This quotes is a play on the word
minute and pronunciation is everything.
In the first instance of minute in
the quote Cliff is referring to: min·ute1
(mĭn'ĭt) (A unit of time equal to one sixtieth of an hour,
or 60 seconds.)
In the second instance of minute
in the quote Cliff is referring to: mi·nute2
(mī-nūt', -nyūt',
mĭ-) (Exceptionally small; tiny.)
I'm telling
you Normie, recent research into the Revolutionary War
indicates that the defenders of this area were not called
Minutemen1
after all.
(Norm:
"Oh, like every history book is then wrong.")
No, they were actually called Minutemen2,
a lot of them under three feet tall. As a matter of fact,
way back in history people were shorter.
(Norm:
"Alright, fine.")
Take for example, the Knights of the Round Table.
(Norm:
"Yeah?")
Genuine midgets.
(Norm:
"You're a very lonely man, aren't you?")
The truth:
Generally people are taller than they were way back in history,
but the progression of height has not been constant and there
have been many sustained declines in average height throughout
history.
Minutemen is a name given to members of the militia of the
American Colonies, who would be ready for battle in a minute's
notice and date back as far as the mid 1600's.
The average height in the 1600's was about 66", just 4" less
than today.
