We have an answer!!! \o/

[ash48]

The extra cookie goes to quickreaver for investigating this mystery and getting an answer from Perry Battista:



That artwork is awesome. Hee...the place even has a hot tub!

What's the meaning do you think? I mean...there's gotta be a meaning right? Situations often have the boys over a barrel - so I suppose it could be a reference to that.

Woot! I am ridiculous happy about this. Fans rock. The crew of SPN rock!

Comments

[glovered.livejournal.com]

Ah, so great! Nice work! Also, thanks for doing the motel room caps, I've already used them to find scenes for a video I'm making.

[de-nugis.livejournal.com]

Now I can sleep at night!

I'm . . . not 100% sure that that name would make me want to stay at the motel.

[cherry916.livejournal.com]

Never in my life would I have guessed the word to be Barrel.

So 4 for her detective work.

[fourtenpm.livejournal.com]

that they had hot water sex in the tub?

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

This right here? This is one of the reasons I love Show. They humor us. :D

[galwithglasses.livejournal.com]

Biggest, happiest smile....and a Snoopy dance. Never would have guessed barrel in a million years. We got part of it though. The Barrel is probably partly because of what you mentioned and also because the episode is set in Buffalo, New York, which is near Niagara Falls. It looks like there's a picture of the Canadian portion of the falls on the card. People have tried to go over the falls in barrels. The first one to survive going over them did it that way. Lots of people go to Niagara Falls for their honeymoons.

SPN has the best crew ever.

Now if somebody would just find out what the black and white show the first victim in Slice Girls is watching....

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

Noooooo. You can't say these things because I get fixated on this sort of detective work!

[missyjack.livejournal.com]

great work in getting this. I love our crew!

[raloria.livejournal.com]

Yay! So glad you got an answer! :D
So it was "Barrel" and not "rainbow". Yeah, I never would've guessed barrel. LOL

[rhymephile.livejournal.com]

Actually, the image used in the brochure is a picture of the American Falls (see the third photo down on the Wiki page), which is a part of the Falls that's only on the US side.

It's identifiable as the American Falls because of the Bridal Veil, that little skinny bit of waterfall separate from the rest of it.

There have been a number of daredevils over the years who have attempted to go over the Canadian side (the much larger and more dangerous waterfall) in wooden barrels. As galwithglasses says, that's where the term came from.

[greyowl88.livejournal.com]

No more sleepless nights over this! :D How cool to get an answer.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Aw! The SPN crew are the BEST. And this is what I found...

Over a barrel
Meaning

Helpless, in someone's power.
Origin

over a barrelThis is an American phrase and first appeared in the mid-20th century. It is supposed that it alludes to the actual situation of being draped over a barrel, either to empty the lungs of someone who has been close to drowning, or to give a flogging. Either way, the position of helplessness and in being under someone else's control is what is being referred to.

The first reference to the phrase used with that meaning that I can find is rather later than might be expected - 1938. That's in a cartoon from the Pennsylvania newspaper The Clearfield Progress.

The cartoon writer's colloquial use of the phrase and the lack of any explanation of it implies that that the audience was expected to be familiar with it. Given that, we may yet find an earlier citation.

In the following year Raymond Chandler made what appears to be an punning reference to the phrase, in The Big Sleep - referring to a gun barrel:

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Oh yay! That's great! When I hear things like that it keeps me motivated.

And yay vid! :D

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Ha! I know the feeling..;)

And it's a weird name but hearing the meaning for it (below) makes me understand it more. :)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I know! I even googled "Over the..." and nothing came up. Maybe if I put in "Over a" then that saying might have turned up. ;)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Yep! That's what I'm thinking...;)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Isn't that great!?! I think if you hadn't have suggested Over the Rainbow I might have just left it - but it really got me thinking.

And I reckon that's exactly the reason why it's called that. The barrel ties in perfectly to the picture of the falls (American Falls as suggested below).

I also wonder if that prism is meant to represent the rainbow that's created when sunlight hits a waterfall?

Ooh - B&W film from the Spice Girls... I'll have to take another look. ;)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

They do!! and Iove 'em for it...:)

THANKS AGAIN!!! <3333

[risenshine22.livejournal.com]

give me one day in that warehouse with those boxes......
our SPN crew is made of awesome!!!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Um...just checked that. The first victim is on his computer and listening to music...?

[amnisias.livejournal.com]

For some reason my mind went to S/M porn here - one boy over the barrel, the other one ...doin' things to him? OH MY GOD... *running for the hills* what is the internet doing to me? I am not into slash all that much, incest squicks me and I only read porn - so how did my brain go there straight away? All I can say is English is not my first language, so the expression does not mean that much to me (though I know what it means - I just read it very literally). *blush*

[wendy.livejournal.com]

Wasted opportunity to get Sam in a hot tub. *shakes head sadly*

[ash48.livejournal.com]

That's great info. Thanks! I've updated my motels post with this added info. I reckon it's spot on. :))

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Isn't it great! We're so lucky we can contact the crew and they help us out.

And I would never have guessed barrel either.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Yep! Sleeping like a baby now! :))

[ash48.livejournal.com]

They are indeed the best!

And yeah - I think we can take a double meaning with this one. I'm pretty sure it refers to the American Falls and going over it in a wooden barrel (as rhymephile mentions above), but I can certainly believe the meaning of helplessness applies here. :)

Thanks hun.xx

[ash48.livejournal.com]

It would be pretty amazing wouldn't it? :)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

ha!!! See, now I need someone to write that for me!! Sam would have to be over the barrel though...(eeek...that probably squicked you even more! :D)

On man.. this motel - with its hot tubs and barrels...;D (a fangirls heaven).
xx

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Exactly. How can they mention hot tubs and not put Sam in one... or Dean... or both of them. ;)
xx

[rhymephile.livejournal.com]

No problem! I was there on vacation back in 2002 with my mom. If anyone ever asks, stay on the Canadian side of the river instead of the US side. The Canadian side has tons of tourist attractions and a casino!

[rhymephile.livejournal.com]

I sometimes forget about references and colloquialisms used on Show that are purely American and that people outside of the US wouldn't pick up right away, like "over a barrel" as well as knowing about "going over the Falls in a barrel."

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

We do use a LOT of Americanisms in the UK, and having someone over a barrel in the context described above is how it is used here too.

[fourtenpm.livejournal.com]

You know, the bridge connecting Canada and America over the fall is called the rainbow bridge, probably an in joke for the crew?

[galwithglasses.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the catch on the falls. Looking at it again, it doesn't have the curve of the Canadian falls. I've only ever been by the Horseshoe ones and didn't look too closely. I really can't believe anyone survived going over in a barrel or anything else. They're just so massive and there's so much water. The roar of the water is enormous.

[galwithglasses.livejournal.com]

I bet it's the one after the teaser. I forgot there was one there. It's the one that happens intercut with the sex scene. The cap is here.

http://galwithglasses.livejournal.com/23437.html

[galwithglasses.livejournal.com]

In case this does take over your life, I screwed up and it's the second victim. I forgot there was a teaser. The cap of the TV is here...

http://galwithglasses.livejournal.com/23437.html

I will live with not knowing but if I ever meet Jerry Wanek it will probably be the first thing I blurt out, much to my consternation....I live for minutiae. 8-)

It's so cool you got an answer to this one. It's been a lot of fun.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Minutiae is awesome!

You kno, I think I can hear that guys voice, but I don't know his name. My hubby probably does though - he's good at that stuff. I'll check it. :)

(Very cool. Twitter is awesome like that.)
xx