Learn English – What does “Every Jewish mother will die, a fact many are not exactly famous for playing down” mean

jokesmeaning-in-context

The New York Times (May 20) carried a review on a revue, “Old Jews telling jokes”, currently being performed at the Westside Theater, under the title “Such a tradition of humor, and this is only a revue?”.

I was unable to get the idea of its beginning line:

Every Jewish mother will die, a fact many are not exactly famous for playing down, but the Jewish-mother joke will live forever.

What is the plain English for “a fact many are not exactly famous for playing down,” which looks to me somewhat winding?

The associated question :

The beginning block of the article ends up with the following line;

"The show, whose title has as firm a grasp on its audience’s desire as “Girls gone wild,” is a winning concept executed deftly with affection. Would it kill you to pay a visit? "

I guess “Would it kill you to pay a visit” simply means “Why don’t you try to pay a visit.”

Is “Would it kill you to do something” a popular phrase to substitute for recommending somebody to do something? Does it sound awkward or over-the-top if I say to my colleague “Would it kill you to have a drink,” instead of saying “Let’s have a drink” after work?”

Best Answer

The phrase

Every Jewish mother will die, a fact many are not exactly famous for playing down

may be doubly confusing if you're not familiar with Jewish mothers and English is not your first language. There are two tricks going on here:

  • There is a figure of speech here known as litotes. By denying that they play it down, the author is affirming that they play it up.
  • The Jewish Mother stereotype has these women guilt-tripping, in this case by playing on their age and infirmity to get others (e.g., their sons) to pay attention to them (say, to visit).
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