‘Estate Sale’ is not just a fancier way to say ‘Garage Sale,’ people. A garage sale is a garage sale. An estate sale is the liquidation of someone’s–follow me here–estate. I.e., it means someone has died, and all the things they’d held onto all their lives–the items that didn’t make it into the garage sales–have now been dug out and are being disposed of.
The next time I go to an advertised ‘Estate Sale’ and find nothing but a garage full of dirty kids’ clothes and plastic dishes, I’m gonna go on a killing spree.
I thought this was a rant about those annoying people who say “Who died?” when they see someone who looks like they’re in a down mood. And then they get all embarrassed (and rightfully so) when the person says, “My mother.”
If I ever did this to somebody, I’d act all apologetic and stuff at the time, but I think it would be just about the funniest thing ever. I’d giggle when I was alone.
When the flags in front of public buildings are flying at half-mast but you hadn’t seen anything especially tragic in the paper, is it appropriate to walk in and ask the receptionist who died?
It would probably be more appropriate to ask why the flags are flying at half-staff (nitpick – “half-mast” only applies to flags on vessels). They are occasionally flown that way as a remembrance of some historical event.