I"m so glad Martha brought up pash in the segment on the age of the word "crush", and even gladder that it was identified as short for passion, which makes it unique among all the other words mentioned in that it"s clearly derived from an appropriate longer word. I can"t recall exactly where it was, but I"m remembering a movie or TV show in which a woman who time-travels to the 1920s is asked if a certain man is "your pash", and then when she appears puzzled the other character explains the origin.
On the bull in the china shop, I think it was recidivist prankster Alan Abel who arranged to lead a bull through one of New York City"s high-end china shops, promising to pay for any damage. The bull was so non-destructive that Abel had to break a couple of dishes himself so the film crew would have something interesting to record.
I first encountered boss in the video-game context in Kirby"s Dream Land on the original (read "monochrome") Gameboy.
Don"t think it qualifies as a true simile, but an equivalent expression for "big as life and twice as natural" is "all wool and a yard wide". That one ought to take some explaining!
I like the expression "It"s not Hartville", but I already have a doubt about the name of the place. Hartfield (no, that"s Emma)? Hartville?
I think the idea is good, but we need a place everyone will recognize, and I nominate Lake Wobegon.
"It"s not Lake Wobegon, you know."
Re: Slow as Moses
I grew up hearing my uncles use the phrase "slow as Christmas" - which I took as a reference to the fact that Christmas takes a whole year to come around. For a kid anticipating the coming of Christmas, it can feel even longer. After falling into the habit of using the phrase, I found myself shortening it to to a single-word expletive. I'd be waiting for a something (e.g. waiting for a computer to boot up) and impatiently growl, "Christmas!"
Re: syllepsis
I know this as zeugma. Is there some fine distinction between zeugma and syllepsis?
During this episode"s stray plastic bag discussion, did anyone else think of the Katy Perry firework song? The opening words are: "Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind wanting to start again?" Only if she had access to the word (that escapes me) discussed in the episode, she could have shaved off a few seconds of the song. 
jaxelrod said:
Only if she had access to the word (that escapes me) discussed in the episode, she could have shaved off a few seconds of the song.
Even better, that there was a word she could have used that would have shaved away the entire song. Better yet, how about a word that would eliminate plastic bags? 