# Psychological misreading of roadside signs **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 30, 2002, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588 "2002-11-30T02:47:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![barton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@barton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barton)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/1 "2002-11-30T02:47:05Z")
Driving down the road in rural Arkansas, the mind drifts to a rather disliked ex-girlfriend. I see a large lit sign by the road - MARY’S COUNTRY BITCHES Blink. MARY’S COUNTRY KITCHEN Anyone else do that occasionally? ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/2 "2002-11-30T03:19:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by barton \* > \*\*Anyone else do that occasionally? \*\* Think about your ex-girlfriend? Not that often 😃 ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/3 "2002-11-30T03:31:11Z")
Once, driving down the road with a friend of mine, the car in front of us had a bumper sticker that said “Support Your Local Arboretum. . .Hug A Tree” Well, at first glance, i read ‘arboretum’ as ‘abortion’, and had no clue what it had to do with trees!! To top it off, my friend looked at me, and said “You know, at first, I thought that said. . .” and together we said “abortion”. Weird, huh? ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/4 "2002-11-30T15:31:49Z")
On a couple of other message boards, I go by “Five Tons of Flax”. One day driving to my parents’ house, I saw a sign that said: “Weight limit 5 tons”. I thought it was addressed to me. ---
**Author:** ![Jadis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@Jadis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jadis)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/5 "2002-11-30T15:45:38Z")
When you cross over from NJ to PA on I-80, there’s an exit for a town called Scotrun. I don’t think I’ve _ever_ gone by it and didn’t initially read it as Scrotum. All of my friends have said the same thing, so I know it’s not just me. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/6 "2002-11-30T15:55:51Z")
I drive past a church on the way to work, which has large sign reading “Victoria Harvest Church.” I always seem to see “Victoria Harvest Crunch.” ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/7 "2002-11-30T22:42:23Z")
Here we have “Fortification Street” Which of course is always read as “Fornication Street” ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/8 "2002-11-30T22:54:29Z")
Grew up a good Catholic kid, with a headful of martyrs: Trespassers will be persecuted ---
**Author:** ![Stccrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Stccrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stccrd)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/9 "2002-11-30T23:09:21Z")
I think it has alot to do with prior experience, as well as our own upbringings. We relate what we already know to what we are seeing, hearing, and experiencing altogether. My .02 ---
**Author:** ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/10 "2002-12-01T07:44:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jadis \* > \*\*When you cross over from NJ to PA on I-80, there’s an exit for a town called Scotrun. I don’t think I’ve _ever_ gone by it and didn’t initially read it as Scrotum. All of my friends have said the same thing, so I know it’s not just me. \*\* I was scanning through the thread just now and I read it as “Scrotum.” ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/11 "2002-12-01T15:33:41Z")
I once passed a sign on the highway in Pennsylvania that read \*\*Scrotum, PA \*\* A double take told me it was \*\*Scott Run \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/12 "2002-12-01T15:34:48Z")
Holey Moley ! I didn’t see \*\*Jadis’ \*\* post. See, you aren’t the only one to see scrotum’s everywhere 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/13 "2002-12-01T15:46:38Z")
Scrotums everywhere? What a load of b\*\*\*\*cks. ---
**Author:** ![partly\_warmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@partly\_warmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partly_warmer)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/14 "2002-12-01T15:56:43Z")
“View New Posts” About half the time I (almost) read it as “View Nude Posts”. I’ve had an urge forever to complain that I’ve never seen a single one. Subconscious false advertising at its worst. Shame. Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/15 "2002-12-01T16:35:10Z")
I thought I saw a street sign, “Social Progression.” I kept pondering what that meant. When I returned, I noticed it is really “Signal Progression.” ---
**Author:** ![Spiratu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@Spiratu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiratu)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/16 "2002-12-01T22:43:33Z")
I see lots of signs for “Flick Road,” and when it’s written all in caps, as “FLICK”, it’s almost impossible not to turn the LI into a U 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/17 "2002-12-01T22:48:42Z")
There’s a street where I used to live which I swear was called **Crotch Crescent**. However, on closer inspection, it turned out that I was _completely right_ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-misreading-of-roadside-signs/139588/18 "2002-12-01T23:43:20Z")
It’s amazing how often the signs I see directing me to a ‘Garbage Sale’ are really accurate.