# 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:** 23
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/441 "2024-04-01T11:59:17Z")
[![](https://i.imgur.com/QG9TQ2W.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/QG9TQ2W.jpeg) At a brewery. I thought initially it referred to special glassware that had to be washed by hand in a dedicated sink. I eventually asked the brewer. Turns out the health department said they had to have a sink dedicated to the bartenders washing their hands. So, he put a sign over this rarely/never used sink. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/442 "2024-04-01T12:40:24Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > “seamstress” has a long and respected history However. If you read about Ankh Morpork in the books by Sir Terry Pratchett, you will know that “seamstress” is a euphemism for ladies who practice a much older profession ---
**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:** [April 1, 2024, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/443 "2024-04-01T15:30:42Z")
See Post #392. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/444 "2024-04-01T15:38:23Z")
[[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/TJr21QW.jpeg?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/Onkvy3D) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/445 "2024-04-02T01:15:22Z")
Can’t believe I never posted this before. Crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge southbound, there used to be a spot just after the bridge where you could stop and get assistance if needed. They changed the sign for it, some years back (the place to stop may not even be there any more; we’re usually driving through and have never taken advantage of it). I do so miss the **INFORMATION POLICE** It just sounded so, so “1984”. ---
**Author:** ![Quondam\_Mechanic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quondam_mechanic/32/3404_2.png) [@Quondam\_Mechanic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quondam_Mechanic)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/446 "2024-04-02T02:07:09Z")
Speaking of _1984_: There’s an HVAC firm in Arlington, MA called Mass Control Center Inc. Yes, they have a big sign that just says “Mass Control.” ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/447 "2024-04-02T03:17:43Z")
[The Ocean City MD 3073 sign - in Sacramento](https://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/05/06/two-coasts-two-cities-two-signs-the-story-behind-the-ocean-city-md-3073-sign/#:~:text=Cropper%2C%20now%2092%2C%20was%20the,as%203073%20down%20the%20road.&text=%E2%80%9CYears%20ago%2C%20I%20was%20back,we%20did%2C%22%20Cropper%20says.). ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/448 "2024-04-02T05:00:26Z")
Forty years ago, driving through a small town in a rural area of California, I saw a sign above a car repair shop: “Smith’s Radiators–'The best place in town to take a leak”. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/449 "2024-04-02T05:44:04Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > “Smith’s Radiators–'The best place in town to take a leak”. There was a fastener company who’s line was _“Best Place in Town for a Good Screw”_ ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/450 "2024-04-02T05:51:26Z")
Not to be outdone are the two signs on the opposite ends of US 20. [Newport, Oregon](https://media.wbur.org/wp/2023/09/3365-miles-to-Boston-1920x1280.jpeg) [Boston, Mass](https://media.wbur.org/wp/2023/09/0330_rt20w-04-1920x1280.jpeg) ---
**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:** [April 2, 2024, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/451 "2024-04-02T07:13:23Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > [The Ocean City MD 3073 sign - in Sacramento](https://www.capradio.org/articles/2016/05/06/two-coasts-two-cities-two-signs-the-story-behind-the-ocean-city-md-3073-sign/#:~:text=Cropper%2C%20now%2092%2C%20was%20the,as%203073%20down%20the%20road.&text=%E2%80%9CYears%20ago%2C%20I%20was%20back,we%20did%2C%22%20Cropper%20says.). > [@NDP](#): > > Not to be outdone are the two signs on the opposite ends of US 20. Ditto for US 6 in Bishop, CA and Provincetown MA. Once upon a time US 6 turned south at Bishop and continued on down to Long Beach, which is what the Provincetown sign is referring to. That made it the longest numbered route in the US but everything south of Bishop was made US 395 instead, and 6 ended at Bishop. This makes US 20 the length champ. