Στην τρίτη περίοδο της αγγλικής σειράς Black Adder με τον Rowan Atkinson υπάρχει ένα ξεκαρδιστικό επεισόδιο που σατιρίζει την λεξικογραφία (και κατ' επέκταση κάθε βαρετή συγγραφική δραστηριότητα) όπου πρωταγωνιστεί ο Dr Samuel Johnson ο οποίος επισκέπτεται τον Prince Regent George (το χαζό αφεντικό που ο Rowan Atkinson θεωρεί ηλίθιο και μισεί) και του προσφέρει το λεξικό προσπαθώντας να εξασφαλίσει οικονομική υποστήριξη για να το εκδώσει.. O Rowan Atkinson με τον χαζό βοηθό του (τον Baldrick) καταστρέφουν το μοναδικό αντίγραφο του λεξικού και προσπαθούν να το ξαναγράψουν σε μια νύχτα!
Το παρακάτω απόσπασμα από το επεισόδιο σατιρίζει την ετυμολογία της λέξης sandwich:
(E=Edmund Blackadder, B=Baldrick)
E: Baldrick, go to the kitchen and make me something quick and simple to eat, would you? Two slices of bread with something in between.
B: What, like Gerald, Lord Sandwich, had the other day?
E: Yes -- a few rounds of Geralders.
Όταν ο Dr Samuel Johnson έρχεται στον Prince George ζητάει το λεξικό και περιγράφει τις θυσίες που έκανε για να το γράψει:
J: Where is my Dictionary?
E: And what dictionary would this be?
J: The one that has taken eighteen hours of every day for the last ten years. My mother died; I hardly noticed. My father cut off his head and fried it in garlic in the hope of attracting my attention; I scarcely looked up from my work. My wife brought armies of lovers to the house, who worked in droves so that she might bring up a huge family of bastards.
Παρακάτω είναι το σκριπτ όπου προσπαθούν να ξαναγράψουν το λεξικό:
(E = Edmund Blackadder, G = Prince George, B = Baldrick)
G: How goes it, Blackadder?
E: Not all that well, sir.
G: Well, let's have a look...(reads) "Medium-sized insectivore with protruding nasal implement." (pauses) Doesn't sound much like a bee to me.
E: (shouts) It's an aardvark! Can't you see that, Your Highness? It's a bloody aardvark!!
G: Oh dear -- still on `aardvark', are we?
E: Yes, I'm afraid we are. And if I ever meet an aardvark, I'm going to step on its damn protruding nasal implement until it couldn't suck up an insect if its life depended on it.
G: Got a bit stuck, have you?
E: I'm sorry, sir. It's five hours later, and I've got every word in the English language except `a' and `aardvark' still to do. And I'm not very happy with my definition of either of them.
G: Well, don't panic, Blackadder, because I have some rather good news.
E: Oh? What?
G: Well, we didn't take `no' for an answer, and have, in fact, been working all night. I've done `B'.
E: Really? And how have you got on?
G: Well, I had a bit of trouble with `belching', but I think I got it sorted out in the end. (burps) Oh no, there I go again! (laughs)
E: You've been working on that joke for some time, haven't you, sir?
G: Well, yes, I have, as a matter of fact, yes.
E: Since you started...
G: Basically.
E: So, in fact, you haven't done any work at all.
G: Not as such, no.
E: Great. Baldrick, what have you done?
B: I've done `C' and `D'.
E: Right, let's have it, then.
B: Right. "Big blue wobbly thing that mermaids live in."
E: What's that?
B: `Sea'.
E: Yes -- tiny misunderstanding. Still, my hopes weren't high. Now; what about `D'?
B: I'm quite pleased with `dog'.
E: Yes, and your definition of `dog' is...?
B: "Not a cat."
