Appendix:Snowclones/I'm an X, not a Y

English

Etymology

Star Trek, 1966-1969 and later, where the character Dr. McCoy tells Captain Kirk, "I'm a doctor, not a(n) [mechanic, engineer, etc.]" The first usage of the exact formula (similar ideas differently worded had previously appeared) was in the 1967 episode "The Devil in the Dark": "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer." It was used again in four subsequent episodes of Star Trek (with other Ys), and further in the spinoff TV series and movies.

Phrase

I'm a(n) X, not a(n) Y!

1. (snowclone) An indignant or incredulous reply to a request etc., implying that what is being expected, suitable for Y, is absurd to ask of the speaker, who is an X. X and Y are usually professions or beliefs, and significantly different from one another.

Statistics

• Frequency: Very frequent (upward of 10 million Google results)

From the first two pages of Google results: "I'm an entertainer, not a fighter", "I'm an alcoholic, not a Barbie doll", "I'm an environmentalist, not a hippie", "I'm an anarchist not a capitalist", "I'm an anarchist not a Republican", "I'm an airplane mechanic, not a miracle worker", and "I'm an optimist, not a sap".

External links

• "I'm a doctor, not a..." on Memory Alpha, a Star Trek reference wiki
• Discussion of this phrase at Snowclones.org