One time I used the phrase "take the red pill" in a review about John Fowles's The Magus, and I have never stopped being mortified because it turns out it's this big MRA thing now (whereas I was just going for this pure "you choose to stay in wonderland" like in the movie). And there is this other phrase, "Does what it says on the tin," that I have this idea might also be becoming some kind of weirdly right-wing male nerd thing, like because I see it all the time on this alternate history forum I frequent and there's always guys--weirdly aggrieved Brits or obvious posturing pasty North American teen boys trying to sound really cool and macho) who'll say post a thing that's "What if the British Empire won the Boer War?" and then the post is like "What it says on the tin. What if the Empire won the Boer War? How hard would they have beat the Germans in WWI? How loud would 'Rule Britannia' ring today?" like they're fighting yesterday's crypto-imperialist battles with an attitude and a vengeance. Which is fucking weird on the whole, but more specifically makes me worry about using a phrase like "Does what it says on the tin" because I don't want to use more language that can be associated with those I execrate and dislike. But this book is, indeed, very much like "That's not my Dragon," "That's not my Fox," and the others, though it pleases me that duckies get their moment in the sun when there are so many other deserving animal (that's not my three-toed sloth?) and fantastical beastie (that's not my gelatinous cube!) candidates. ( )