Episode title meanings

This page shows the meanings of the titles in each episode.
==Season 1==
"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"
* The episode is a Christmas centric episode, and the title alludes to "The Christmas Song", which is also known as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire".
"Bart the Genius"
* The episode features Bart cheating in an IQ test, which makes everyone thinking he's a genius.
"Homer's Odyssey"
* The title is a reference to both the character Homer's name, and to the Greek poet Homer, who is often attributed to the epic poem Odyssey.
"There's No Disgrace Like Home"
* In the episode we see Homer disgraced about his family. It is a pun of "There's no place like home."
"Bart the General"
* Bart became a 'general' to stop Nelson and his weasels.
"Moaning Lisa"
* The title refers to Lisa being sad and upset. It is also an allusion to the Mona Lisa.
"The Call of the Simpsons"
* The title is a reference to The Call of the Wild and the Simpsons were stranded in the forest, or the 'wild' as it were.
"The Telltale Head"
* The episode and title are references to The Telltale Heart. It is about a severed statue head that Bart sees speaking to him.
"Life on the Fast Lane"
* A reference to a bowling lane.
"Homer's Night Out"
* Homer spent a night out at a Stag Do which led to Bart seeing him with Princess Kashmir.
"The Crepes of Wrath"
* Crepes are a French delicacy and the two Frenchmen, Bart was staying with were treating him wrathfully. It is also a reference to The Grapes of Wrath.
"Krusty Gets Busted"
* Krusty gets sent to jail or 'busted' because Sideshow Bob framed him for robbing the Kwik-E-Mart.
"Some Enchanted Evening"
* Homer was planning to have an enchanted evening with Marge, but they had to cancel it because the kids had tied up Ms Botz.
==Season 2==
"Bart Gets an "F""
* Bart originally got two 'F's before getting his 'A' goal.
"Simpson and Delilah"
* The title alludes to the story of Samson and Delilah, Samson had long hair which made him strong, but Delilah cut it off.
"Treehouse of Horror"
* The wraparound was set in the Treehouse and the kids were telling each other Horror stories.
"Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish"
* The title refers to Blinky the Three-Eyed Fish.
"Dancin' Homer"
* Dancin' Homer was the name of Homer's mascot.
"Dead Putting Society"
* Todd and Bart were both in a Golf tournament which involves 'putting'.
"Bart vs. Thanksgiving"
* Bart is against Thanksgiving after he commits a selfish act, it is also the first "versus" episode.
"Bart the Daredevil"
* Bart becomes a Daredevil.
"Itchy & Scratchy & Marge"
* Marge took matters into her own hands when she found out about the violent teachings of Itchy and Scratchy.
"Bart Gets Hit by a Car"
* Bart gets hit by Mr Burns' car.
"One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish"
* The title refers to the poisoned Blowfish Homer ate; it is also an allusion to One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss.
"The Way We Was"
* Marge and Homer were telling a story to the kids about how they were.
"Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment"
* Homer was stealing cable TV without a second thought and didn't want Lisa stopping him.
"Principal Charming"
* Principal Skinner was acting charming for Patty; this is also the first major episode for Skinner. The title is a reference to Prince Charming, a fictional character.
"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"
* Homer spent the first half of the episode searching for his half-brother, Herb. It is also an allusion to famous line "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" from Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.
"Bart's Dog Gets an F"
* Santa's Little Helper (or Bart's dog) fails at dog obedience school until the end of the episode.
"Old Money"
* Old Money is a term to describe whether money is inherited or has been in the family for a long time. Grampa is old, and received $100,000 from Bea, who is also old.
"Brush with Greatness"
* Marge had a brush with Ringo Starr when he replied to her letter.
"Lisa's Substitute"
* Lisa had Mr. Bergstrom as a substitute teacher.
"The War of the Simpsons"
* Marge and Homer were having problems with their marriage, and Marge was angry at Homer for avoiding counselling. Bart and Lisa were also fighting at the house about abusing Grampa.
"Three Men and a Comic Book"
* Bart, Milhouse and Martin were forced to share the first issue of the Radioactive Man comic book.
"Blood Feud"
* Bart and Homer were trying to get back at Mr. Burns for not giving them money after Bart donated his blood to him.
==Season 3==
"Stark Raving Dad"
* The title is a play on the phrase Stark Raving Mad and Homer (the kids' dad) had to go to a mental hospital.
"Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington"
* The title is play on the film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and Lisa went to Washington.
