# Why do we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 2, 2002, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-park-on-a-driveway-and-drive-on-a-parkway/121973 "2002-08-02T04:09:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2002, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-park-on-a-driveway-and-drive-on-a-parkway/121973/1 "2002-08-02T04:09:18Z")
Maybe we finally have an answer for this stupid question, thanks to the good folks over at [Modern Humorist](http://www.modernhumorist.com/). From their peice["The Great Stand-Up Comedy Questions Answered](http://www.modernhumorist.com/mh/0207/faq_comedy/) comes this little gem: > [@](#): > > Parkway means a road with parkland around it; it has nothing to do with the verb “to park.” Driveway originally meant a path up to a building that one could drive on. Only as vehicles became more plentiful in the 20th century did driveways develop their auxiliary function as parking areas, say etymology experts. Unfortunately, there’s no cite attached, but it seems like a reasonable explanation, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2002, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-park-on-a-driveway-and-drive-on-a-parkway/121973/2 "2002-08-02T04:20:07Z")
So, it’s supposed to be a serious answer explaining a how a joke isn’t really a joke, it’s just an etymological misunderstanding–from _humorists_? I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2002, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-park-on-a-driveway-and-drive-on-a-parkway/121973/3 "2002-08-02T04:29:06Z")
That’s the humor of it–they’re answering jokes seriously. Funny? Depends on your sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2002, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-park-on-a-driveway-and-drive-on-a-parkway/121973/4 "2002-08-02T04:29:41Z")
Slow evening Ultra? ---
**Author:** ![p\_cific\_812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@p\_cific\_812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/p_cific_812)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2002, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-park-on-a-driveway-and-drive-on-a-parkway/121973/5 "2002-08-02T04:45:32Z")
As long as we are shooting-down stupid cliche jokes… IMHO, there are locks on the doors of 7-11 because they have to close it _some time_. Ya know, holidays and such. ---
**Author:** ![Ssarl\_the\_happy\_Martian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Ssarl\_the\_happy\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ssarl_the_happy_Martian)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2002, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-park-on-a-driveway-and-drive-on-a-parkway/121973/6 "2002-08-02T06:00:25Z")
HOW FREAKY IS THIS? Somebody, last time a question which has already popped up a thousand times (the radio riddle about words that eng in -gry); somebody predicted that the next one to be asked would be this! I guess you were right! ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2002, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-park-on-a-driveway-and-drive-on-a-parkway/121973/7 "2002-08-02T17:57:21Z")
Its covered already in David Feldmans Books…He reads a lot like Cecil, I wonder if they are related? ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2002, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-park-on-a-driveway-and-drive-on-a-parkway/121973/8 "2002-08-02T18:26:37Z")
**ultrafilter** - What do you mean “finally”? Cecil answered this one a while ago: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_080.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_080.html)