fork a lemon

Emeril (I use his first name because we're hella good friends, yo) utters this line any time he is about to wring the juice from a lemon in his special high-energy manner.

Holding a fork in one hand and a lemon half (or whole) in the other (hence the remark...I see your personal overhead lightbulbs flickering to life), he plunges the first into the second and crushes the lemon while reaming it with the fork. A torrent of citrusy fluid gushes forth, and he casually yanks the fork free just before flinging the husked fruit offstage somewhere, its tiny, sad role in his food operetta over before it began.

The real humor, as everyone knows, is that "fork a lemon" bears a striking resemblance to "fuck a lemon". Since Emeril would never say nor do such a vulgar thing on his show (or in the privacy of his home, one hopes), the laughter from the salivating audience is all about his clever (and just a little bit naughty) comment.

Though used less than "BAM!", "fork a lemon" gets old rather swiftly. I am waiting for a show where Emeril misspeaks and metaphorically "forks a lemon" in terms of his continuing career as celebrity chef.