"When Flanders Failed"
* Ned Flanders shop fails. It is also a play on the World War One poem: In Flanders' Field.
"Bart the Murderer"
* Bart Simpson is accused of murdering Principal Skinner.
"Homer Defined"
* Named after Homer's admission to the dictionary, which defines him.
"Like Father, Like Clown"
* A reference to the phrase Like father, like son. The episode focuses on Krusty and his father.
"Treehouse of Horror II"
* It is the 2nd Treehouse of Horror.
"Lisa's Pony"
* Lisa gets a pony.
"Saturdays of Thunder"
* A reference to the racing film Days of Thunder. The episode is centered around racing.
"Flaming Moe's"
* Moe names his drink the Flaming Moe.
"Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk"
* The title is German. Mr. Burns sells the power plant to German businessmen. In English, the title means Burns to Sell (sic) the Power Plant.
"I Married Marge"
* The episode centers around the relationship of Homer and Marge.
"Radio Bart"
* Bart receives a radio microphone for his birthday, and uses it to play pranks.
"Lisa the Greek"
* A reference to sports commentator Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder. The episode centers around Lisa predicting the outcome of football matches.
"Homer Alone"
* Homer is left alone at his house with Maggie. The title also parodies Home Alone.
"Bart the Lover"
* Bart pretends to be an adult male named Woodrow who falls in love with Mrs. Krabappel.
"Homer at the Bat"
* Homer plays baseball. The title is also a play on the baseball poem Casey at the Bat.
"Separate Vocations"
* Bart and Lisa take a vocational test in school.
"Dog of Death"
* Santa's Little Helper becomes one of Mr. Burns' attack hounds.
"Colonel Homer"
* Homer becomes a manager for Lurleen Lumpkin. His attire and the title are both references to Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager.
"Black Widower"
* A black widow is a female murder who kills her husband or boyfriend. Sideshow Bob attempts to kill Selma, so the title is a twist.
"The Otto Show"
* The episode is focused on Otto, therefore making it an Otto show.
"Bart's Friend Falls in Love"
* Bart's friend, Milhouse falls in love with Samantha.
"Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?"
* Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? is a song written during the Depression, where money was tight. Homer's half-brother Herb asks Homer for money.
==Season 4==
"Kamp Krusty"
* Bart and Lisa spent six weeks at Kamp Krusty.
"A Streetcar Named Marge"
* A references the film A Streetcar Named Desire. Marge played Blanche DuBois in the musical A Streetcar Named Desire.
"Homer the Heretic"
* Homer decided to leave the Christianity and created his own religion.
"Lisa the Beauty Queen"
* Lisa entered into the beauty pageant.
"Treehouse of Horror III"
* It is the 3rd Treehouse of Horror.
"Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie"
* Homer banned Bart to see newly released Itchy & Scratchy Movie.
"Marge Gets a Job"
* Marge got a job at Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.
"New Kid on the Block"
* Bart fell in love with a teenage girl who moved to next door.
"Mr. Plow"
* Homer started a new business as Mr. Plow.
"Lisa's First Word"
* The episode tells the story of Lisa's first word.
"Homer's Triple Bypass"
* Homer got three heart attacks and needed a triple bypass heart operation.
"Marge vs. the Monorail"
* Marge found out the truth about a newly-built monorail.
"Selma's Choice"
* A reference to a film Sophie's Choice. Selma made a choice to become pregnant.
"Brother from the Same Planet"
* A reference to a film The Brother from Another Planet. Bart joined the Big Brother program posing as an abandoned child to hang out with a better father figure.
"I Love Lisa"
* Ralph fell in love with Lisa.
"Duffless"
* Homer decided to give up beer (known as Duff) for a month.
"Last Exit to Springfield"
* A reference to a book Last Exit to Brooklyn. The citizens of Springfield protested against revoking their dental plan.
"So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show"
* The episode showed the best moments from previous episodes, making itself to be a clip show instead of a typical show.
"The Front"
* A reference to a film The Front. Bart and Lisa couldn't set out their Itchy & Scratchy scripts under their names, they used a front person, Grampa.
"Whacking Day"
* The episode tells the story of the day where citizens of Springfield "whack" snakes.
"Marge in Chains"
* A reference to a rock band Alice in Chains. Also, Marge got arrested.
"Krusty Gets Kancelled"
* Krusty's show was "kancelled" thanks Gabbo Show.
==Season 5==
"Homer's Barbershop Quartet"
* Homer tells the story of his old barbershop quartet.
