Lum and Abner fans: "Board for the simples"

I was sitting alone with my pad and pen last evening listening to Lum and Abner.  I must listen to the show to find new words for the Lum and Abner Dictionary and for new instances for the Peabody's Peabrain website.

I heard a term that any Lum and Abner fan has heard a bunch of times and to my knowledge, few know what it means.  In fact, I had no idea what it meant until last night when it finally hit me.

The term, "board for the simples" can be found in Lum and Abner every 200 episodes or so.  The fact of the matter is, I always thought it was "bored for the simples" until last night.  It dawned on me that "bored" was actually "board" - as in "a place to live."  "Simples" are people with not much brains - so in fact, "board for the simples" means a home for people who aren't quite all there.


©Jimbo 2010/2011