Phenom

A single-panel comic. An older bearded professor with round glasses sits at a desk in front of bookshelves, addressing a young man with flame-like orange hair who holds up a paper marked with a large red "F." The professor says, "This was a phenomenal paper, young man. You have a phenomenal mind." The young man replies, "Then why didn't I get a phenomenal grade?" The professor answers, "It's right there, shit-for-brains." A caption reads: "Discovery: In philosophy of mind, 'phenomenal' just means 'appears to exist.'" The joke: the professor is using "phenomenal" in its technical philosophy-of-mind sense, meaning the paper and the student's mind merely appear to exist rather than being excellent. Votey (small follow-up panel): a crudely sketched cartoon face with squiggly hair, with someone saying off-panel, "Is that a new haircut? It's phenomenal." — again a backhanded use of "phenomenal" meaning it only appears to be there.