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I understand the character is being sarcastic but I don't understand why exactly he says 'mank you'. I looked up the word 'mank' and it doesn't make sense in the context so I suppose 'mank you' is sort of a pun. I'd love to understand what the wordplay is.

Source: Movie 'Date Night' (excerpt about minute 13)

Dialogue between customers and maitre d' (who's being sarcastic):

Phil: The things is my wife and I are on a date and we were hoping tonight would be sort of special. So, just asking you if maybe you have any tables available?

Maitre D’: Okay, well, I’m gonna have to ask you to wait at the bar, and if anything opens up, we’ll come get you, okay? Claire: Thank you. Maitre D’: Mank you.

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  • Are you hearing this or was this in a subtitle? I am pretty sure some subtitles are computer generated and tend to be full of errors when the speaking isn't clear enough.
    – Canis Lupus
    Commented Sep 2, 2014 at 17:44
  • Mank you very much! logicishard.blogspot.it/2009/07/mank-you-very-much.html
    – user66974
    Commented Sep 2, 2014 at 18:20
  • Actually I can hear it and I've also checked the captions as I have the DVD. I'm aware of computer generated captions but I don't think this is the case here. Maybe if someone happens to have a chance to see the excerpt, they might have an idea. The conversation takes place when Phil (Steve Carrell) and Claire (Tina Fey) have just arrived at 'Claw' and are talking to the maitre d' (Nick Kroll).
    – Rosa
    Commented Sep 2, 2014 at 18:28
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    Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself. Basically, it's made up of two separate words — "mank" and "ind." What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind. - Jack Handy
    – Elliott Frisch
    Commented Sep 2, 2014 at 20:19
  • Possibly related: In the 2001 movie Avenging Disco Vampires, when someone tells him "Your words have bite, baby," a vampire character named Desmodus says, "Fang you very much."
    – Sven Yargs
    Commented Sep 2, 2014 at 20:53

1 Answer 1

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From the late 1970's NBC Sci-Fi series Quark

Andy (the robot): Everything is fine, mank you.
Quark: Mank you?
Andy (the robot): You're melcome.

One of the most memorable lines from that show and a favorite of its viewers.

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  • You're melcome
    – James
    Commented Sep 3, 2014 at 1:48
  • Brillig: Thank you. I did suspect it was something related to a show or another cultural aspect I wasn't aware of.
    – Rosa
    Commented Sep 3, 2014 at 12:04
  • @James you are correct! I edited.
    – Brillig
    Commented Sep 3, 2014 at 16:24

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