Grey-and-Gray Morality: Bart destroyed Lisa's giant tomato that she had grown for the science fair.The directions Homer was given say "To overcome the spider's curse, simply quote a Bible verse", but after saying a fumbling "Thou shalt not-", Homer gives up and drops the spider with a well-placed rock to the head. Giant Spider: One of these guards the way out of the plant via Sector 7-B.Evil Laugh: When Marge suggests Lisa to have a hamster run through a maze, she suddenly thought of Bart as a hamster getting stuck and calling out "help me", causing Lisa to chuckle wickedly which Marge noticed.Every Car Is a Pinto: This even applies to mascot costumes, as Wiggum finds out the hard way.Disproportionate Retribution: Lisa's way to pay Bart back for destroying her science fair project is to psychologically torture and exploit him and try to win the science fair.
Cutting the Knot: Rather than try to answer the spider, Homer just chucks a rock at his head and jumps out the window.No one questions how relevant or scientific the project is because of the endearing diorama of a hamster in a toy plane. Cuteness Proximity: Bart exploits this with his "Can hamsters fly planes" project.
Borrowed Catchphrase: Bart says "D'oh!" when Lisa manages to find her science project after he hides it.Blatant Lies: The sound of Homer cracking open a beer can after promising Marge that he'll stop drinking for a month he tries to pass off as him saying, "Psst! I love you!".
Homer laughing at the montage of car wrecks (and Troy McClure's attempts to make jokes during it- "Here's an appealing fellow in fact, they're a-peeling him off the sidewalk!").Wiggum confusing DWI with DOA, especially when a woman comes in asking if her husband was here on a DWI and Wiggum quickly leaves on a lunch break.Bart chucking Lisa's steroid-pumped tomato at Skinner (a Vietnam vet who has moments of post-traumatic stress disorder from his stint in 'Nam and the abuse his mother puts him through) and Skinner shaking in shock while the kids laugh at him.The phrase "first prize" echoes until the scene transitions to reveal that Lisa was saying this into Bart's ear while he was dreaming because she was "just screwing with mind." Bedtime Brainwashing: The episode opens with Skinner awarding Bart first prize at the school science fair.Bait-and-Switch: Just as it appears Lionel Hutz is going to help Homer out of his jam, it turns out that the Amoral Attorney is actually his neighbour in prison.He immediately has an Imagine Spot of him pumping "fuel" into both his car and his mouth. Alcohol is Gasoline: Whilst struggling with temporarily giving up alcohol, Homer spots Ralph's science project of an alcohol-fueled car.Meanwhile, Bart destroys Lisa's steroid-injected tomato and becomes an unwitting test subject in her new science fair project: "Is My Brother Dumber Than a Hamster?" After getting busted on a DWI charge after sneaking out of work to go to a Duff Beer Factory tour, Marge urges Homer to go 30 days without beer.