What are the dumbest questions you've been asked more than once?

That is indeed the definition. (Or, an even number is one that is equal to 2*k, where k is some integer. But that just makes explicit what “divisible by 2” means.)

But some people (and possibly you?) get confused between division by zero (which you can’t do) and zero divided by something else (which is perfectly legit and results in 0).

I knew someone with the same situation. Her response sometimes was “Not really ------ unless I have some interest in knowing just what the heck I am seeing”.

‘Why did you decide to be gay?’ Because middle school and high school just weren’t stressful enough.

“Do Canadians have Thanksgiving?”

Yep, you’ve got my number there.

(I had to. This opportunity will never present itself to me again.)

I’ve been asked more than once to identify what kind of snake one of these was, over the phone, by adults. My first question, when the suspicion as to its identity started to dawn was ‘How many legs does it have?’ answers I got included; ‘Lots’ or ‘Quite a few. I thought that was a bit weird for a snake’.

I often go out touring on a motorcycle. I wear protective gear, including (but not limited to) boots and a hi-viz yellow riding jacket. Some years ago on one of these trips I stopped for lunch, and kept my gear on (except for helmet and gloves). Another restaurant customer walking by my table asked me, in all seriousness, if I was a firefighter.

It happened again last month: the waitress, watching me put my gear back on after lunch, asked me “so what do you do?” (implying that perhaps this was attire for some sort of hazardous professional occupation).

How is this a dumb question?

(I hope that isn’t a dumb question.)

When people call my office phone, and at some point in the conversation, ask if I’m “here”, by which they mean in or around the office environs. This can be forgiven in what’s now a mobile phone world, I suppose, but these are campus employees calling a campus phone number.

Similarly, when contacted by someone on a handheld two-way radio and after receiving some type of “copy” from me, they ask if I’m “here”. I usually respond with “I think so!”

“Did they get all the cancer?”

  1. There’s no definitive answer to this.
  2. What would you do if I said, “No”?

Being from the Netherlands: “ Did you drive here?”
And of course: “did you ever stick your finger in a/the dike?” Surprisingly not all of those were people thinking they were being clever or original with a homonym.

I don’t think some of these questions are “dumb” at all. For a patient to ask the doctor whether “all of the cancer” had been eradicated is a question the doctor can’t truly know the answer to, but it’s not dumb at all, it’s an eminently sensible and reasonable question for a patient to ask. It’s perfectly valid to want to know if you appear to be fully cancer-free, as opposed to “Well, there is still a 2x2 inch clump of cancerous cells in your kidney, but we couldn’t get rid of it.”

Likewise, for someone to ask if Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving, is also a perfectly reasonable question. And for a waitress to ask a customer who is wearing boots and a high-visibilty riding jacket what his occupation is is also very reasonable.

You deserve a medal! :smiley:

You don’t have to have pink eyes to be albino. My father-in-law was albino and he had pale blue eyes.

I run a Pizzeria in St Louis…

The most common (in my opinion STUPID) question I get asked is “How Big is a 14” Pizza" or How big is an 18" pizza"…ummm “14” or 18" inches in diameter, respectively"

“Would you like a beer?”

“You volunteer at the animal shelter? How do you keep from taking them all home?”

It’s such a ridiculous question I don’t even answer it any more. I just stare at them blankly.

Funny, it’s the opposite for me. Back when I still used store provided plastic bags and they’d ask me if I wanted my gallon of milk or whatever bagged, I’d think “why wouldn’t I? It’s all being schlepped from the car to the same place?”

Orthodox, or Western?

Regards,
Shodan

Just make sure you’re not in the clothing department at Walmart on a day when they have boys pants half off. :smiley: