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This article is from the Firesign Theatre: Lexicon FAQ, by Niles D. Ritter ritter@earthlink.net with numerous contributions by others.

Firesign Theatre Lexicon [E]

EAT FLAMING DEATH: From the Jargon Lexicon of the Hacker's
Dictionary:

eat flaming death: imp. A construction popularized among hackers by
the infamous CPU Wars comic; supposed to derive from a famously
turgid line in a WWII-era anti-Nazi propaganda comic that ran
"Eat flaming death, non-Aryan mongrels!" or something of the sort
(however, it is also reported that the Firesign Theater's
1975 album "In The Next World, You're On Your Own" included the
phrase "Eat flaming death, fascist media pigs"; this may have been
an influence). Used in humorously overblown expressions of
hostility. "Eat flaming death, EBCDIC users!"

EGGS: Let's just call them, the "{PHENOMENA}". {PORRIDGE BIRD}s lay
their eggs in the air. Maybe its because there are aliens in them!

ELECTRICIAN: "Waiting for the Electrician, or Someone like
Him". Another FT play, featured on the album of the same name. The
first of the cycle of plays following the life of {EVERYMAN},named
P, in this case (a tribute to Kafka's "K").

The Electrician was also a mysterious character that appeared in the
{HEMLOCK STONES} play "The Giant Rat of Sumatra", and pursued the great
{ZEPELLIN TUBE} that was stolen by Jonas ACME. Little did Jonas
realize that the Electrician was in fact, his own ward and heir,
young Frank Acne, Jr.!

The "Electrician" seems to be derived from a dream Peter {BERGMAN}
accounted from the Christmas Broadcast, KPFK Radio Free Oz, in 1967.
He had a dream of the electrician coming to pull the plug on the
world, making everyone live real close together. And so we are
all now "waiting for the electrician" (or someone like him),
very Samuel Beckett-like (Waiting for Godot).

See also {HUMBOLT}.

ERSATZ: As in "Ersatz Broth Coffee (The Real One!)", as advertised
on {DWARF}. "Ersatz" means "substitute" or "synthetic". John V. Scialli
notes:

Some clarity is needed. The Coffee is Ersatz Brothers' Coffee.The
real one. This is not just (really) a play on the words ersatz and
real. Rather, Dan, during World War II coffee was rationed and ground
chickory was used as a substitute. This was known by a clear
descriptor "ersatz coffee."

Not to mention spanish fly!

EVERYMAN: A useful term to describe the often nameless heroes of the
FT plays. The FT's {BBOP} book describes how the hero transmutes from
one play into the next(summarized here):

"Waiting for the {ELECTRICIAN} or Someone like Him": The{EVERYMAN} is
named "P" (after Phil, and in homage to Kafka's K).The play ends with
"P" escaping from the country Enroute...

...and winding up on Ventura Blvd, in the process of buying a new car.
{EVERYMAN}'s name is now Babe, and his story is told in "How Can You Be
in {TWO PLACES} At Once, when you're not Anywhere At All". Babe drifts
through many adventures, and with the help of {RALPH SPOILSPORT}, falls
asleep to a hemp-laced version of James Joyce's Molly Bloom soliloquy
from Ulysses...

( as a side trip, Babe and {NICK DANGER} are literally flip-sides of
each other: "Wait a minute; didn't I say that on the other side of
this record?" THAT's how you can be in two places at once!)

...and wakes up at 4AM, now named George Leroy {TIREBITER}! His story
is now told by the {DWARF} play, as the {EVERYMAN} sees his life played
out on various channels of the television, where he is, by turns, an
old movie director, a political candidate,a child star, a high-school
kid, an adult actor, an Army Officer,and a quiz-show MC. Eventually, he
"sells out", wakes up from the TV world, regains his youth, and runs
out to get an ice-cream bar from the truck...

...Hunger satisfied, and with nothing else to do on a beautiful Fall
morning, George-now transmogrified into a young man named {CLEM} -- is
amused and intrigued by the arrival of the {FUTURE FAIR} Tour Bus, as
described in the {BOZO}S play (note that when Barney,the {BOZO},
reminds Clem to inflate his {SHOES},Clem replies that he no longer wears
shoes -- as Porgie {TIREBITER} in {DWARF} did).As he wanders through
the Fair, he asks both the {PRESIDENT}and{DOCTOR MEMORY} a question
about the {PORRIDGE BIRD},which brings down the whole show. The fair and
all its creations vanish, leaving only the fireworks of the departure.
And now, the story changes,and the Future is Past, (coming full circle
?) ...

EYKIW: Everything You Know Is Wrong! An FT play satirizing {SEEKER}S.

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