If I had to introduce the Family Circus to someone who had never seen is before, this one, September 13th's daily, wouldn't be a bad place to start.

One of the enduring tenets of the Family Circus, one that Bil Keane revisits again and again and again, is that there is nothing funnier or more adorable than when the nuances of the English language cause misunderstandings between children and adults.  Now and then, Kean will devote an entire full-color Sunday comic to this concept, with four or five examples.  In one, Jeffy might overhear Mommy telling Daddy, "Mr. Smith's secretary is such a dear," and picture a doe sitting at a desk. Or Daddy might scold a confused Dolly for leaving the door ajar.

This cartoon takes that concept to another level, and hints at Billy's budding rebelliousness.  It's as if Billy knows about the cute misunderstanding cliche and is using it to his advantage. Billy is, by far, the "baddest" of the four kids.  Dolly's a whiny tattle tale, Jeffy's a wimp, and PJ's a mildly precocious-- if still bland --baby, but none of them have Billy's capacity for infuriating defiance. In a different world, Billy could be like those corner kids on The Wire, answering police questioning with "huh?"

In any case, Billy's got a good point here.  No wonder Mommy looks so pissed.