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How to tell the difference between a chemist and a plumber
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cm0002 suppo.fi cm0002@suppo.fi
Joined: 2025-11-10
Quote

719   Original
0li0li lemmy.world 0li0li@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-18
#2 · Quote Reply

Quite good, wish it didn't include the last comment below as it's a pretty big hint.

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venusaur lemmy.world venusaur@lemmy.world
Joined: 2024-03-28
#3 · (edited) Quote Reply

Quite good, wish it didn't include the last comment below as it's a pretty big hint.

Yeah. I was like, if you donโ€™t get it from the second comment youโ€™re just not gonna get it.

EDIT: I was pretending to get it but I get it now and I guess the last comment is trolling?

-1
hakase lemmy.zip hakase@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2025-06-11
#4 · Quote Reply

My dumb ass pronouncing it "onionized" when I read it.

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Remember_the_tooth lemmy.world Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world
Joined: 2025-01-23
#5 · Quote Reply

*orally.

Text is still verbal.

-19
ryannathans aussie.zone ryannathans@aussie.zone
Joined: 2023-09-20
#6 · Quote Reply

*orally. Text is still verbal.

๐Ÿ‘€

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ryannathans aussie.zone ryannathans@aussie.zone
Joined: 2023-09-20
#7 · Quote Reply

My dumb ass pronouncing it "onionized" when I read it.

Mmmm tasty

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Randomocity sh.itjust.works Randomocity@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2023-06-14
#8 · Quote Reply

Yeah. I was like, if you donโ€™t get it from the second comment youโ€™re just not gonna get it. EDIT: I was pretending to get it but I get it now and I guess the last comment is trolling?

How is the last comment trolling? How would you tell this joke verbally?

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orbituary lemmy.dbzer0.com orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2023-06-14
#9 · Quote Reply

*orally. Text is still verbal.

Except no, it's not.

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Remember_the_tooth lemmy.world Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world
Joined: 2025-01-23
#10 · Quote Reply

๐Ÿ‘€

Fair enough. I guess the meaning has drifted. There's no arguing with the descriptive nature of language. Lexicons are pretty much just language censuses. That's important because it's how language works. At least the older meaning of "verbal" seems to be preserved in legal and clinical environments. I feel like it has a value.

For example, if someone is making sounds with their mouth that are not words, it's oral but not verbal (under the older usage).

Sign language or text could be considered verbal but not oral.

There's value in having a word that encompasses both written and spoken words.

https://brians.wsu.edu/2016/05/19/oral-verbal/

http://cooley.edu/blog/end-verbal-abuse?hs_amp=true

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/256370/what-is-the-difference-between-verbal-and-oral

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Metostopholes midwest.social Metostopholes@midwest.social
Joined: 2024-09-25
#11 · Quote Reply

A while back I thought of a (much less clever) joke that only works in text:

Do you know how hard it is to get an authentic French baguette around here?

It's a real pain!

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SourDrink lemmy.world SourDrink@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-12
#12 · Quote Reply

Ununionionized

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deadbeef79000 lemmy.nz deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz
Joined: 2023-06-17
#13 · Quote Reply

*orally. Text is still verbal.

I think it's actually the other way around.

E.g. oral history can still be written or recorded (audio or video).

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KurtVonnegut mander.xyz KurtVonnegut@mander.xyz
Joined: 2024-08-28
#14 · Quote Reply

I get that chemists are concerned with the ionization of things, but what do plumbers have with unions and unionisation? Are they famous for that? Or do not get something else?

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baguettefish discuss.tchncs.de baguettefish@discuss.tchncs.de
Joined: 2023-07-06
#15 · Quote Reply

I get that chemists are concerned with the ionization of things, but what do plumbers have with unions and unionisation? Are they famous for that? Or do not get something else?

all kinds of tradespeople are often in unions, or at least more often than for example white-collar workers

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๐Ÿ‡ฐ ๐ŸŒ€ ๐Ÿ‡ฑ ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ๐Ÿ‡ณ ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ๐Ÿ‡ฐ ๐Ÿ‡ฎ pawb.social Kolanaki@pawb.social
Joined: 2024-10-06
#16 · Quote Reply

"What's the difference between curtains and toilet paper?"

"I dunno. What?"

"SO IT WAS YOU!"

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Viking_Hippie lemmy.dbzer0.com Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2024-12-04
#17 · Quote Reply

Ununionionized

Ionizing the union right out of it!

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RogueBanana piefed.zip RogueBanana@piefed.zip
Joined: 2025-07-17
#18 · Quote Reply

My dumb ass pronouncing it "onionized" when I read it.

