Signs that make you laugh
“Signs, signs, everywhere a sign.” Those famous lyrics, sung by both the Five Man Electrical Band and Tesla, describe how many of us feel in this world full of excessive signage.
We’re bombarded by signs of all shapes, sizes and colours. So much so that we often tune them out, but every now and then, we’re rewarded with a chuckle for paying attention to some of the signs around us. During my vacation last week, I saw a few precious examples. The signs were posted in all seriousness, and yet I couldn’t help but break out laughing.
The best one was in Sandy Hill (Ottawa), just steps away from Rideau Street. The sign, intended to warn motorists of a bump to keep traffic speed in check, read: Speed Hump.
Now I’ve heard of speed dating and quickies, but this was the first time I’ve ever seen a sign for a speed hump. I must remember to arm myself with a camera during my next drive through Sandy Hill.
The second best example was a sign for a community in northeastern Quebec: Saint-Louis-du-Ha!Ha! Yes, the town name actually contains two exclamation marks. LOL. Wouldn’t you love to send a postcards from there, so that you could write Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! as a return address?
My third example is a classic one that always cracks me up. The “Slow children at play” sign. Seriously? May I buy some punctuation, Alex?
I have yet to spot a “Genius at play” or “Gifted children at play” sign.
Yes, there are far too many signs out there, but when you find one or two like the ones I’ve described above, well that’s just
AWESOME!
We’re bombarded by signs of all shapes, sizes and colours. So much so that we often tune them out, but every now and then, we’re rewarded with a chuckle for paying attention to some of the signs around us. During my vacation last week, I saw a few precious examples. The signs were posted in all seriousness, and yet I couldn’t help but break out laughing.
The best one was in Sandy Hill (Ottawa), just steps away from Rideau Street. The sign, intended to warn motorists of a bump to keep traffic speed in check, read: Speed Hump.
Now I’ve heard of speed dating and quickies, but this was the first time I’ve ever seen a sign for a speed hump. I must remember to arm myself with a camera during my next drive through Sandy Hill.
The second best example was a sign for a community in northeastern Quebec: Saint-Louis-du-Ha!Ha! Yes, the town name actually contains two exclamation marks. LOL. Wouldn’t you love to send a postcards from there, so that you could write Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! as a return address?
My third example is a classic one that always cracks me up. The “Slow children at play” sign. Seriously? May I buy some punctuation, Alex?
I have yet to spot a “Genius at play” or “Gifted children at play” sign.
Yes, there are far too many signs out there, but when you find one or two like the ones I’ve described above, well that’s just
AWESOME!
 |
| Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, QC |
Funny, I was smirking at a "Slow Children at Play" sign just yesterday while out for a drive in Stratford.
ReplyDeleteShannon
Glad to hear I'm not alone in seeing the humour, Shannon.
ReplyDeleteI stand corrected for my gameshow reference in the blog post above. Apparently, it should read: "May I buy some punctuation, Pat?"
ReplyDeletePat (Wheel of Fortune) dishes out vowels and whatnot. I mixed him up with Alex (Jeopardy). The secret is out, I don't watch gameshows or daytime TV. ;-)