A phrase whose powers of explication continue undiminished in our present day

A Ring Lardner fan site provides the context to his most famous line; this is from The Young Immigrants, about the Lardners' moving to a new town, from the p.o.v. of his young son:

The lease said about my and my fathers trip from the Bureau of Manhattan to our new home the soonest mended. In some way ether I or he got balled up on the grand concorpse and next thing you know we was thretning to swoop down on Pittsfield.

Are you lost daddy I arsked tenderly.

Shut up he explained.