In "Andy's Rich Girlfriend," Andy Griffith Show, Season 3, Barney attempts to warn Andy about the perils of dating a rich girl. He paints a picture of the wealthy lifestyle that includes "a couple of nurses and a nanny."
Andy knows very well what Barney is saying but replies, "Two nurses and a goat?"
"No, no," Barney says. "This kind of nanny takes 'em to the park and speaks French...They go off to refinishing school--"
"Finishing school," Andy says quickly since he doesn't want Barney to stop describing his version of a wealthy lifestyle, which involves bicycles with lots of reflectors.
Nanny = goat
Nanny = woman who takes her charge to the park and speaks French.
The mix-up is funny; Barney's belabored definition--mostly, it appears, culled from Hollywood films--is equally funny.
My favorite example of a vocabulary mix-up occurs in Home Improvement, Season 4, "It's My Party." Randy decides to have a boy-girl birthday party, mostly to get closer to a girl he likes. Unfortunately, his "nerdy" (Brad's word) parents keep embarrassing him. Tim (literally) over-waxes the dance floor.
His mother digs up her "old 45s."
Straight-faced, Randy queries, "You're going to let us have guns at the party?"
Brad clearly thinks this is a great idea!
45 = record
45 = gun
The hilarious point here is that today, what with police procedurals and CSI, most people likely know the latter definition more than the former.
Of course, Home Improvement is always playing on language as Tim mangles Wilson's advice. Our brains know that language is weird and confusing and multi-layered, perfect opportunities for humor.
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