Ideas for literary or science knuckle tats for Halloween
September 10, 2014 10:25 AM Subscribe
Looking for knuckle tattoo ideas from which to base costume off of for Halloween - 2 word phrases about literature or science. Help?
For Halloween I want some knuckle tats, and I'm going to base my costume off it. (My husband and I are both doing this, but he has a really cool one already.) I'd prefer fun literary or science minded 2 word phrases. So far I have read/weep, read/more, book/worm, dull/life and dressing up as Emma Bovary, yesI/will(or some variation thereof from Molly Bloom's soliloquy, which could be fun). Except for Molly Bloom, none of those really float my boat. I haven't come up with anything sciencey good enough to even use as an example. (Although the idea of atom/bomb and dressing up as Oppenheimer came to mind, that seemed disrespectful to Oppie.)
It could be anything - name, quote, equation, pun, reference to a literary or science character, movement, poem/book, trope...vague or super specific. Since it's not permanent it can be saucy or risque. I'm not adverse to 8 letter phrases/words, either. However, I went as Charles Darwin last year so I'd prefer to stay away from evolution.
Thanks for any ideas, I've really been stymied.
Note: I'm *not* looking for costume ideas to accompany them, although if you have a great one that goes with your phrase, feel free.
For Halloween I want some knuckle tats, and I'm going to base my costume off it. (My husband and I are both doing this, but he has a really cool one already.) I'd prefer fun literary or science minded 2 word phrases. So far I have read/weep, read/more, book/worm, dull/life and dressing up as Emma Bovary, yesI/will(or some variation thereof from Molly Bloom's soliloquy, which could be fun). Except for Molly Bloom, none of those really float my boat. I haven't come up with anything sciencey good enough to even use as an example. (Although the idea of atom/bomb and dressing up as Oppenheimer came to mind, that seemed disrespectful to Oppie.)
It could be anything - name, quote, equation, pun, reference to a literary or science character, movement, poem/book, trope...vague or super specific. Since it's not permanent it can be saucy or risque. I'm not adverse to 8 letter phrases/words, either. However, I went as Charles Darwin last year so I'd prefer to stay away from evolution.
Thanks for any ideas, I've really been stymied.
Note: I'm *not* looking for costume ideas to accompany them, although if you have a great one that goes with your phrase, feel free.
Acid/Base
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:39 AM on September 10, 2014 [12 favorites]
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:39 AM on September 10, 2014 [12 favorites]
Gene / Exon
ATGC / TACG [or some variant of this]
posted by alex1965 at 10:41 AM on September 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
ATGC / TACG [or some variant of this]
posted by alex1965 at 10:41 AM on September 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
J-A-N-E E-Y-R-E?
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:45 AM on September 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:45 AM on September 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
M O B Y D I C K
posted by troika at 10:46 AM on September 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by troika at 10:46 AM on September 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
Easy / Read (perfect for the saucy librarian!)
posted by WaspEnterprises at 10:50 AM on September 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by WaspEnterprises at 10:50 AM on September 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
BASE PAIR
posted by VeritableSaintOfBrevity at 10:56 AM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by VeritableSaintOfBrevity at 10:56 AM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Lift / Drag
Pro / Retro
Endo / Exo
MachN / umber
PV / nRT
Star / Trek
Super / Sonic
Not enough knuckles, but I like:
Navier / Stokes
posted by Rob Rockets at 10:56 AM on September 10, 2014
Pro / Retro
Endo / Exo
MachN / umber
PV / nRT
Star / Trek
Super / Sonic
Not enough knuckles, but I like:
Navier / Stokes
posted by Rob Rockets at 10:56 AM on September 10, 2014
LITE | RATE
F=ma | E=mc² (with c² on one digit)
(Best of Times) | (Worst of Times)
posted by cardboard at 11:08 AM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
F=ma | E=mc² (with c² on one digit)
(Best of Times) | (Worst of Times)
posted by cardboard at 11:08 AM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
H U C K F I N N
M R T U M N U S
F O R T Y T W O
H R O T H G A R
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 11:15 AM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
M R T U M N U S
F O R T Y T W O
H R O T H G A R
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 11:15 AM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
AGTC / TCAG or some variation. Works best if you put your hands one on top of the other instead of the usual side-by-side so the pairs line up.
posted by Tehhund at 11:19 AM on September 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Tehhund at 11:19 AM on September 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: These are AWESOME. You guys are amazing, these made me laugh with pure delight.
hahaha with gell-mann I could dress up like a quark or a jaguar or just hang a sign around my neck about hating Feynman.
