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Pat Myers's avatar

The four entrance tunnels for actors to reach the stage at the in-the-round Fichandler Theater at D.C.'s Arena Stage are called the vomitoria, or "voms."

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Betsy Beyler's avatar

That's where I learned the true meaning of the word, while ushering!

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Pat Myers's avatar

I’m an usher, too!

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Dale of Green Gables's avatar

Where you there when the house fell? (Beat. beat...I think I hurt myself...)

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David Smith's avatar

Wow! Despite 6 years of Latin and over 20 years of theater I had no idea of the answer...

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Lynne Larkin's avatar

I’ve been to the Arena many times, but entered no voms! TILD.

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Pat Myers's avatar

The voms are for the actors: Since the stage is in the round (actually a square), there's no backstage, no wings -- so they come up these tunnels leading to the four corners of the stage. Those are the voms.

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Lynne Larkin's avatar

Yes, I understood what they were, I was just being a bit flip about not getting access to the voms.

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Richard Alexander's avatar

Great timing! I opened this chat maybe 30 seconds after leaving a comment at WaPo. It read (and, I hope, still reads), "Thank you, Marc, for validating my philosophy of life: All humans are idiots, but some are more idiotic than others."

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Gary E Masters's avatar

Thiessen usually gets only one word from me and often it is "piffle." He keeps his pot boiling. But at what cost?

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Trues's avatar

I read the column’s first sentence and had to stop. Then I gathered myself, read the second sentence, and knew I couldn’t continue.

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Charles Osborne's avatar

I, also, could not read past the first paragraph. This was tantamount to saying that a full colonoscopy is a marvelous way to experience the wonders of fiberoptic technology.

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Sasquatch's avatar

Oh, butt it is, especially when enhanced by a Valium drip.

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Guin's avatar

Propofol is the way to go.

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BigDaddy52's avatar

Who's your doc? I don't get Valium.

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Kate King's avatar

I got as far as three sentences in before I had to stop.

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Caryn's avatar

I didn't make it past the headline.

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Pat Myers's avatar

To those who weren't able to access the Thiessen column from Gene's link: I don't know why this might work any better, but try this one. https://wapo.st/43CW0gn

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Valancy Carmody's avatar

I get the same result from this link: "Create an account to redeem your FREE article" and then they want my email.

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Lynne Larkin's avatar

Yes, that’s their new scam on “ free” articles.

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Suzanne S Barnhill's avatar

I have been very unhappy with this. When I send a guest article, I don't expect the recipient to have to jump through hoops to read it. My brother in Japan is often interested in these articles, but I've started having to print them to PDF and send them to him that way, though he did say he was able to access articles on his phone that required the hoop jumping on his (Mac) laptop.

On a similar note, The Atlantic, for a brief while, had a notice informing subscribers that they could send as many free/guest articles as they wanted (not just x per month), but of course the next time I tried it, there was no gift option at all except for the "Give a gift subscription" one. I thought the restriction might be just for articles in the current issue, but it appears to apply to all.

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Mikey's avatar

Thiessen is one of the many reasons I quit WaPo, and I could not, would not, read another of his garbage columns. Fuck that guy with a cactus.

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Dale of Green Gables's avatar

Speaking of vomiting and reading Thiessen, or attempting to, I understand that the American College of Emergency Physicians has now recommended that you read his columns in the company of a ER doc because of what they're calling the "ipecac effect."

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Gay Ludington's avatar

Bwahahaha!!

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Ann Martin's avatar

I am a Latin teacher, so I KNEW.

Ann Martin

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Lairbo's avatar

It would be correct if you were heading for an exit...

Also, long before I ditched the Post altogether, I stopped reading anything with Thiessen's byline.

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Ann Harris's avatar

Some of these "mainstream" right-wing opinion people (Thiessen, David Brooks, George Will, etc.) are absolutely pathetic when it comes to their ability to tell fact from fiction. I like David French, though. He's often wrong, but at least he's wrong in his opinions, not the facts.

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GAL's avatar

Big fan of David French as well. He's at the NYT now, but used to be at The Dispatch, which leans conservative, but has some incredibly talented writers. I often disagree with their opinions, but at least they have some principles, and are staunchly anti-Trump. I subscribe to The Dispatch to support this sort of journalism. And, again, the writing talent there is incredible.

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Gay Ludington's avatar

What?! And here I've lived all these years assuming it was the place where engorged ancient Roman elites upchucked, so that they could return to the dinner feast and stuff themselves all over again! Sigh, so much for 7 years of Latin back in the day. :-(

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Guin's avatar

I think it was either Monty Python or Mel Brooks who coopted the word to mean "Place of Barfing."

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Sam Mertens's avatar

The hardest part about reading Thiessen’s columns has always been determining whether he’s the idiot, or he thinks his audience is. I couldn’t make it past the subhead on this one, but now i know the answer is “both”.

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William Pifer-Foote's avatar

So reading Marc’s “opinion” from WaPo. Even by his mealy-mouthed columns, this was particularly mealy. I notice he decided to leave out the comments that if the US didn’t act, Israel might. That completely undercut the argument that we were the “only” ones who could do this. Further, he left out all the stuff about how to get Europe to reimburse us for doing this undercut the entire argument that this was in America’s interest (which, I hate to admit, JD Vance basically said in proposing waiting a month).

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Roslyn Lang's avatar

And he left out that all the discussion came to nothing as soon as S.M. Chimed in with “this is what Trump wants” and they all clicked their heels and fell in line.

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BigDaddy52's avatar

Right? Such a serious, intelligent team!

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Sandra Hathaway's avatar

Yes, and they left to do what? Does it have to be the literal crapper you head to when you take a shit?

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Charles Osborne's avatar

No, the inky printing presses of the Washington Post seem to be available.

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Dale of Green Gables's avatar

So has Thiessen now officially taken over as the WaPo humor columnist?

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Dale of Green Gables's avatar

Thing is oh "Wise Man of the Bronx," you could write a better um..."conservative" column than that hack if someone woke you up in the middle of the night and said, "give me 800 words on personal liberties, free markets --- lie about them, and be quick about it." But then he did serve as a speechwriter for Bush and Rumsfeld, so that would explain him still attempting to make sense..and failing. Guy can't even spell his first name right.

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Valancy Carmody's avatar

The free link to the column is covered by a notice "Gift From A Post Subscriber / Create an account to redeem your FREE article"

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Gene Weingarten's avatar

Wait. That link was NOT free?

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Valancy Carmody's avatar

Free, but they want my email before I can read it. This seems to be a recent change.

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Charles Osborne's avatar

Sorry, Gene, I was making a Firesign Theatre joke.

/s./ uh...clem

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Charles Osborne's avatar

Free! Only a dollar!

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Lynne Larkin's avatar

So chuffed I got this reference! Thx.☺️

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