"Cape Feare"
* A reference to a film Cape Fear. The Simpson family had to move to the town Cape Fear because Sideshow Bob threatened Bart.
"Homer Goes to College"
* Homer came back to the university.
"Rosebud"
* A reference to a film Citizen Kane where Kane owned a sledge called "Rosebud" and playing with it was the only time he was really happy, despite the wealth and fame, just like Mr. Burns was missing his teddy bear he used to play as a kid with.
"Treehouse of Horror IV"
* It is the 4th Treehouse of Horror.
"Marge on the Lam"
* The title is a reference to a phrase "on the lam" which means "running from the police". Marge and her friend Ruth ran from Chief Wiggum.
"Bart's Inner Child"
* A psychologist told the citizens of Springfield to find their inner child, so they could be like Bart.
"Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood"
* A reference to a film Boyz n the Hood. Bart mistakenly joined a Scout group.
"The Last Temptation of Homer"
* A reference to a film The Last Temptation of Christ. Homer fell in love with his attractive workmate Mindy.
"$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)"
* Mr. Burns opened a casino in Springfield where gambling was legalized. Marge quickly became a gambler and even forgot at her family's problems.
"Homer the Vigilante"
* Homer created a group of vigilantes to keep Springfield safe.
"Bart Gets Famous"
* Bart became famous thanks his phrase "I didn't do it."
"Homer and Apu"
* When Homer got sick from tainted meat from Kwik-E-Mart, Apu lost his job there and stayed at the Simpsons' house.
"Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy"
* Lisa fought Malibu Stacy and her sexist phrases by creating her own doll.
"Deep Space Homer"
* A reference to a TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Homer became an astronaut for NASA and went to the space.
"Homer Loves Flanders"
* Homer and Ned Flanders became so close friends Ned started to have negative feelings toward him.
"Bart Gets an Elephant"
* Bart won a radio contest and got an elephant called Stampy.
"Burns' Heir"
* Mr. Burns chose Bart as his heir.
"Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song"
* A reference to a film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. Seymour Skinner was fired from the school thanks Bart who then started visiting him.
"The Boy Who Knew Too Much"
* A reference to a film The Man Who Knew Too Much. Bart was the only one who knew the truth about a brutally attack.
"Lady Bouvier's Lover"
* A reference to Lady Chatterley's Lover. Jacqueline Bouvier fell in love with Grampa.
"Secrets of a Successful Marriage"
* Homer started teaching how to have a successful marriage by telling his students secrets from his and Marge's love life.
==Season 6==
"Bart of Darkness"
* After breaking his leg, Bart spent summer in his dark room, spying on the neighbors.
"Lisa's Rival"
* Lisa met a new classmate who seemed to be smarter than her and the two girls soon became rivals.
"Another Simpsons Clip Show"
* A clip show that is also a sequel to So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show.
"Itchy & Scratchy Land"
* The Simpson family visited a theme park Itchy & Scratchy Land.
"Sideshow Bob Roberts"
* A reference to a film Bob Roberts. Also, the episode is focused on Sideshow Bob whose first name is Robert.
"Treehouse of Horror V"
* It is the 5th Treehouse of Horror.
"Bart's Girlfriend"
* Bart fell in love with Reverend's daughter Jessica.
"Lisa on Ice"
* Lisa joined pee-wee ice hockey league.
"Homer Badman"
* Homer was wrongly accused of sexual harassment, making everyone think he is bad.
"Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy"
* Grampa fought sexual inadequacy by selling a revitalizing tonic.
"Fear of Flying"
* Before going on vacation, Marge revealed her secret fear of flying.
"Homer the Great"
* Homer joined a secret organization Stonecutters and soon became their leader as "The Chosen One".
"And Maggie Makes Three"
* The episode tells the story of the Simpson family's life before Maggie was born. The family had only two children (Bart and Lisa) that time and with Maggie, they were three.
"Bart's Comet"
* Bart discovered a comet that was named after him.
"Homie the Clown"
* Homer replaced Krusty as a Springfield clown. Also, "Homie" is a nickname used by Marge for Homer.
"Bart vs. Australia"
* Thanks one expensive call, Bart had to apologize personally in Australia.
"Homer vs. Patty and Selma"
* Homer was forced to lend money from Patty and Selma who then started bullying him.
"A Star is Burns"
* A reference to a film A Star Is Born. Also, Mr. Burns tried to win on a film festival.
"Lisa's Wedding"
* The episode tells the story of adult Lisa who was going to marry her English college-mate.