With danbrown you could do lots of fantastic things, don't apologize!
mumbles to self: hey shithead you have a moby dick themed room how did that not cross your mind
posted by barchan at 11:21 AM on September 10, 2014
hahaha with gell-mann I could dress up like a quark or a jaguar or just hang a sign around my neck about hating Feynman.
With danbrown you could do lots of fantastic things, don't apologize!
mumbles to self: hey shithead you have a moby dick themed room how did that not cross your mind
posted by barchan at 11:21 AM on September 10, 2014
POLO NIUM
Marie Curie... you can break open glow sticks and pour it into a couple test tubes in your pocket.
(I would also drink cocktails from a beaker)
posted by beccaj at 11:22 AM on September 10, 2014 [6 favorites]
Marie Curie... you can break open glow sticks and pour it into a couple test tubes in your pocket.
(I would also drink cocktails from a beaker)
posted by beccaj at 11:22 AM on September 10, 2014 [6 favorites]
ZERO GEES
JULES VERNE
CHARM QUARK
SPACE COAST
SLAC LIFE
BUCKY BALLS
ANTI GRAV
GAMMA RAYS
PLAY DICE
BISTR OMATH
IONIC BOND
MULTI VERSE
RADIO WAVES
WORM HOLE
posted by mikepop at 11:36 AM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
JULES VERNE
CHARM QUARK
SPACE COAST
SLAC LIFE
BUCKY BALLS
ANTI GRAV
GAMMA RAYS
PLAY DICE
BISTR OMATH
IONIC BOND
MULTI VERSE
RADIO WAVES
WORM HOLE
posted by mikepop at 11:36 AM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
HALE BOPP
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:43 AM on September 10, 2014
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:43 AM on September 10, 2014
COME ANDGO
LIFE OFPI
HENRY DAVID
FISHE RKING
2LEGS GOOD
WIND UP[drawing of bird]
posted by mikepop at 12:00 PM on September 10, 2014
LIFE OFPI
HENRY DAVID
FISHE RKING
2LEGS GOOD
WIND UP[drawing of bird]
posted by mikepop at 12:00 PM on September 10, 2014
I'd be super tempted to draw this on one set and this on the other.
Dopamine and adrenaline.
Love and hate.
Classic.
posted by phunniemee at 12:11 PM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Dopamine and adrenaline.
Love and hate.
Classic.
posted by phunniemee at 12:11 PM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
READ MOAR for internet tuff lols, or READ MORE for the thuggish librarian/book seller
Reminder to others: it's far easier to stick with 8 characters, one for each finger knuckle. The thumbs don't show up so well when making a fist.
A list of general hand/knuckle tattoos, which isn't too literary or science-focused, but might spark ideas.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:49 PM on September 10, 2014
Reminder to others: it's far easier to stick with 8 characters, one for each finger knuckle. The thumbs don't show up so well when making a fist.
A list of general hand/knuckle tattoos, which isn't too literary or science-focused, but might spark ideas.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:49 PM on September 10, 2014
DON'T PANIC
posted by runincircles at 2:16 PM on September 10, 2014
posted by runincircles at 2:16 PM on September 10, 2014
On the Moby Dick line you could go Quee/queg and be his no. 1 fan.
posted by mr. digits at 4:15 PM on September 10, 2014
posted by mr. digits at 4:15 PM on September 10, 2014
SKIN BONE
posted by cyclopticgaze at 4:30 PM on September 10, 2014
posted by cyclopticgaze at 4:30 PM on September 10, 2014
XTRA DIME-
If anyone asks say it's extra dimensional, but you wrote it on the fourth dimension, or some other bad joke.
posted by Ned G at 6:55 PM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
If anyone asks say it's extra dimensional, but you wrote it on the fourth dimension, or some other bad joke.
posted by Ned G at 6:55 PM on September 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Go as Emma Bovary with EMMA/LEON?
