, puritanical WASPs, but they were… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/the-venerable-emeritus-professors-still-at-yale-when-i-entered/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As best I could make out, having never heard the term until I arrived in California, being a WASP meant being mossbacked, lockjawed, rigid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/as-best-i-could-make-out-having-never-heard-the-term-until-i-arrived/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [At what point is a wasp ever going to have a chat with a spider?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/at-what-point-is-a-wasp-ever-going-to-have-a-chat-with-a-spider/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [Concerning the generation of animals akin to them, as hornets and wasps, the facts in all cases are similar to a certain extent, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/concerning-the-generation-of-animals-akin-to-them-as-hornets-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It may be annoying, but the rash of hijackings by Connecticut WASP girls surely explains the time-consuming - but still somehow completely useless -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/it-may-be-annoying-but-the-rash-of-hijackings-by-connecticut-wasp/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [Let us turn elsewhere, to the wasps and bees, who unquestionably come first in the laying up of a heritage for their offspring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-henri-fabre-2/let-us-turn-elsewhere-to-the-wasps-and-bees-who-unquestionably-come/) Jean Henri Fabre > [Did he annoy me? Yes, he was like a wasp at a picnic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-barlow/did-he-annoy-me-yes-he-was-like-a-wasp-at-a-picnic/) [Gary Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-barlow/) > [I'd been brought up on the Upper East Side in a WASP society, which was death on crutches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/i-d-been-brought-up-on-the-upper-east-side-in-a-wasp-society-which/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) Browse all 71 Wasps quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“After Elner Shimfissle accidentally poked that wasps’ nest up in her fig tree, the last thing she remembered was thinking “Uh-oh.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fannie Flagg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/after-elner-shimfissle-accidentally-poked-that-wasps-nest-up-in-her/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Wasps" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/after-elner-shimfissle-accidentally-poked-that-wasps-nest-up-in-her/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/fannie-flagg-3065_wasps_after-elner-shimfissle-accidentally-poke_594072.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/fannie-flagg-3065_wasps_after-elner-shimfissle-accidentally-poke_594072.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ff/fannie-flagg-3065_wasps_after-elner-shimfissle-accidentally-poke_594072.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“After Elner Shimfissle accidentally poked that wasps’ nest up in her fig tree, the last thing she remembered…” — Fannie Flagg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Fannie Flagg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“After Elner Shimfissle accidentally poked that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/after-elner-shimfissle-accidentally-poked-that-wasps-nest-up-in-her/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/after-elner-shimfissle-accidentally-poked-that-wasps-nest-up-in-her/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```