"Two Dozen and One Greyhounds"
* Santa's Little Helper and She's the Fastest (that are both greyhounds) had 25 puppies (two dozen + one).
"The PTA Disbands"
* After teachers' strike, the PTA had to teach the children instead. At PTA meeting, one parent shouted "The PTA Disbands!" and jumped out of the window.
"'Round Springfield"
* A reference to a song Round Midnight and film Round Midnight. The both are focused on jazz, just like the episode that takes place in Springfied'.
"The Springfield Connection"
* A reference to a film The French Connection that is focused on police, just like the episode which takes place in Springfield.
"Lemon of Troy"
* A reference to an ancient Greece tragedy Women of Troy where the Greeks fought Troy to save Helena. In the episode, Springfield children waged war on Shelbyville to save a lemon tree Shelbyvillians had stolen.
"Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)"
* A reference to a Dallas episode Who Shot J.R.? It is the first part of two-part episode where Mr. Burns was shot and nobody knew who did it.
==Season 7==
"Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)"
* A reference to a Dallas episode Who Shot J.R.? It is the second part of two-part episode where Mr. Burns was shot and nobody knew who did it.
"Radioactive Man"
* A movie about Radioactive Man, a popular comic book superhero, was filmed in Springfield.
"Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily"
* Bart, Lisa and Maggie had to leave their home to be put in the custody of the Flanders family. The line "homediddly-dum-doodily" is a reference to Ned's nonsensical phrases ("diddly", etc.).
"Bart Sells His Soul"
* Bart sold his soul to Milhouse for five bucks.
"Lisa the Vegetarian"
* Lisa wasn't able to eat eat a lamb and became a vegetarian.
"Treehouse of Horror VI"
* It is the 6th Treehouse of Horror.
"King-Size Homer"
* Homer made himself weight 61 pounds to get on disability. The "" is a type of size for beds that are so enormous like Home was in the episode.
"Mother Simpson"
* Homer met his long-lost mother Mona Simpson.
"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming"
* A pun on this line in "The Star-Spangled Banner": "What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming." Also, the episode is focused on Sideshow Bob.
"The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"
* This 138th episode is another clip show in the series, but more spectacular.
"Marge Be Not Proud"
* Bart was caught attempting to shoplift a video game. After finding it out, Marge wasn't proud on her son any more.
"Team Homer"
* Homer and his friends created a bowling team.
"Two Bad Neighbors"
* George Bush moved to the house opposite of the Simpson family. Thanks Bart's pranks, Homer and Bush started being bad at each other.
"Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield"
* A reference to a film Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills. Marge met her upper-class friend who invited her to her club. Marge started being obsessed to fit in and became one of those "better" people.
"Bart the Fink"
* Bart mistakenly finked on Krusty who had an illegal account in the Cayman Islands.
"Lisa the Iconoclast"
* Lisa found the real truth behind town founder, Jebediah Springfield.
"Homer the Smithers"
* Homer replaced Waylon Smithers as Mr. Burns' helper.
"The Day the Violence Died"
* Bart mistakenly bankrupted the Itchy & Scratchy studio, making the violent duo of a mouse and cat "die".
"A Fish Called Selma"
* A reference to a film A Fish Called Wanda. In the episode, Selma and Troy McClure got married.
"Bart on the Road"
* With fake drivers ID, Bart took his friends on the road trip across the USA.
"22 Short Films About Springfield"
* A reference to a play Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould. The episode tells 22 short stories about different citizens of Springfield.
"Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson in "The Curse of the Flying Hellfish""
* Abe Simpson who is a member of Flying Hellfish and his grandson Bart went on an adventure to get a big treasure before Mr. Burns. Bart used to grumble at first and Abe was later angry with Mr. Burns what gave him courage and strength to stop the villain.
"Much Apu About Nothing"
* A reference to a play Much Ado About Nothing. The episode is focused on Apu and his immigrant problem.
"Homerpalooza"
* A reference to a rock festival Lollapalooza. Homer went to a music festival Hullabalooza where he became famous after taking a canon ball to his gut.
"Summer of 4 Ft. 2"
* A reference to a film Summer of '42. In the episode, Lisa found four new friends during the summer vacations.
==Season 8==
"Treehouse of Horror VII"
* It is the 7th Treehouse of Horror.
"You Only Move Twice"
* A reference to the book and film You Only Live Twice. The Simpson family moved to Cypress Creek where Homer got a new job, but their later moved back to Springfield.
