# Amusing Signs **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 3, 2024, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074 "2024-02-03T19:04:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/261 "2024-02-17T06:39:42Z")
[![](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/v200/c1d7d1e1af5f9c4d36d5d0dee755e263) ](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/v200/c1d7d1e1af5f9c4d36d5d0dee755e263) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/262 "2024-02-17T11:53:01Z")
The name “Meow mein’s” is interestingly suggestive. I suppose one might enjoy the “authentic special” that’s not really on the menu; you gotta know to ask for it. 🙀 ---
**Author:** ![kwintenstraler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kwintenstraler/32/10698_2.png) [@kwintenstraler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kwintenstraler)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/263 "2024-02-17T15:38:48Z")
( never mind) ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/264 "2024-02-17T16:29:54Z")
Do not put knives into children [![](https://engrish.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/keep-out-of-children.jpg) ](https://engrish.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/keep-out-of-children.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/265 "2024-02-17T18:17:53Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > The caption is humorous but it’s a real thing. I don’t know how authentic it was but when I watched _The Battle of the Bulge_ as a teen I remember a scene at the beginning where a German staff officer presents a chocolate cake to the general planning the operation. “So?” “We found it on a captured American scout platoon. It’s fresh. How can we defeat a country that can fly this in from England, if not the United States?” ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/266 "2024-02-17T21:16:26Z")
- [Col. Martin Hessler](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001727/?ref_=ttqu_qu): General, before you go, may I show you something? - [Col. Martin Hessler](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001727/?ref_=ttqu_qu): What is it? - [Col. Martin Hessler](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001727/?ref_=ttqu_qu): A chocolate cake. - [Gen. Kohler](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0676729/?ref_=ttqu_qu): Well? - [Col. Martin Hessler](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001727/?ref_=ttqu_qu): It was taken from a captured American private. It’s still fresh. If you will look at the wrapping, general, you will see it comes from Boston. - [Gen. Kohler](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0676729/?ref_=ttqu_qu): And? - [Col. Martin Hessler](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001727/?ref_=ttqu_qu): General, do you realize what this means? It means that the Americans have fuel and planes to fly cake across the Atlantic Ocean. They have no conception of defeat. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2024, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/267 "2024-02-18T04:19:08Z")
Well, I was close. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2024, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/268 "2024-02-18T14:37:48Z")
Eeeeh - it took me a while to locate this. https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!4v1708266311465!6m8!1m7!1spFbVj0a3BbPe735Y63JO8A!2m2!1d50.85547247762762!2d-0.7115975515760364!3f134.3153037916813!4f1.6457892406958905!5f3.325193203789971 Now, you may be thinking _So what, it’s a perfectly sensible thing to prohibit_ - but context is everything. Here’s another view of the sign: https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!4v1708266467354!6m8!1m7!1spFbVj0a3BbPe735Y63JO8A!2m2!1d50.85547247762762!2d-0.7115975515760364!3f128.71121586557118!4f-1.560766283785327!5f0.5095429355041592 The A27/M27 is THE south coast trunk road. The Google Maps people managed to find a particularly quiet time to do their streetview thing - traffic thunders along there (when it hasn’t ground to a standstill) - heavy goods vehicles, tourists, commuters (it was my commute for a while). It’s a harder job for me to explain why the sign is there.Best not to try. j ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2024, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/269 "2024-02-18T14:56:30Z")
It’s to keep those daredevil Amish in line. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2024, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/270 "2024-02-18T15:33:15Z")
It’s also really unclearly written. Does it mean “Horsedrawn vehicles must not race”? (And if so, does that mean that racing by motorized vehicles is fine?) Or does it mean “Slow down when passing horsedrawn vehicles – don’t race by them”? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2024, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/271 "2024-02-18T16:06:12Z")
I _think_ that’s the humour in it. IMO … It means the latter. But is worded such that, at least to American perceptions, it means the former. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2024, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/272 "2024-02-18T16:20:06Z")
It’s a prohibition of using the road for racing horse drawn vehicles on. It does happen, and it’s extremely dangerous (and a lot of other things as well). For example, [YouTube video](https://youtu.be/4hHOpKO6iaI?feature=shared), NSFW (language) and concluding with an accident which I, at least, found distressing (though apparently the person posting this didn’t). j ETA: I worry that this may turn into a hijack. Not my intention at all. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2024, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/273 "2024-02-18T18:13:13Z")
If it were around [Appleby-in-Westmoreland](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appleby_Horse_Fair) I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a sign like that, but on the South Downs? You learn something new every day. Back to the topic: [![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F02WkEhXoAMm4sG?format=jpg&name=medium) ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F02WkEhXoAMm4sG?format=jpg&name=medium) ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/274 "2024-02-19T17:18:36Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > > [@markn\_1](#): > > > > This sign was posted in the bathroom at a house I rented. I think the owner was not a native English speaker. I hypothesized that a “famine napkin” is a napkin you use when you’re really really hungry. > > > > [https://photos.app.goo.gl/1SR4n2DpD7W2g7T19](https://photos.app.goo.gl/1SR4n2DpD7W2g7T19) > > Googling for the phrase “famine napkins” I got some results Malaysia and Indonesia, and North Macedonia but also some from the US > > [https://www.lynntwp.org/pdfs/Ontelaunee%20Park%20Form.pdf](https://www.lynntwp.org/pdfs/Ontelaunee%20Park%20Form.pdf) - list item 16 on the third page > > In all of these sources the authors see no need to define the term “famine napkin”. After Googling around some more it seems to me that **famine napkins** seems to refer what in a lot more instances, especially in Asian countries, are called **feminine napkins** , i.e. **menstrual pads**. Which leaves the question if _famine_ is an intentional bowdlerisation of _feminine/female_, or else an instance of the [Cupertino Effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupertino_effect). ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/275 "2024-02-19T17:29:33Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > it seems to me that **famine napkins** seems to refer what in a lot more instances, especially in Asian countries, are called **feminine napkins** , i.e. **menstrual pads**. Thank you. It has bothered me that I could not guess what a famine napkin could be 😉 . ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/276 "2024-02-19T17:59:06Z")
> [@Mikkel](#): > > Thank you. It has bothered me that I could not guess what a famine napkin could be Whoops! I grew up with “feminine pads” as such a standard term that it didn’t occur to me some in the thread might not recognize it. Maybe it’s gone out of style as people became more willing to discuss the subject openly? – just googled, and found a couple of references to “feminine pads”, but most now seem to be using “menstrual pads” or “sanitary pads.” (Considering the number of things that come under “sanitation”, that one strikes me as even more of a euphemism than “feminine”.) Probably also depends on the country one’s in, of course. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/277 "2024-02-19T18:03:37Z")
It also never occurred to me that an English speaker might not recognize “famine napkin” as an error for “feminine napkin”, especially in the context of flushing things down the toilet and juxtaposed with tampons and baby wipes. I guess I should have explained it a bit more in my OP. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2024, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/278 "2024-02-19T22:04:06Z")
I can’t find a picture of it, but Seattle had a large sign for decades advertising “Buffalo Sanitary Wipes”, which always got a snicker every time I drove past. It was a sad day when the sign was taken down. ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/279 "2024-02-20T16:36:17Z")
I do know of feminine pads/ napkins, I just didn’t make the connection between famine and feminine. Perhaps the explanation is that I’m mainly an English reader/writer. If I spoke more English, I might have made the connection. And of course English is a second language to me. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2024, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/280 "2024-02-20T16:42:45Z")
You’ve got a whole lot more English than I have of any language other than English. I had to remind myself that you might not be in a primarily English-speaking country. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074.md?page=15)