For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for August 15, 2019

When my father first met parents of my (at the time future) stepmother, her father asked him what he thought of her. He said he’ll have to come back to him on that. A few minutes later, the old man asks again. I think it was his dementia talking.

That swimsuit certainly rivets Michael’s attention. Martha is quite the cutie.

That’s not a boat

I don’t think dinghies have pontoons or overheads. Still it is a great set-up for the punchline.

Are you sure about that Martha?

Good thing you cleared that up, Martha.

So Fred refers to his little dinghy as a folly? And I’m not talking about his daughter.

Down here Pontoon Boat = Party Boat

I thought it was his wife not Martha.

Lynn’s Comments:

A drawing like this required some reference material. When I couldn’t take the photos I needed, I had loads of magazines to look through. I’m quite jealous of the artists now who can just go to YouTube and Google!

Source: fborfw.com/strip_fix

Gorilla on board.

Love Michael’s detectable-at-a-distance smirk.

Look at panel three. Not much butt coverage there. And Michael is just perving out. And her dad probably doesn’t even care about both those things, he’s so oblivious. What a…funny comic??

Keep quiet, kid.

Worst relationship mishaps come from smiles at the wrong time.

At least he didn’t ask him is he wanted to take the dingy out.

Oh it’s a pontoon alright. But a very small one by the way it is drawn here. My son sells boats at our local marina on the lake, and around here they are big. Party time indeed! He also rents them out. Come and play with us!

" Your dingy looks FINE sir !!! lol

Definition of dinghy, a word of Bengali origin. (source: Wiktionary):

1.) Nautical term for an inflatable rubber life raft.

2.) A small open boat, propelled by oars or paddles, carried as a tender, lifeboat, or pleasure craft on a ship.

Looks like nothing in today’s strip fits that definition, but looks like the joke of the day is Michael needs to spend more time with the dictionary.

Naw, he’s just a little dingy.

The father’s remark is tongue-in-cheek; he knows it’s not a dinghy

Martha is irresistible.

And he still hasn’t taken his hands out of his pockets….

If Mike was of a certain age he might be thinking of this song by the Pipkins: That’s right, That’s rightI’m sad and blue‘Cause I can’t do the BoogalooI’m lost, I’m lostCan’t do my thingThat’s why I sing

Gimme, Gimme Dat Ding Ah…Gimme Dat, Gimme DatGimme, Gimme, Gimme DatGimme Dat Ding, Gimme DatGimme, Gimme Dat, Gimme Dat DingGimme Dat, Gimme, Gimme Dat,Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Dat Ding (Oh Sing it one more time Momma)Oh,Gimme Dat, Gimme DatGimme, Gimme, Gimme DatGimme Dat Ding, Gimme DatGimme, Gimme Dat, Gimme Dat DingGimme Dat, Gimme, Gimme Dat,Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Dat Ding (Ah, you ain’t doin’ that late at night)Ah, what good’s a metronomeWithout a bell for ringingNot once, can’t anybody ever tell he’s swingingHow can you tell the rythmn written on the barHow can you ever hope to know where you are?

He definitely likes the “aft!”

Oh, but Michael can’t wait to get on board

Was the answer, “ship shape”?

I am still waiting for the answer to the “intentions” question he was asked yesterday.

Dingy, one of those Hindi loan words like pundit. It means “small boat”. (Pundit means a smart or wise person.)

Cheeky!

I’m sorry, but after today’s strip I had to dig out Ruth Wallis singing the “Dinghy Song” (aka “Davey’s Dinghy”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QViqeqwj7_E