Must be a gardener then

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postman literature.cafe postman@literature.cafe
Joined: 2025-06-10
#19 · Quote Reply

A while back I thought of a (much less clever) joke that only works in text: Do you know how hard it is to get an authentic French baguette around here? It's a real pain!

Change it to "A real pain" without the "it's"?

5
evidences lemmy.world evidences@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-27
#20 · Quote Reply

My personal version of this, since the Republicans always call themselves the party of Abe Lincoln I spent the entirety of Bidens presidency trying to get a get joke setup for why do the Republicans call themselves the party of A. Blinken referencing Bidens secretary of state. But this doesn't work audibly in any way.

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Hupf feddit.org Hupf@feddit.org
Joined: 2024-07-24
#21 · Quote Reply

https://youtu.be/EM1YYefSmKg

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Osprey lemmy.world Osprey@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-12
#22 · Quote Reply

Must be a gardener then

Or a cook.

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stephen01king piefed.zip stephen01king@piefed.zip
Joined: 2025-07-13
#23 · Quote Reply

Fair enough. I guess the meaning has drifted. There's no arguing with the descriptive nature of language. Lexicons are pretty much just language censuses. That's important because it's how language works. At least the older meaning of "verbal" seems to be preserved in legal and clinical environments. I feel like it has a value. For example, if someone is making sounds with their mouth that are ...

Interesting, this is the second time today I learned a word that had an older usage that I first thought was wrongly used by someone. I just learnt that jury-rigged is the original term for jerry-rigged, and thought it was only used in the context of courts of law, but it turns out it originally referred to jury masts on sailing ships.

3
BeMoreCareful lemmy.world BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-12
#24 · Quote Reply

My personal version of this, since the Republicans always call themselves the party of Abe Lincoln I spent the entirety of Bidens presidency trying to get a get joke setup for why do the Republicans call themselves the party of A. Blinken referencing Bidens secretary of state. But this doesn't work audibly in any way.

They didn't say "Abe Lincoln", they said "Hey Blinken".

13
evidences lemmy.world evidences@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-07-27
#25 · Quote Reply

They didn't say "Abe Lincoln", they said "Hey Blinken".

Master Robin! You lost your arms in battle! How terrible, but you great some nice boobs.

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psycho_driver lemmy.world psycho_driver@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-18
#26 · Quote Reply

"What's the difference between curtains and toilet paper?" "I dunno. What?" "SO IT WAS YOU!"

Twenty years ago I was at my sister-in-law's house for a New Years Eve party and got blasted by doing a combo of tequila and gin shots. They packed me away into a tiny side room (it was like a 125 year old house) with no heat and no blankets and left me to pass out. At some point I figured out I was freezing to death so I guess I ripped the curtains down and rolled up into them. Then I puked. A lot. In the morning I was the meat in a puke burrito.

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venusaur lemmy.world venusaur@lemmy.world
Joined: 2024-03-28
#27 · Quote Reply

How is the last comment trolling? How would you tell this joke verbally?

Ah I was thinking no way to tell why itโ€™s funny verbally

2
PrimeErective startrek.website PrimeErective@startrek.website
Joined: 2023-08-25
#28 · Quote Reply

Change it to "A real pain" without the "it's"?

Isn't it because it's pronounced "pan"?

2
justme lemmy.dbzer0.com justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2024-04-17
#29 · Quote Reply

Twenty years ago I was at my sister-in-law's house for a New Years Eve party and got blasted by doing a combo of tequila and gin shots. They packed me away into a tiny side room (it was like a 125 year old house) with no heat and no blankets and left me to pass out. At some point I figured out I was freezing to death so I guess I ripped the curtains down and rolled up into them. Then I puked. A...

the meat in a puke burrito.

glorious xD

4
justme lemmy.dbzer0.com justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2024-04-17
#30 · Quote Reply

Mmmm tasty

geez, i just thought you answered yourself. who took the avatar from whom here???

3
InternetCitizen2 lemmy.world InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-16
#31 · Quote Reply

My personal version of this, since the Republicans always call themselves the party of Abe Lincoln I spent the entirety of Bidens presidency trying to get a get joke setup for why do the Republicans call themselves the party of A. Blinken referencing Bidens secretary of state. But this doesn't work audibly in any way.

A. Blinken

Also the name of his band.