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/US_6_Provincetown_MA.JPG/1200px-US_6_Provincetown_MA.JPG) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/US_6_Provincetown_MA.JPG/1200px-US_6_Provincetown_MA.JPG) [![](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RX0WRK/sign-at-the-western-end-of-us-highway-6-in-bishop-california-showing-3205-miles-to-provincetown-ma-RX0WRK.jpg) ](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RX0WRK/sign-at-the-western-end-of-us-highway-6-in-bishop-california-showing-3205-miles-to-provincetown-ma-RX0WRK.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/452 "2024-04-02T08:00:12Z")
I rather like the cooperation, for lack of a better term, between the US and Canada in highway signage. The signs are the same, for the most part, to the point of being almost identical in most cases. But what I do get a kick out of is how US highway signage will indicate Canadian anchor cities, and Canadian signage will use the US Interstate shield. Here’s one in Shelby, Montana, USA indicating a Canadian anchor city (Lethbridge, Alberta): [![](https://www.greatfallstribune.com/gcdn/-mm-/02a43f360e8c5f9c0608fe98b9d5c5d3835f59d9/c=42-0-461-558/local/-/media/2018/06/23/GreatFalls/GreatFalls/636653880696727822-Untitled.jpg?width=300&height=400&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp) ](https://www.greatfallstribune.com/gcdn/-mm-/02a43f360e8c5f9c0608fe98b9d5c5d3835f59d9/c=42-0-461-558/local/-/media/2018/06/23/GreatFalls/GreatFalls/636653880696727822-Untitled.jpg?width=300&height=400&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp) Here’s one in Lethbridge, Alberta, that uses the familiar Interstate shield: [![](https://i.imgur.com/51FDt2O.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/51FDt2O.png) The mileage signs on both Interstate 15 and Alberta 4 both have each other’s anchor cities on the signs. So, leaving Lethbridge, you’ll see a sign indicating the distance to Great Falls, MT (in kilometers); and heading north from Great Falls, you’ll see a sign indicating the distance to Lethbridge (in miles). ---
**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:** [April 2, 2024, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/453 "2024-04-02T12:29:17Z")
Yes, but the oh-so-polite (and competent) Canadians included the US I-15 shield on their sign, while the ignorant Murricans neglected to include the appropriate Alberta Highway number and shield on their sign. So impolite. I am so ashamed of my country right now. > [@Quondam\_Mechanic](#): > > Speaking of _1984_: There’s an HVAC firm in Arlington, MA called Mass Control Center Inc. Yes, they have a big sign that just says “Mass Control.” Here in Miami there is a large HVAC company that has billboards all up and down the freeways. My favorite shows a head shot of an amateur but decently good-looking late 30s model (probably the owner’s “trophy” second (or fourth) wife) striking a sultry pouty pose while holding her voluminous hair up off her neck. The big eye-catching words on the billboard say: > Your wife is hot!! > Time to get your air conditioner fixed! The company name is **[Air Around the Clock](https://atcair.com/)** and her pic is partway down the page. Minus the sultry pouty pose, but use your imagination. I hear that’s better than Kodachrome. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/454 "2024-04-02T19:30:33Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Here’s one in Shelby, Montana, USA indicating a Canadian anchor city (Lethbridge, Alberta) There are signs along [I-87 in New York showing the distance for Montreal](https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=ZCBei0LE&id=B8E31DE2A342E486C49C0B20769E74F6006F2480&thid=OIP.ZCBei0LEPTX6GquLPDgrvQHaE9&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2flive.staticflickr.com%2f3405%2f3334075591_694840af38_b.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.64205e8b42c43d35fa1aab8b3c382bbd%3frik%3dgCRvAPZ0nnYgCw%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=685&expw=1023&q=i-87+sign+for+montreal&simid=607994909693265383&FORM=IRPRST&ck=6A82AC2DE7AD80F25CA5834645808727&selectedIndex=4&itb=0). I looked at the map just now and it actually is a pretty straight shot (cross the border after, apparently, a bit of a wait, then straight up the A15 highway). Some major road signs in Canada [do look a lot like US Interstate Highway signs](https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=c252c01c5e6345c7JmltdHM9MTcxMjAxNjAwMCZpZ3VpZD0wMmZiZDJlYy01NmRhLTZiMmItMDgzMS1jMTAxNTc4ODZhODImaW5zaWQ9NTc2OA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=3&fclid=02fbd2ec-56da-6b2b-0831-c10157886a82&u=a1L2ltYWdlcy9zZWFyY2g_cT1pLTg3JTIwc2lnbiUyMGZvciUyMG1vbnRyZWFsJkZPUk09SVFGUkJBJmlkPTZGRDM0MkFDMzQwREQwMDQwN0UwNzI3MzdFM0EyMTU4QkM2REQwOTc&ntb=1). ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/455 "2024-04-02T23:42:27Z")
