“The shinbone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room”

People bump into things in dark rooms. “Shin: A device for finding furniture in the dark” is a jocular line that was printed in The Courier-Journal & Times (Louisville, KY) on July 15, 1973. “The shin bone is a device for finding furniture” was posted on the newsgroup alt.humor on October 12, 2003. “The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room” was posted on the newsgroup Fun Jokes on June 20, 2006.
   
“The main function of the little toe on your foot is to make sure that all the furniture in the house is in place” is a similar saying.
           
 
15 July 1973, The Courier-Journal & Times (Louisville, KY), “funnybone,” Magazine sec., pg. 20, col. 2:
Shin: A device for finding furniture in the dark.
Mrs. E. Lucian
Louisville
     
30 September 1973, The Sunday Sun (Baltimore, MD), “Sunday Punch,” Magazine sec., pg. 22, col. 2:
Shin: A device for finding furniture in the dark.
 
20 December 1973, Hondo (TX) Anvil Herald, pg. 2, col. 8 ad:
Shin: A device for finding furniture in the dark.
(Leinweber’s.—ed.)
 
Google Books
The Reader’s Digest
Volume 106
1975
Pg. 93:
A shin is a device for finding furniture in the dark (Mack McGinnis)
 
Google Books
Doc Blakely’s Handbook of Wit and Pungent Humor
By James Blakely
Houston, TX: Rich Publishing Company
1980  
Pg. 84:
An expert said: “A shin is a device for finding furniture in the dark.”
   
Google Groups: alt.humor
Wise words
Rowland Croucher
10/12/03
(...)
The shin bone is a device for finding furniture.
 
10 October 2004, Odessa (TX) American, “William Tells” by Bill Salter, pg. 2A, col. 1:
The shinbone is a device for finding furniture.
     
Google Groups: Fun Jokes
FW: Fun-E-Mail Friday June 16, 2006
jesse goss
6/20/06
(...)
The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.
 
Twitter
Bonnie Snyder
@BonnieSays
The shinbone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.
2:44 AM - 19 Apr 2009
 
Google Books
5,000 Sidesplitting Jokes and One-Liners
Compiled by Grant Tucker
London, UK: Biteback Publishing
2013
Pg. ?:
The shinbone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.
 
Reddit—Oneliners
The shinbone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.
submitted October 8, 2018 by priveti22