# joke **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 26, 2015, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joke/723514 "2015-06-26T04:41:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joke/723514/101 "2015-07-06T18:59:42Z")
I knew it was a misdirection riddle from the get-go, and can’t believe it took two weeks for the solution to pop into my head at four in the morning. I salute Biotop, even as I also hope he loses all his fingers and then gets a bowling ball for Christmas. (Or she.) ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joke/723514/102 "2015-07-06T21:13:40Z")
… why is Novocaine a number…? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joke/723514/103 "2015-07-06T21:23:57Z")
> [@Teuton](#): > > … why is Novocaine a number…? It makes you numb. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joke/723514/104 "2015-07-07T00:21:39Z")
And Biotop gave us a little hint by telling us the origin of the riddle was the dentist’s office. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joke/723514/105 "2015-07-07T03:37:43Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > And Biotop gave us a little hint by telling us the origin of the riddle was the dentist’s office. With the benefit of forehead-slapping hindsight I think it was a pretty big hint, very cleverly disguised as conversational stage setting. By the way, notice that the riddle only works in print. Nice touch. ---
**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:** [July 7, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joke/723514/106 "2015-07-07T04:08:18Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > What is the number of a Saturday night traffic stop? Alcohol? ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joke/723514/107 "2015-07-07T21:04:16Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Are you kidding me? That’s been on the Dope for ages. You if you aren’t shittin’ me you have to notify a mod and have them re-open [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=398132). Zeldar mentions it in [The truly great threads in SDMB history](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=508687). A Google search for “14 knots of Gordias” only displays this thread and the one on the Giraffe boards for results, so I’m not buying this answer. Also, the “Gordian knot” was famously only one knot, not 14 of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joke/723514.md?page=5)