--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tell me, ' he continued, 'would it be…" description: "\"“Tell me, ' he continued, 'would it be true that you are an itinerant dentist and that you came on a tricycle?' 'It would not, ' I replied. 'On a paten..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/flann-o-brien-6916_tooth_tell-me-he-continued-would-it-be-true-th_2869093.png" --- # Tell me, ' he continued, 'would it be true that you are an… ![“Tell me, ' he continued, 'would it be true that you are an itinerant dentist and that you came on a tricycle?' 'It would not, ' I replied. 'On a patent tandem?' 'No.' [...] 'Then maybe you are no ...dentist at all, ' he said, 'but only a man after a dog licence or papers for a bull?' 'I did not…” quote by Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/flann-o-brien-6916_tooth_tell-me-he-continued-would-it-be-true-th_2869093.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/flann-o-brien-6916_tooth_tell-me-he-continued-would-it-be-true-th_2869093.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/flann-o-brien-6916_tooth_tell-me-he-continued-would-it-be-true-th_2869093.png) > ““Tell me, ' he continued, 'would it be true that you are an itinerant dentist and that you came on a tricycle?' 'It would not, ' I replied. 'On a patent tandem?' 'No.' \[...\] 'Then maybe you are no ...dentist at all, ' he said, 'but only a man after a dog licence or papers for a bull?' 'I did not say I was a dentist, ' I said sharply, 'and I did not say anything about a bull.”” [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous, absurd dialogue highlights the absurdity of identity and the confusion that can arise from miscommunication. **In simple terms:** Absurd conversation shows identity confusion. Key Takeaway Recognize the humor in miscommunication. Themes absurdity identity misunderstanding humor Mood playful ironic Type literary satirical When to use this quote - conversation - social interactions - comedic writing Key Concepts literary nonsense social satire Questions to Reflect On - What does the absurdity reveal about identity? - How does humor defuse confusion? A Different Perspective The joke may be lost without context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [We did some camera tests blacking it out, we made a prosthetic with a gap in it, but that made me look like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/we-did-some-camera-tests-blacking-it-out-we-made-a-prosthetic-with-a/) [Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/) > [Now, most dentist's chairs go up and down, don't they? The one I was in went back and forwards. I thought 'This is unusual'.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-vine/now-most-dentist-s-chairs-go-up-and-down-don-t-they-the-one-i-was-in/) [Tim Vine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-vine/) > [My therapist was like, 'What brings joy to your heart?' And I was like, 'I like to see teeth. I guess maybe I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-haddish/my-therapist-was-like-what-brings-joy-to-your-heart-and-i-was-like-i/) [Tiffany Haddish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-haddish/) > [Dear slut, when the dentist said,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avery-mckinney/dear-slut-when-the-dentist-said/) Avery McKinney > [My dentist said my teeth were wearing away at the back because I couldn't bite. My top jaw was broken and brought forward, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-the-eagle/my-dentist-said-my-teeth-were-wearing-away-at-the-back-because-i/) [Eddie the Eagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-the-eagle/) > [So I went to the dentist. He said Say Aaah. I said Why? He said My dog's died.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-i-went-to-the-dentist-he-said-say-aaah-i-said-why-he-said-my-dog-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My dentist said to me the other day: I've enough problems in my life, so why should I see your films?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/my-dentist-said-to-me-the-other-day-i-ve-enough-problems-in-my-life/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [As a rule of thumb, I would submit that if you need to call your floss provider, for any reason, you are probably not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/as-a-rule-of-thumb-i-would-submit-that-if-you-need-to-call-your-floss/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Is old age really so terrible? Not if you've brushed your teeth faithfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/is-old-age-really-so-terrible-not-if-you-ve-brushed-your-teeth/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I never give anyone advice: it can backfire horribly. In the 1950s, Eric Morecambe told Ken Dodd to get his teeth fixed. But those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/i-never-give-anyone-advice-it-can-backfire-horribly-in-the-1950s-eric/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [As a kid I had buck teeth and braces and acne. I hated what I saw. I'm still not comfortable, but that's why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/as-a-kid-i-had-buck-teeth-and-braces-and-acne-i-hated-what-i-saw-i-m/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [Brush your teeth often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-yard/brush-your-teeth-often/) [Sherry Yard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-yard/) > [My dental hygienist is cute. Every time I visit, I eat a whole package of Oreo cookies while waiting in the lobby. Sometimes she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/my-dental-hygienist-is-cute-every-time-i-visit-i-eat-a-whole-package/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) ## More by Flann O'Brien > [“I discovered that everything you do is in response to a request or a suggestion made to you by some other party either inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/i-discovered-that-everything-you-do-is-in-response-to-a-request-or-a/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [Rome wasn't built in A.D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/rome-wasn-t-built-in-a-d/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [Moderation, we find, is an extremely difficult thing to get in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/moderation-we-find-is-an-extremely-difficult-thing-to-get-in-this/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [Strange enlightenments are vouchsafed to those who seek the higher places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/strange-enlightenments-are-vouchsafed-to-those-who-seek-the-higher/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [“I am your soul and all your souls. When I am gone you are dead. Past humanity is not only implicit in each new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/i-am-your-soul-and-all-your-souls-when-i-am-gone-you-are-dead-past/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [Do you know what I am going to tell you, he said with his wry mouth, a pint of plain is your only man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/do-you-know-what-i-am-going-to-tell-you-he-said-with-his-wry-mouth-a/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [A wise old owl once lived in a wood, the more he heard the less he said, the less he said the more he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/a-wise-old-owl-once-lived-in-a-wood-the-more-he-heard-the-less-he/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [“In Boston he met a pretty lady, fat and forty, but beautiful with the bloom of cash and collateral.