---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the occasions when Aunt is calling…"
description: "\"“On the occasions when Aunt is calling Aunt like mastodons bellowing across primeval swamps...”\" — P.G. Wodehouse"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/p-g-wodehouse-723_aunt_on-the-occasions-when-aunt-is-calling-au_2684206.png"
---

#  On the occasions when Aunt is calling Aunt like mastodons…

![“On the occasions when Aunt is calling Aunt like mastodons bellowing across primeval swamps...” quote by P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/p-g-wodehouse-723_aunt_on-the-occasions-when-aunt-is-calling-au_2684206.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/p-g-wodehouse-723_aunt_on-the-occasions-when-aunt-is-calling-au_2684206.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/p-g-wodehouse-723_aunt_on-the-occasions-when-aunt-is-calling-au_2684206.png)

> ““On the occasions when Aunt is calling Aunt like mastodons bellowing across primeval swamps...””

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

## 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 exaggeration likens an aunt’s loud call to prehistoric beasts, highlighting absurdity in family dynamics.

**In simple terms:** Aunt’s call is comically compared to ancient monsters.

Key Takeaway

Recognize humor in exaggerated family moments.

Themes

family humor exaggeration

Mood

lighthearted playful

Type

literary comic

When to use this quote

- family gatherings
- telephone conversations
- social events

Key Concepts

satire social commentary character dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- Why does the author choose such a vivid metaphor?
- What does this say about the aunt’s personality?

A Different Perspective

Humor may not translate across cultures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Aunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aunt/) [Aunt Calling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aunt-calling-2604114/) [Calling Aunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calling-aunt-2604116/) [Like Mastodons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-mastodons-2604117/) [Mastodons Bellowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mastodons-bellowing-2604115/)

## Related quotes

> [To this day, I still get people calling me Aunt Becky, and I'm not offended by that at all. 'Full House' has afforded me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-loughlin/to-this-day-i-still-get-people-calling-me-aunt-becky-and-i-m-not/)

[Lori Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-loughlin/)

> [As a rule, you see, I'm not lugged into Family Rows. On the occasions when Aunt is calling Aunt like mastodons bellowing across premieval…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-a-rule-you-see-i-m-not-lugged-into-family-rows-on-the-occasions/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“We run to height a bit in our family, and there's about five-foot-nine of Aunt Agatha, topped off with a beaky nose, an eagle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/we-run-to-height-a-bit-in-our-family-and-there-s-about-five-foot-nine/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“You can't expect an empty aunt to beam like a full aunt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/you-can-t-expect-an-empty-aunt-to-beam-like-a-full-aunt/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“England is a jolly sight too small for anyone to live in with Aunt Agatha, if she's really on the warpath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/england-is-a-jolly-sight-too-small-for-anyone-to-live-in-with-aunt/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“NOW, touching this business of old Jeeves – my man, you know – how do we stand? Lots of people think I’m much too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/now-touching-this-business-of-old-jeeves-my-man-you-know-how-do-we/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“Aunt Agatha's demeanor now was rather like that of one who, picking daisies on the railway, has just caught the down express in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/aunt-agatha-s-demeanor-now-was-rather-like-that-of-one-who-picking/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [In the summer of 1964, my sister and I went to South Ballston, Virginia, to stay with my aunt and her kids. They passed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/in-the-summer-of-1964-my-sister-and-i-went-to-south-ballston-virginia/)

[Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/)

> [I'll just do a round around of the house and make sure the rest of the family are fast asleep. We don't want that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerstin-gier/i-ll-just-do-a-round-around-of-the-house-and-make-sure-the-rest-of/)

[Kerstin Gier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerstin-gier/)

> [“Aunt Helen Beck had many intentions about her death. She was about being dead the way some people are about being British - she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-mccracken/aunt-helen-beck-had-many-intentions-about-her-death-she-was-about/)

[Elizabeth McCracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-mccracken/)

> [My aunt and uncle are clearly civilians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-kimmel/my-aunt-and-uncle-are-clearly-civilians/)

[Jimmy Kimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-kimmel/)

