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January 19, 2026
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“When you answer the door, wear a coat. If you’re pleased to see them, tell them you’ve just got home…”

"Always answer the door with your coat on. If it's someone you like, you can tell them you just got home. If it's someone you don't like, you can tell them you were just…

August 7, 2020
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“When you buy a bigger bed you have more bed room, but less bedroom”

A bedroom is a room for a bed. This was posted on Reddit -- Showerthoughts on March 30, 2016: "When you buy a bigger bed you have more bed room and less bedroom." Reddit --…

February 12, 2025
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“When you push a pull door and someone says ‘you have to pull.’ Like yeah no, my next plan was to start lifting it from the bottom”

People who go through a push/pull door often make a mistake. Other people often point out the mistake, as if the person going through the door couldn't have already figured that out. "i…

September 13, 2020
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“When you walk forward on an escalator it becomes an escasooner”

An "escalator" does not involve being "later," but there are jokes. "I have reached a new low. 'Do you use stairs or escalators?' 'I prefer an…

June 18, 2015
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“When you’ve seen one shopping center, you’ve seen a mall”

"When you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall" (a pun on "seen them all") is the classic mall joke. "When you've seen one downtown renovation…

April 24, 2025
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Whenever I see a bottle, jar or tube with Aloe Vera on it, I will say ‘Allo Vera! in a stupid cockney accent”

"Aloe vera" (a plant species) can sound like "Hello, Vera" (or "Allo, Vera"), and there are jokes. "hehehe... english speaking people saying Aloë Vera... sounds…

January 14, 2017
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Whenever I see a sign that says ‘keep off the grass,‘I wonder how it got there”

A joke about "keep off the grass" signs is: "Whenever I see a sign saying 'keep off the grass', I often wonder how it got there." That is, someone must have walked on…

October 17, 2017
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Where do construction workers go to drink?”/“The Rebar.”

A construction riddle is: Q: Where do construction workers go to drink?A: The Rebar. The joke was posted on Twitter on June 18, 2014, and on Reddit -- Jokes on October 17, 2017. Wikipedia:…

August 24, 2021
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Where do monsters buy their houses?”/“On Godzillow.”

Godzilla is a famous fictional monster in Japanese films who often destroys houses. Zillow is an American online real estate marketplace company. There is no "Godzillow," but there are…

May 11, 2022
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Where do pirates rent properties?”/“Arrrgh-bnb.”

A pirate riddle is: Q: Where do pirates rent properties?A: Arrrgh-bnb. The joke is how pirates pronounce Airbnb. The riddle was posted on Reddit -- Dadjokes on November 27, 2021. Think and Laugh…

October 9, 2020
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Where do toilets come from?”/“They grow on lavatrees.”

"Toiletry" is not "toilet tree" and "lavatory" is not "lavatree," but there are jokes. "Clara: 'where does toilet paper come from?' Me:…

October 9, 2020
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Where do toilets come from?”/“They grow on toiletries.”

"Toiletry" is not "toilet tree" and "lavatory" is not "lavatree," but there are jokes. "Clara: 'where does toilet paper come from?' Me:…

October 9, 2020
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Where does toilet paper come from?”/“Toiletries.”

"Toiletry" is not "toilet tree" and "lavatory" is not "lavatree," but there are jokes. "Clara: 'where does toilet paper come from?' Me:…

March 27, 2018
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Where is the most open green space in New York City?”/“Central Pork.”

A pig riddle is: Q: Where is the most open green space in New York City?A: Central Pork. The joke has been cited in print since at least 2007. Wikipedia: Central ParkCentral Park is an urban park…

October 18, 2016
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Which building does Dracula visit in New York?”/“The Vampire State Building.”

New York City's Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world when it opened in May 1931. It wasn't long before the "Vampire State Building" jokes began. A joke…

May 6, 2020
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Who decided to call them ‘murder hornets’ and not ‘buzzkills’?”

In 2020, the United States experienced an invasion of "murder hornets" from Asia. "Can we change the name of murder hornets to 'buzzkills'? #MurderHornets" was posted…

April 4, 2025
Buildings/Housing/ParksMedia/Newspapers/Magazines/Internet

“Who do I ring in Google earth to tell them I got my front railings painted and I weeded, and they need to send the car back around?”

Google sends vehicles on streets to capture street views, but it doesn't tell homeowners when the Google vehicle is taking pictures. This was posted on X/Twitter by Sinead Ryan (@SineadRyan)…

August 4, 2019
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Who is the patron saint of security cameras?”/“St. Francis of a CCTV.”

"St Francis of a CCTV #surveillancereligion" -- a pun on St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) -- was posted on Twitter by Not 🚩THAT🚩ready yet 🌹🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿…

March 16, 2018
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Who turns the lights off at Halloween?”/“The light’s witch.”

A Halloween riddle is: Q: Who turns the lights off at Halloween?A: The light's witch. The "light's switch"/"light switch" joke has been cited in print since at least…

January 21, 2025
Buildings/Housing/Parks

“Whoever said ‘out of sight, out of mind’ has never had a spider disappear in their bedroom”

"Whoever said 'out of sight, out of mind' has never had a spider disappear in their bedroom" is a jocula saying that has been printed on many images. There are several forms to…

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BARRY POPIK is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Yale Book of Quotations and Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen's Comments on Etymology.

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