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/in-boston-he-met-a-pretty-lady-fat-and-forty-but-beautiful-with-the/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [“Here I had a strange idea not unworthy of de Selby. Why was Joe so disturbed at the suggestion that he had a body?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/here-i-had-a-strange-idea-not-unworthy-of-de-selby-why-was-joe-so/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [Your talk," I said, "is surely the handiwork of wisdom because not one word of it do I understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/your-talk-i-said-is-surely-the-handiwork-of-wisdom-because-not-one/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [“Thoughts which have no chance of succeeding do not take the trouble to come into your head at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/thoughts-which-have-no-chance-of-succeeding-do-not-take-the-trouble/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [When money's tight and is hard to get And your horse has also ran, When all you have is a heap of debt A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/when-money-s-tight-and-is-hard-to-get-and-your-horse-has-also-ran/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [still loved but deprived of grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/still-loved-but-deprived-of-grace/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [A woman doesn't care if she hasn't a stomach, provided she looks as if she hasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/a-woman-doesn-t-care-if-she-hasn-t-a-stomach-provided-she-looks-as-if/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [“With these words there came the rending scream of a shattered stirk and an angry troubling of the branches as the poor madman percolated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/with-these-words-there-came-the-rending-scream-of-a-shattered-stirk/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) [Explore all 93 Flann O'Brien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) ## More Tooth quotes > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [My dental hygienist is cute. Every time I visit, I eat a whole package of Oreo cookies while waiting in the lobby. Sometimes she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/my-dental-hygienist-is-cute-every-time-i-visit-i-eat-a-whole-package/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Brush your teeth often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-yard/brush-your-teeth-often/) [Sherry Yard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-yard/) > [As a kid I had buck teeth and braces and acne. I hated what I saw. I'm still not comfortable, but that's why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/as-a-kid-i-had-buck-teeth-and-braces-and-acne-i-hated-what-i-saw-i-m/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [I never give anyone advice: it can backfire horribly. In the 1950s, Eric Morecambe told Ken Dodd to get his teeth fixed. But those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/i-never-give-anyone-advice-it-can-backfire-horribly-in-the-1950s-eric/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [As a rule of thumb, I would submit that if you need to call your floss provider, for any reason, you are probably not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/as-a-rule-of-thumb-i-would-submit-that-if-you-need-to-call-your-floss/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Is old age really so terrible? Not if you've brushed your teeth faithfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/is-old-age-really-so-terrible-not-if-you-ve-brushed-your-teeth/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [He that sleeps feels not the tooth-ache](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/he-that-sleeps-feels-not-the-tooth-ache/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Now they broke my toothbrush, I don't own anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/now-they-broke-my-toothbrush-i-don-t-own-anything/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [When I got my braces removed, I felt more like a real woman, any traces of my childhood were stripped, just like the cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-carlson-romano/when-i-got-my-braces-removed-i-felt-more-like-a-real-woman-any-traces/) [Christy Carlson Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-carlson-romano/) > [It's important for me to eat really healthy because I have such a sweet tooth. I eat fish and vegetables for lunch and dinner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-lauren/it-s-important-for-me-to-eat-really-healthy-because-i-have-such-a/) [Dylan Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-lauren/) > [“Do you know why people hate the dentist? Visit this blog to get the detailed report on dentist and why people hate to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dental-made-easy/do-you-know-why-people-hate-the-dentist-visit-this-blog-to-get-the/) [Dental Made Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dental-made-easy/) > [There are three proven rules for good teeth: brush after every meal; see your dentist twice a year; and mind your own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-boyd/there-are-three-proven-rules-for-good-teeth-brush-after-every-meal/) Henry Boyd > [“the greater involution and deeper patina of her left tooth in comparison to the right, the skeptical cast”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/the-greater-involution-and-deeper-patina-of-her-left-tooth-in/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) Browse all 392 Tooth quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Tell me, ' he continued, 'would it be true that you are an itinerant dentist and that you came on a tricycle?' 'It would not, ' I replied. 'On a patent tandem?' 'No.' [...] 'Then maybe you are no ...dentist at all, ' he said, 'but only a man after a dog licence or papers for a bull?' 'I did not say I was a dentist, ' I said sharply, 'and I did not say anything about a bull.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Flann O'Brien" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/tell-me-he-continued-would-it-be-true-that-you-are-an-itinerant/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Tooth" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/tell-me-he-continued-would-it-be-true-that-you-are-an-itinerant/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/flann-o-brien-6916_tooth_tell-me-he-continued-would-it-be-true-th_2869093.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/flann-o-brien-6916_tooth_tell-me-he-continued-would-it-be-true-th_2869093.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/flann-o-brien-6916_tooth_tell-me-he-continued-would-it-be-true-th_2869093.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Tell me, ' he continued, 'would it be true that you are an itinerant dentist and that you came on a…” — Flann O'Brien", "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": "Flann O'Brien", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Tell me, ' he continued, 'would...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/tell-me-he-continued-would-it-be-true-that-you-are-an-itinerant/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/tell-me-he-continued-would-it-be-true-that-you-are-an-itinerant/#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 } } ] } ```