# Butter Knife at 10:55pm **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 12, 2016, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739 "2016-09-12T04:48:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/1 "2016-09-12T04:48:59Z")
So we were about to close up the grocery store tonight. Only a few people had been in during this day’s last hour of business for the usual… beer, breakfast items, cigarettes, school lunch needs etc. But at 10:55 a young guy hurries into the store and asks if we have a butter knife. I wasn’t sure so I went over to the kitchenware section. No butter knife. Clearly dejected, the customer asked me if anyone in our area might be open and have a butter knife. I told him he’d probably have to drive 20 minutes into Charlottesville and the guy left. But it got me to wondering. Why would anyone go out looking for a butter knife, and just a butter knife, at 10:55 in the evening? ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/2 "2016-09-12T06:03:31Z")
Drugs. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/3 "2016-09-12T06:09:20Z")
I guess he already had the butter. Just needed the knife. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/4 "2016-09-12T06:35:32Z")
His buddy walked $300 in alcohol out the door while you were snipe hunting. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/5 "2016-09-12T07:01:44Z")
Scavenger hunt. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/6 "2016-09-12T14:36:27Z")
I’d say for hot knifing (drugs), but you’d need two knives for that. Maybe he already had one. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/7 "2016-09-12T14:39:50Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Scavenger hunt. This is my guess. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/8 "2016-09-12T15:07:29Z")
Marilyn Monroe once rushed up to Billy Wilder on a set and gasped, “Where’s the men’s room?” He pointed, she raced off, he never had a clue why she needed to know. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/9 "2016-09-12T16:44:36Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > This is my guess. Do people scavenger hunt at 11pm?? Is there something better about a butter knife for drugs that other knives would not do just as well? I guess any reason is improbable as the situation was itself improbable. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/10 "2016-09-12T16:59:12Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Do people scavenger hunt at 11pm?? Advanced scavenger hunting. 🙂 Finding a butter knife at 2:00 PM is too easy. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/11 "2016-09-12T18:23:46Z")
He was trying to jimmy a lock ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/12 "2016-09-12T18:33:22Z")
My guess would be the rather boring trying to replace the one he borrowed then lost/damaged before the true owner of the knife returned. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/13 "2016-09-12T19:04:35Z")
Maybe he had brought along some bread, peanut butter, and jelly to make sandwiches during a trip and he had just realized he forgot to pack a knife. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/14 "2016-09-12T19:16:13Z")
He probably wanted to reduce the code used in the onCreate method of an Activity class in his Android project. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/15 "2016-09-12T22:13:58Z")
Man must really love his butter. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/16 "2016-09-13T00:46:24Z")
And etiquette. I for one salute his attempt to set a proper table. In this fastpaced time, too few of us observe the simple customs and rituals that denote and define civilization. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/17 "2016-09-13T13:38:16Z")
My guess now is that the guy had a wife at home expecting a butter knife. Maybe he promised to pick one up earlier and forgot. Perhaps he used the regular butter knife for something else and then lost or damaged it, and his wife is pissed. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/18 "2016-09-13T13:47:40Z")
It was a test. You failed. Now, all life on your planet will perish. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/19 "2016-09-13T13:50:55Z")
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had an urgent need for things like a butter knife, radish rosette maker, lace doily, moustache wax, or napkin ring at 11:00 p.m. Okay, maybe not. Didn’t the store have any _plastic_ utensils available (which would include the butter knife)? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739/20 "2016-09-13T13:58:44Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had an urgent need for things like a butter knife, radish rosette maker, lace doily, moustache wax, or napkin ring at 11:00 p.m. > > Okay, maybe not. > > Didn’t the store have any _plastic_ utensils available (which would include the butter knife)? We had plastic utensils, but that wasn’t what he wanted. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter-knife-at-10-55pm/765739.md?page=2)