Elizabeth Bennett with LIZDARCY?
ID/EGO?
posted by MrBobinski at 6:59 PM on September 10, 2014
Elizabeth Bennett with LIZDARCY?
ID/EGO?
posted by MrBobinski at 6:59 PM on September 10, 2014
Literary:
WELL/READ
PALE/FIRE
HAND/MAID
HUCK/FINN
Дядя/Ваня
Scientific:
SCIENTIA
TEST/TUBE
MOON/SHOT
SINE/WAVE
HALF/LIFE
SPLIT/ATOM
KILO, MEGA, GIGA, TERA + VOLT, WATT, BYTE
CELL/MATE (Hooke or your fav biologist)
DING/DONG or RING/RING (Pavlov)
CHOO/CHOO (Watt, Brunel, your fav early engineer)
JOHN NASH, JOHN BELL, OTTO HAHN, GERTY CORI
posted by knuckle tattoos at 7:07 PM on September 10, 2014
WELL/READ
PALE/FIRE
HAND/MAID
HUCK/FINN
Дядя/Ваня
Scientific:
SCIENTIA
TEST/TUBE
MOON/SHOT
SINE/WAVE
HALF/LIFE
SPLIT/ATOM
KILO, MEGA, GIGA, TERA + VOLT, WATT, BYTE
CELL/MATE (Hooke or your fav biologist)
DING/DONG or RING/RING (Pavlov)
CHOO/CHOO (Watt, Brunel, your fav early engineer)
JOHN NASH, JOHN BELL, OTTO HAHN, GERTY CORI
posted by knuckle tattoos at 7:07 PM on September 10, 2014
A Douglas Adams homage: FORT YTWO
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:39 PM on September 10, 2014
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:39 PM on September 10, 2014
SPLIT/ATOM
GERTY CORI
Argh, I knew a left some mistakes in there somewhere. Sorry. Maybe SPLIT/ATOMS or HIGGS/BOSON if you want to include thumbs?
posted by knuckle tattoos at 7:59 PM on September 10, 2014
GERTY CORI
Argh, I knew a left some mistakes in there somewhere. Sorry. Maybe SPLIT/ATOMS or HIGGS/BOSON if you want to include thumbs?
posted by knuckle tattoos at 7:59 PM on September 10, 2014
LOVE | CRFT
MARK | TWAIN (squeeze the A and I together?)
JANE | ASTN (kind of a stretch)
BRAD | BURY
J.TIP | TREE or TIPT | REEJr (rather awkward)
FRNZ | KFKA
posted by filthy light thief at 9:30 PM on September 10, 2014
MARK | TWAIN (squeeze the A and I together?)
JANE | ASTN (kind of a stretch)
BRAD | BURY
J.TIP | TREE or TIPT | REEJr (rather awkward)
FRNZ | KFKA
posted by filthy light thief at 9:30 PM on September 10, 2014
LOVE LACE
WARD ROBE
REDQ UEEN
or
DORM OUSE
or
DRIN K ME
HUIS CLOS
ROSE IS A
SO IT GOES
posted by dywypi at 6:54 AM on September 11, 2014
WARD ROBE
REDQ UEEN
or
DORM OUSE
or
DRIN K ME
HUIS CLOS
ROSE IS A
SO IT GOES
posted by dywypi at 6:54 AM on September 11, 2014
Response by poster: Thank you all for your excellent ideas, I could have Halloween costumes for years based off these! In fact, I'm overwhelmed how to pick a best answer because it's pretty much all of them.
posted by barchan at 2:14 PM on September 11, 2014
posted by barchan at 2:14 PM on September 11, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by otio at 10:35 AM on September 10, 2014 [3 favorites]