4
Avicenna programming.dev Avicenna@programming.dev
Joined: 2025-11-07
#32 · Quote Reply

you can tell it verbally just pronounce it the way you think the other person would and watch for the reaction on their face when they get it

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VicksVaporBBQrub Moderator VicksVaporBBQrub@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2023-08-08
#33 · Quote Reply

1.25 gpa here. That joke required searches on my part. I'm 48-ish now. If you cold ask me how to reduce a chemical equation, I'm going to say, "turn the Bunsen burner down to low".

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ryannathans aussie.zone ryannathans@aussie.zone
Joined: 2023-09-20
#34 · Quote Reply

geez, i just thought you answered yourself. who took the avatar from whom here???

https://trending.knowyourmeme.com/editorials/guides/why-is-everyone-making-clippy-their-profile-picture-the-clippy-cult-movement-against-tech-companies-explained

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man_wtfhappenedtoyou lemmy.world man_wtfhappenedtoyou@lemmy.world
Joined: 2025-10-27
#35 · Quote Reply

Twenty years ago I was at my sister-in-law's house for a New Years Eve party and got blasted by doing a combo of tequila and gin shots. They packed me away into a tiny side room (it was like a 125 year old house) with no heat and no blankets and left me to pass out. At some point I figured out I was freezing to death so I guess I ripped the curtains down and rolled up into them. Then I puked. A...

It's amazing the things that trigger our memories sometimes.

4
Slovene85 sh.itjust.works Slovene85@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2026-03-14
#36 · Quote Reply

Or a cook.

ONYO!

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LemmyFeed lemmy.dbzer0.com LemmyFeed@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2025-02-01
#37 · Quote Reply

A while back I thought of a (much less clever) joke that only works in text: Do you know how hard it is to get an authentic French baguette around here? It's a real pain!

I..... don't get it.

1
HugeNerd lemmy.ca HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
Joined: 2025-03-06
#38 · Quote Reply

hyphen is your friend

2
Cethin lemmy.zip Cethin@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2023-07-01
#39 · Quote Reply

https://trending.knowyourmeme.com/editorials/guides/why-is-everyone-making-clippy-their-profile-picture-the-clippy-cult-movement-against-tech-companies-explained

I think that's not really as useful here though. Your position can be assumed just by being here.

4
Lovable Sidekick lemmy.world LovableSidekick@lemmy.world
Joined: 2024-10-19
#40 · (edited) Quote Reply

Twenty years ago I was at my sister-in-law's house for a New Years Eve party and got blasted by doing a combo of tequila and gin shots. They packed me away into a tiny side room (it was like a 125 year old house) with no heat and no blankets and left me to pass out. At some point I figured out I was freezing to death so I guess I ripped the curtains down and rolled up into them. Then I puked. A...

LOL one night after a party where a lot of people pretty much passed out, I woke up to just barely in time to stop my friend who was about to pee in the closet.

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tigeruppercut lemmy.zip tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip
Joined: 2023-08-20
#41 · (edited) Quote Reply

I..... don't get it.

Bread in French is "pain"

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Carl sh.itjust.works CanadianCarl@sh.itjust.works
Joined: 2023-08-04
#42 · Quote Reply

I..... don't get it.

It is French for bread.

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Mechanism lemmy.world Mechanism@lemmy.world
Joined: 2026-03-02
#43 · Quote Reply

Hey I got that right away! Am I smart? :o)

1
postman literature.cafe postman@literature.cafe
Joined: 2025-06-10
#44 · Quote Reply

Isn't it because it's pronounced "pan"?

Not because of the pronunciation, because of the grammar. For the pun to work, it has to be read both ways.

So, how hard is it to find a French baguette? "A real pain," i.e. a drag, indicating difficulty. Or else, "A real pain," i.e. emphasising the genuine nature of the bread we want -- this interpretation fails if preceded by "It's".

1
Arigion feddit.org Arigion@feddit.org
Joined: 2024-07-24
#45 · Quote Reply

Hey I got that right away! Am I smart? :o)

Yes, you are. And now stop scrolling and unclog my toilet.

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psycho_driver lemmy.world psycho_driver@lemmy.world
Joined: 2023-06-18
#46 · Quote Reply

LOL one night after a party where a lot of people pretty much passed out, I woke up to just barely in time to stop my friend who was about to pee in the closet.

I went into a Hardee's bathroom one night as a drunk teenager and peed in their sink.

2
justme lemmy.dbzer0.com justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2024-04-17
#47 · Quote Reply

https://trending.knowyourmeme.com/editorials/guides/why-is-everyone-making-clippy-their-profile-picture-the-clippy-cult-movement-against-tech-companies-explained

thanks for clarification

2
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