John Guare

I ushered at the Shubert in New Haven during graduate school when plays en route to Broadway still went out of town to try out. I worked backstage at summer stock doing jobs from garbage man to strapping on Herbert Marshall's wooden leg to fixing Gloria Swanson's broken plumbing in her dressing room with her yelling at me as I worked the plunger.

American Playwright

Neal Brennan

You know, I liken it to - when you write a joke for somebody else, it's like you - you know, like the Wile E. Coyote dynamite plunger, where he pushes the plunger down and then you see the fuse go then there's an explosion in the distance? That's like writing a joke for somebody. When you tell the joke, you're in the explosion.

American Comedian

Eugene Chadbourne

I play these sort of comical instruments I invented, like the electric rake and the electric plunger. I do a lot of almost stand-up comedy material. Just the juxtaposition of the different styles in itself sometimes is funny. Like, I do sort of an acoustic version of 'Purple Haze' that has some bluegrass licks in it.

American Composer

Can you imagine a guy breaking into your car, and he steals your guitar case 'cause he thinks it's a guitar, and he gets it home and opens it up and there's a rake inside it, an electric toilet plunger and a dog skull? That actually happened.

Bria Skonberg

With my trumpet voice, I love gritty, plunger, growly sounds. But vocally, I love Anita O'Day - a raspier but definitely softer sound. Part of the fun has been finding vehicles or writing for both of those sounds.

Canadian Musician

The plunger is a common household item found in bathrooms or kitchens.

Household Item

A plunger is operated by hand to create suction and clear blockages.

Manual Use

Different types of plungers are designed for toilets, sinks, and drains.

Different Types

In machinery, 'plunger' refers to a component, not a tool for clearing blockages.

Machinery Context

A plunger in a machine typically moves in a straight, direct motion.

Movement Action

Industrial plungers are parts of complex equipment and not for casual use.

Industrial Usage

Here, 'plunger' is used metaphorically to describe a person's behavior.

Metaphorical Use

Using 'plunger' suggests involvement in high risk for potential high reward activities.

High-Stakes Implication

 you had to think fast, you're going to panic; you've got a bucket, a mop or a plunger. What do you do first? Why don't we turn off the tap? It would be pointless to mop or plunge or scoop up the water

Plunger