> [“Quin took on the air of someone who has just realized it's time for the yearly visit to the spinster great-aunt in a desperate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-fecteau/quin-took-on-the-air-of-someone-who-has-just-realized-it-s-time-for/)

[Amy Fecteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-fecteau/)

> [I was painfully shy, so my aunt suggested to my mum that me and my brother go to Stage 84, a performing arts school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-cooke/i-was-painfully-shy-so-my-aunt-suggested-to-my-mum-that-me-and-my/)

[Christian Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-cooke/)

> [Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-aunt-and-uncle-will-be-proud-though-won-t-they-said-hermione-as/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“My aunt Carol hasn’t heard her say a word in the whole six years and three months of Grace’s life—not a single syllable. Carol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/my-aunt-carol-hasn-t-heard-her-say-a-word-in-the-whole-six-years-and/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

## More by P.G. Wodehouse

> [“Love, Miss Halliday, is a delicate plant. It needs tending, nurturing, assiduous fostering. This cannot be done by throwing the breakfast bacon at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/love-miss-halliday-is-a-delicate-plant-it-needs-tending-nurturing/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [ “\[A\]lways get to the dialogue as soon as possible. I always feel the thing to go for is speed. Nothing puts the reader off… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/a-lways-get-to-the-dialogue-as-soon-as-possible-i-always-feel-the/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“In these days in which we live, when existence has become a thing of infinite complexity and fate, if it slips us a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/in-these-days-in-which-we-live-when-existence-has-become-a-thing-of/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“Good Lord, Jeeves! Is there anything you don’t know?’ ‘I couldn’t say, sir.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/good-lord-jeeves-is-there-anything-you-don-t-know-i-couldn-t-say-sir/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“Ask the first lion cub you meet, and it will tell you that, once you’ve tasted blood, there is no pulling up, and it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/ask-the-first-lion-cub-you-meet-and-it-will-tell-you-that-once-you-ve/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“He will lunch with you at your flat tomorrow at one-thirty. Please remember that he drinks no wine, strongly disapproves of smoking, and can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/he-will-lunch-with-you-at-your-flat-tomorrow-at-one-thirty-please/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“Too often on such occasions one feels, as I feel so strongly with regard to poor old Stilton, that the kindly thing to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/too-often-on-such-occasions-one-feels-as-i-feel-so-strongly-with/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“My late Uncle Henry, you see, was by way of being the blot on the Wooster escutcheon. An extremely decent chappie personally, and one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/my-late-uncle-henry-you-see-was-by-way-of-being-the-blot-on-the/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [ “...he switched on the \[flashlight\]. When he did so, he instantly became the center attraction to a rowdy mob of those gnats, moths, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/he-switched-on-the-flashlight-when-he-did-so-he-instantly-became-the/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“Conversationally, I am like a clockwork toy. I have to be set going.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/conversationally-i-am-like-a-clockwork-toy-i-have-to-be-set-going/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“One of the advantages a sister has when arguing with a brother is that she is under no obligation to be tactful. If she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/one-of-the-advantages-a-sister-has-when-arguing-with-a-brother-is/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“Liz," said Mr. Cootes, lost in admiration, "when it comes to doping out a scheme, you're the snake's eyebrows!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/liz-said-mr-cootes-lost-in-admiration-when-it-comes-to-doping-out-a/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“a chap who's supposed to stop chaps pinching things from chaps having a chap come along and pinch something from him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/a-chap-who-s-supposed-to-stop-chaps-pinching-things-from-chaps-having/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“Bertie, do you read Tennyson?" "Not if I can help.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/bertie-do-you-read-tennyson-not-if-i-can-help/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [“It seems to be one of Nature’s laws that the most attractive girls should have the least attractive brothers. Fillmore Nicholas had not worn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/it-seems-to-be-one-of-nature-s-laws-that-the-most-attractive-girls/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

[Explore all 389 P.G. Wodehouse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

