Pass the plate

Minister to congregation: I’ve decided to increase my weekly contribution. Now it’s time to up yours! What’s so funny about this? What do ministers and street entertainers have in common? No, this is not a riddle. When you think about it they actually have a lot in common, both speak to large and small crowds of people, trying to influence their behavior. A minister wants their behavior to change for the better while the entertainer wants them to experience the pain or pleasure of their performance message. Furthermore, when they are finished both minister and entertainer will pass the hat or the plate in hopes of collecting a financial contribution from their respective audiences. The street entertainer might well depend on these funds to make a living; and while a minister usually gets a salary, the church is quite dependent on a steady flow of weekly cash offerings by the congregation. In the photo we see a minister at the end of his sermon where he has moved the congregation to consider and act on his words. He makes one final pitch, or effort to persuade them. Perhaps the church is experiencing a short fall in cash. The minister thinks that he can persuade them to contribute more. After telling everyone that he will increase his own weekly contribution, for some reason he chooses to use an ellipsis to get the rest of his point across. Remember, an ellipsis is the omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues. Instead of repeating his words he shortens the notion by telling them to “up theirs”, leaving out the word “contributions.” “Up” in this context means to increase or raise. Of course, in addressing them he uses the second person and what he actually says in “up yours.” This turn of phrase also happens to be a major insult, meaning that they should stick their contributions up their asses. The phrase is common enough that “asses” is understood, but the meaning is the exact opposite of what he wants. It’s what you say when you refuse to do what’s been asked of you. I guess the joke is on him and he doesn’t even know it. And THAT’s what’s so funny! #joke #pun #ESL #ELT #ELL #ELD #ESOL #EFL #TESOL #TESL #Englishlanguage #English #language #learnenglish #twinglish #wordplay #collectionplate #upyours