"The Homer They Fall"
* A reference to the film The Harder They Fall. Thanks his ability gained from a genetic defect (his brain is covered by an especially thick layer of fluid), Homer became a professional boxer.
"Burns, Baby Burns"
* Mr. Burns met his long-lost son, Larry Burns.
"Bart After Dark"
* Bart started working at a burlesque house during nights.
"A Milhouse Divided"
* Kirk and Luann Van Houten got divorced and Milhouse ended up "divided" between his two parents.
"Lisa's Date with Density"
* Lisa started dating Nelson, although he isn't as smart as her. A word "density" also means stupidity or dullness.
"Hurricane Neddy"
* When Hurricane Barbara hit Springfield, it destroyed the Flanders' house. Their friends built a new house, but it was too shoddy and crumbled soon. Ned tried to control himself, but he then started shouting at everyone.
"El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)"
* The title is Spanish. In English, the title means The Mysterious Voyage of Homer. After eating Guatemalan insanity peppers, Homer went on a mystical journey.
"The Springfield Files"
* A reference to TV series The X-Files. The plot of the episode is similar to the series, it just took place in Springfield.
"The Twisted World of Marge Simpson"
* Marge started selling "twisted" pretzels.
"Mountain of Madness"
* A reference to the book At the Mountains of Madness. Thanks an avalanche, Homer and Mr. Burns ended up trapped in a cottage on the mountain and they soon became mad from cabin fever.
"Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious"
* A reference to the song Supercalifragilisticexpialidocius where a word "super" was replaced by "Simpson".
"The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show"
* A new character, dog Poochie, was introduced into The Itchy & Scratchy Show.
"Homer's Phobia"
* After meeting John, Homer revealed his secret phobia of homosexuals.
"Brother from Another Series"
* A reference to the film Brother from Another Planet. Sideshow Bob was released from the prison and moved to his brother Cecil's apartment.
"My Sister, My Sitter"
* Lisa started working as a babysitter what ended up with babysitting her own siblings, Bart and Maggie.
"Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment"
* After alcohol was banned in Springfield (prohibition or Eighteen Amendment), Homer found the way to smuggle beer.
"Grade School Confidential"
* Seymour Skinner and Edna Krabappel fell in love and ended up in a "confidential" situation at school.
"The Canine Mutiny"
* A reference to the book and movie The Caine Mutiny. Bart ended up in a "canine" situation where he had to choose between Santa's Little Helper and the new, better dog.
"The Old Man and the Lisa"
* A reference to the book The Old Man and The Sea. After loosing all his money, Mr. Burns who is old, asked Lisa for help to get his money back.
"In Marge We Trust"
* Marge started giving advice to people who then trusted her totally.
"Homer's Enemy"
* Homer's incompetence made him an enemy at work.
"The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase"
* The "spin off" means that an art-piece was based on already existing work. This episode is about three stories about different characters, based on original The Simpsons show.
"The Secret War of Lisa Simpson"
* After attending the military school, Lisa Simpson started her own secret war to face bullying from other students.
==Season 9==
"The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson"
*​Homer Simpson's car was impounded at New York, and practically all of the town was against him.
"The Principal and the Pauper"
*The story is loosely based on The Prince and the Pauper and Skinner is a Principal.
"Lisa's Sax"
*The story is about Lisa when she got her saxophone.
"Treehouse of Horror VIII"
*It is the 8th Treehouse of Horror.
"The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons"
*Apu Nahasapeemapetilon pretends to be married to Marge, but has to be married to Manjula.
==Season 10==
I'm with Cupid
*The episode title is a spoof of the well-known novelty T-shirts with the caption "I'm with stupid".
==Season 11==
"Beyond Blunderdome"
* A reference to the film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. A word "blunder" means "error" or "fault" and that is what Homer and Mel Gibson did in Mel's movie.
"Brother's Little Helper"
* Lisa's brother Bart was forced to eat little tablets to help him to control his behavior.
"Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?"
* A reference to the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Homer became a food critic and criticized every food he ate (from breakfast to dinner).
"Treehouse of Horror X"
* It is the 10th Treehouse of Horror.
"E-I-E-I-D'oh"
* A reference to to children's nursery rhyme, Old Macdonald line "E-I-E-I-O" with Homer's D'oh at the end. In this episode, the Simpson family become farmers.
"Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder"
* A reference to the song Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh.
==Season 12==
"Treehouse of horror XI"
* The 11th Treehouse of horror
==Season 13==
==Season 14==
==Season 15==
==Season 16==
==Season 17==
Category:Stubs
Category:Lists
Category:References