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Double-click on any word and see its definition from Cambridge Dictionaries Online.
Before you read the funny signs, do the vocabulary activity, which tests key words that you will need to understand. Read the funny signs and decide why they are funny or strange. When you've thought of your answers, see the explanations. Finally, do some writing yourself and see texts written by other readers.
Look at the following signs and decide why they are funny or strange:
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| 1. In a Bucharest hotel lobby: |
| The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable |
| 2. In a Paris hotel elevator: |
| Please leave your values at the front desk |
| 3. In a hotel in Athens: |
| Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 A.M. daily |
| 4. In a Yugoslavian hotel: |
| The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid |
| 5. In a Japanese hotel: |
| You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid |
| 6. In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery: |
| You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists and writers are buried daily except Thursday |
| 7. Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop: |
| Ladies may have a fit upstairs |
| 8. In a Bangkok dry cleaner's: |
| Drop your trousers here for best results |
| 9. In a Rhodes tailor shop: |
| Order your summers suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation |
| 10. A sign posted in Germany's Black forest: |
| It is strictly forbidden on our black forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose |
| 11. In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: |
| Teeth extracted by latest Methodist |
| 12. In a Swiss mountain inn: |
| Special today - no ice cream |
| 13. In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: |
| We take your bags and send them in all directions |
| 14. In a Norwegian cocktail lounge: |
| Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar |
| 15. In the office of a Roman doctor: |
| Specialist in women and other diseases |
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Do you know of any other funny signs? Send them (the text) to us.
Madlena Narmania writes “I am from Tbilisi, Georgia. I would like to tell you some funny things you can find in menus at Georgian restaurants. Instead of ‘French Fries’ it says ‘potatoes free’ ('free' means crispy fried potatoes) and when foreigners ask for their potatoes free it occurs that potatoes are not 'free' at all. Or if you want to have some beer you’ll find 'bear' instead of 'beer'. And there are a lot of these kind of things you find in the menus at Georgian restaurants but this is all what I can remember now.
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| 1. In a Bucharest hotel lobby: |
The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable To "bear" means "to carry and move (something) to a place". "You will be unbearable is supposed to mean that it will not be possible to carry you (in the lift). But "unbearable" really means "so unpleasant or painful that you cannot or do not want to experience or deal with it". |
| 2. In a Paris hotel elevator: |
Please leave your values at the front desk Normally, you would leave your "valuables", e.g. money, travellers' cheques, jewellery, passport, at the front desk of a hotel. If you left your values, then you wouldn't have any values, in other words, you'd be a bad person. |
| 3. In a hotel in Athens: |
Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 A.M. daily What they mean is "If visitors have a complaint, please come to the office … But by saying "expected to complain", the sign means "all visitors should complain". |
| 4. In a Yugoslavian hotel: |
The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid This whole sentence sounds very strange. The verb to "flatten" means to "make flat" - it gives the idea that the chambermaid will be jumping up and down on the underwear! And she'll be doing it with a big smile on her face - with pleasure! What it actually means is that the chambermaid will "iron" underwear. |
| 5. In a Japanese hotel: |
You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid To "take advantage of" a situation is to benefit intentionally from it. In other words, there is a chambermaid, an guests should use her services to get their room cleaned. However, to "take advantage of" a person can also mean to benefit selfishly from them without giving anything in return - and in this case, it gives the idea of benefiting from sexual favours. |
| 6. In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery: |
You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists and writers are buried daily except Thursday The sign is trying to say that you are welcome to visit the cemetery every day. Because of the position of the word "daily", it means that famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists and writers are buried there every day. |
| 7. Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop: |
Ladies may have a fit upstairs The two different meanings of the word "fit" make this sign funny. What it wants to say is that ladies can try on clothes to see if they fit, e.g. are the right size for them. But to "have a fit" also means to have "a sudden attack of an illness, esp. epilepsy". |
| 8. In a Bangkok dry cleaner's: |
Drop your trousers here for best results "Drop your trousers" can mean "leave your trousers here to be cleaned". But to drop your trousers can also mean "let your trousers fall to the ground (while you are wearing them)". |
| 9. In a Rhodes tailor shop: |
Order your summers suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation What this shop wants to say is that, because there are lots of people, each customers will be served in the order they come into the shop. What the sign means literally, is that each customer will be killed (executed) in the order they come into the shop. |
| 10. A sign posted in Germany's Black forest: |
It is strictly forbidden on our black forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose "People of different sex, for instance, men and women" - if they are of different sex, what else could they be except men and women? |
| 11. In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: |
Teeth extracted by latest Methodist What the dentist means is "Teeth extracted by latest method", i.e. using the most recent dental techniques. What it actually means is that teeth will be pulled out by the last person who has converted to the Methodist faith, a Christian group which follows the teachings of John Wesley. |
| 12. In a Swiss mountain inn: |
Special today - no ice cream Normally, a sign that says "Special today" will then say what food is being cooked on that day, which is not normally cooked. Having no ice cream doesn't sound very special, does it? |
| 13. In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: |
We take your bags and send them in all directions They mean that they will send your bags anywhere - wherever you are travelling. It sounds, though, like your bags will be broken into pieces and each piece will be sent to a different place! |
| 14. In a Norwegian cocktail lounge: |
Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar This sign wants to say that children should not be brought into the cocktail bar. But it literally means that pregnant women should not give birth in the bar! |
| 15. In the office of a Roman doctor: |
Specialist in women and other diseases Are women diseases? |
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