The Power of Words to Make Me Laugh by Debra H. Goldstein
Writers often talk about the power of words to evoke emotions, engage readers, and share ideas. Recently, I’ve taken note of signs that make me chuckle. What could be more emotion evoking, engaging, and idea sharing than words that make one laugh?
On one of the roads I travel, there is a storage unit facility in the middle of nowhere. I don’t know its name, but I am aware of its existence because it puts up a new sign each week that always catches my eye. This week’s sign reads:
Beef Steak is not a good Password
It isn’t Stroganoff
Did you laugh once you figured it out?
Sometimes signs that started out as one thing become iconic in their own right. For example, on Interstate 65, near Prattville, Alabama, there is one that has a metallic red devil holding a pitchfork. The devil originally was meant to remind people about the Red Devil gasoline chain (bet you’ve never heard of that!), but in the 1980’s, the devil was incorporated into a billboard, which sat on private land, where the devil took up the entire left side of the sign, with its pitchfork pointing at the words that say:
GO TO
CHURCH
Or the DEVIL will get you.
For years, people took comfort when they passed that sign, but it was blown down in 2016. Subsequently, people tended to mention it as an Alabama icon. In response, the owner put it back up in 2016, because he enjoyed providing a message for motorists to contemplate.
In prepping this blog, I Googled for other funny signs. Three were particularly funny. In one, a man stands outside Target holding a self-made cardboard sign that reads: “Not Homeless. Wife in Target 2+ hours. Please Help!” In another, a man with a homemade sign also is featured. His message is simple: “It’s Not Self Checkout If I Need Help Every Time.” Perhaps the funniest, to me, is a high mountain of snow that looks like it was pushed together by a street plow. A small sign hung on it says: “FREE SNOWMAN some assembly required.”
Are there any signs that you can remember seeing that tickled your funny bone?
outside a bar:
ReplyDeleteIf you're looking for a sign to drink tonight, this is it.
I like that one.
DeleteToo funny!
DeleteVery funny...
Deletehysterical!
DeleteIn today’s world, humor is so important. It helps us get through the days. The road signs that you mentioned remind me of the Burma-Shave signs we used to see along the roads. They helped keep us amused on long trips.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading about those Burma-Shave signs. Readers Digest used to run stories on them.
DeleteI follow a restaurant in Texas called El Arroyo for their funny signs. Thanks for the chuckles today, Debra!
ReplyDeleteGlad to make you laugh... we all need humor!
DeleteThanks for the laugh today!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure... humor is the best medicine.
ReplyDeleteInterstate 71 north between Cincinnati and Columbus: two signs, the ten commandments on one side and this on the other two:
ReplyDeleteHELL IS REAL. IF YOU DIE TODAY WHERE WOULD YOU SPEND ETERNITY?
The annual soccer "derby" between Cincinnati and Columbus professional soccer teams is called the "Hell is Real" tournament.
My favourite is: Come to Crooks Garage. We are honest Crooks. It was in my hometown of Pickering, Ontario in my childhood.
ReplyDeleteThose are fabulous, Debra. I live in the woods and our main “highway” is Route 11. It’s dotted with dirt roads leading up to the woods. Often they’re logging roads, sometimes private driveways, and sometimes they lead to businesses that you have to know are there to look for. There used to be a handmade sign at the intersection of one of those dirt roads that read “Trucks Interring.” Always gave me a chuckle, and several short story ideas.
ReplyDeleteOMG, I love that last one!
ReplyDeleteAlong a country road near here, there was a big sign featuring a big pig advertising a BBQ place somewhere farther along the road. The sign become a landmark for giving directions to other places - turn right (or left, etc.) at the pig sign. When the BBQ place went kaput the sign came down and the complaints began. Giving people directions by referring to "where the pig sign used to be" didn't help anyone but locals familiar with the pig sign. The solution? The farmer who owns the land where the pig sign used to be put up a new sign. It's not as big as the original and doesn't have a picture but it does the trick. It says, "pig sign."
ReplyDelete