### [www.starnewsonline.com › story › newsOn I-40 in Wilmington, NC, another Barstow, California sign .](https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/local/2024/02/29/on-i-40-in-wilmington-nc-another-barstow-california-sign-appears/72782115007/) ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/456 "2024-04-03T00:00:24Z")
their webpage is _refreshing_ … I especially liked that part … [![](https://i.postimg.cc/cJk8dWdr/image.png) ](https://i.postimg.cc/cJk8dWdr/image.png) ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/457 "2024-04-03T00:07:26Z")
“We take crap from anyone!” –Septic tank servicing co in my county A couple of big billboards. My grandson is 7 and able to read the slogan, if he ever notices it. So far he hasn’t. Maybe I’ll point it out to him next time. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2024, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/458 "2024-04-03T01:13:07Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Your wife is hot!! We have an HVAC here doing the same thing, but no picture. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/459 "2024-04-03T05:54:39Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yes, but the oh-so-polite (and competent) Canadians included the US I-15 shield on their sign, while the ignorant Murricans neglected to include the appropriate Alberta Highway number and shield on their sign. So impolite. > > I am so ashamed of my country right now. Don’t be. We’re used to being an afterthought, if we’re even a thought at all. 😉 I do have to agree with you, though. That’s not the only use of an I-15 shield in Lethbridge, by the way; there are many more I-15 shields pointing to Alberta Hwy 4 in town, which (as you can tell) becomes I-15 at the border. Seems to me that it would be an easy thing for the Montana road authorities to call Alberta and say, “Hey, can we get a couple of ‘Alberta 4’ shields for our directional signs northbound from Great Falls [or at least from Shelby] on I-15?” Fun fact: Alberta Hwy 4 becomes a city street in Lethbridge: “Scenic Drive.” Scenic Drive is not far from where I live. I can get onto Scenic, and if I keep driving southbound on it, never leaving it, I’ll end up in San Diego! Makes me wonder why I fly to Las Vegas out of Calgary, when all I need to do is take Scenic Drive from Lethbridge … 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2024, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/460 "2024-04-03T20:56:55Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I attended a “wedding” last weekend which was very non-traditional. I actually enjoyed it. No religion present, the ceremony was at [“Little Giant”](https://www.littlegiant.io/) an abandoned warehouse venue. Walls literally in various stages of collapse. > > Then everyone walked over to [“BottleRocket”](https://www.bottlerocketpgh.com/) a 70s themed Pittsburgh bar where I was reminded of a word from my childhood, “Nebby”, which means “nosy, prying, rudely inquisitive” I never realized it was a Pittsburgh-ese word. > [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](https://i.imgur.com/lhBgFB5.jpg) > As a kid it was common to hear someone call someone else a “nebshit” > > > [@markn\_1](#): > > > > FYI the OED says “_Scottish National Dictionary_ at _nebbie_, records the sense in use across a broad swathe of central and southern Scotland in 1963.” and also “_Dictionary of American Regional English_ at _nebby_ _adj._ records the sense as common chiefly in Pennsylvania.” Presumably its usage in Scotland is older, although the earliest quotation is only from 1860. As @markn_1 notes, _neb_ is pure Scots - it means “nose”. [The Dictionaries of the Scots Language](https://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/neb) give the earliest quote from 1721, and the latest from 1999. Scott uses it in _Rob Roy_: “The neb o’ him’s never out o’ mischief”. According to the same source, it also means “to be nosy, or an instance of prying”, and quotes a, erm, colorful quote from Edinburgh author Laura Hird: “He really ogles the guys’ arses during gym…and see when you’re in the changing room? He makes any excuse to come in for a neb, slimy cunt.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074.md?page=22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074.md?page=24)