## More Aunt quotes

> [“My aunt Carol hasn’t heard her say a word in the whole six years and three months of Grace’s life—not a single syllable. Carol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/my-aunt-carol-hasn-t-heard-her-say-a-word-in-the-whole-six-years-and/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-aunt-and-uncle-will-be-proud-though-won-t-they-said-hermione-as/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I was painfully shy, so my aunt suggested to my mum that me and my brother go to Stage 84, a performing arts school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-cooke/i-was-painfully-shy-so-my-aunt-suggested-to-my-mum-that-me-and-my/)

[Christian Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-cooke/)

> [“Quin took on the air of someone who has just realized it's time for the yearly visit to the spinster great-aunt in a desperate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-fecteau/quin-took-on-the-air-of-someone-who-has-just-realized-it-s-time-for/)

[Amy Fecteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-fecteau/)

> [My aunt and uncle are clearly civilians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-kimmel/my-aunt-and-uncle-are-clearly-civilians/)

[Jimmy Kimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-kimmel/)

> [“Aunt Helen Beck had many intentions about her death. She was about being dead the way some people are about being British - she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-mccracken/aunt-helen-beck-had-many-intentions-about-her-death-she-was-about/)

[Elizabeth McCracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-mccracken/)

> [I'll just do a round around of the house and make sure the rest of the family are fast asleep. We don't want that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerstin-gier/i-ll-just-do-a-round-around-of-the-house-and-make-sure-the-rest-of/)

[Kerstin Gier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerstin-gier/)

> [In the summer of 1964, my sister and I went to South Ballston, Virginia, to stay with my aunt and her kids. They passed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/in-the-summer-of-1964-my-sister-and-i-went-to-south-ballston-virginia/)

[Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/)

> [“I look like Barbara Bush in drag." Aunt Jettie”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-harper/i-look-like-barbara-bush-in-drag-aunt-jettie/)

[Molly Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-harper/)

> [I only wanted Uncle Vernon standing by his own car (a Hudson) on a clear day, I got him and the car. Ialso got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-friedlander/i-only-wanted-uncle-vernon-standing-by-his-own-car-a-hudson-on-a/)

[Lee Friedlander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-friedlander/)

> [Both the five-year-olds looked at me with bewilderment and a bit of fearful uncertainty. I had a sudden horrifying image of the woman I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/both-the-five-year-olds-looked-at-me-with-bewilderment-and-a-bit-of/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [My aunt got me interested in journalism - she found an old typewriter, had it worked over, put it on the dining room table,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/my-aunt-got-me-interested-in-journalism-she-found-an-old-typewriter/)

[Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/)

> [This kind of thing always amazed Ginny--people who just walked away from institutions. People who left school when they didn't see the point. Aunt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/this-kind-of-thing-always-amazed-ginny-people-who-just-walked-away/)

[Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/)

> [“You will not be able to shelter her forever,” my aunt insists. “What will happen when you are gone someday, and all the suitable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-forest/you-will-not-be-able-to-shelter-her-forever-my-aunt-insists-what-will/)

[Laurie Forest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-forest/)

> [my sweet old etcetera aunt lucy during the recent war could and what is more did tell you just what everybody was fighting for,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-sweet-old-etcetera-aunt-lucy-during-the-recent-war-could-and-what/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 720 Aunt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aunt/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“On the occasions when Aunt is calling Aunt like mastodons bellowing across primeval swamps...”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "P.G. Wodehouse"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/on-the-occasions-when-aunt-is-calling-aunt-like-mastodons-bellowing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Aunt"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/on-the-occasions-when-aunt-is-calling-aunt-like-mastodons-bellowing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/p-g-wodehouse-723_aunt_on-the-occasions-when-aunt-is-calling-au_2684206.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/p-g-wodehouse-723_aunt_on-the-occasions-when-aunt-is-calling-au_2684206.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/p-g-wodehouse-723_aunt_on-the-occasions-when-aunt-is-calling-au_2684206.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“On the occasions when Aunt is calling Aunt like mastodons bellowing across primeval swamps...” — P.G. Wodehouse",
                "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": "P.G. Wodehouse",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“On the occasions when Aunt is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/on-the-occasions-when-aunt-is-calling-aunt-like-mastodons-bellowing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/on-the-occasions-when-aunt-is-calling-aunt-like-mastodons-bellowing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
