“U” like it. Kind of like another version of you, but with worse taste.
Lots of items on this menu seem just a little bit … off.
Traveling across the country—or even close to home—offers a great opportunity to open your eyes to new sights, sounds, and surprising uses of quotation marks. Along the way, you’ll get to experience the quirky slogans and creative puns of the open road.
Billboards and businesses along the highway have long honed the art of using the quotation mark to make unsettling and confusing statements.
Vasectomy: exactly as hard as you think.
Wait, turn “right” here? As in “right,” or as in “right here, to the left”? Well, whatever. These steaks are only okay.
This restaurant offers cooking just like someone’s drug-addled mom used to make.
SPREAD THE WORD, PEANUTS CARRY PATHOGENS!
Their definition of “all” and “major” may be different from yours.
“Microwave” is hotel lingo for “nonfunctioning TV.”
Hot dogs available during certain hot dog hours.
Just “love” them all over the place.
Makes you wonder where Wings Things “A” through “M” are located.
“What” is a word you might say upon seeing how this sign is punctuated.
WHEN TRAVELING ON SCENIC COUNTRY ROADS, PASS THE TIME BY OBSERVING THE QUAINT, LOCAL USES OF THE QUOTATION MARK.
“Carts” here is a euphemism for something more exciting—probably dirt bikes.
“Open to the public” does not necessarily mean that YOU are good enough to come here. I mean, obviously.
They came out of a chicken’s rear end, so that makes them eggs, right?
As you’re driving along, pay attention to the vehicles and smaller signs around you—they are hidden treasure troves of quotation mark abuse!
Please get this paint all over yourself. They’re talking to you, ladies!
Now you don’t have to come inside to steal gas.
If you pull on it, you might find out it’s not made of concrete.
Okay, not if you walked.
What are those guys really doing to the lemons? Fondling? Pinching?
Those smiles sure do look “helpful.”
When it comes to price negotiations, she doesn’t seem so ladylike.
Look out for Freudian slips near this sign.
Capt. “Ron’s” real name is probably a girl’s name.
You’re never getting to the food and ale.
NEVER! BWAHAHAHA!
So just leave things on the floor, in other words.
THE PARKING GARAGE, BASTION OF UNNECESSARY QUOTATION MARKS:
You’re never going to “exit,” since the “elevator” is an empty shaft that will plunge you to your death.
This sign is daring you to ram through the gate.
Hear that? That’s the sign calling you a wimp.
This sign commemorates a great conversation some people had here once.
YOU REALLY “CAN’T” PARK IN ANY OF THESE PLACES:
JUST KIDDING! PLEASE PARK HERE, I INSIST.
“The facilities” are frequently full of passive-aggressive commentary and statements of the obvious. Inevitably, some “rest” rooms use the opportunity to create subtle innuendo through the use of punctuation.
Ok, a few.
The automatic “flush” leaves something to be desired.
You can just hold it and we are not really sorry.
This bathroom offers a little dialogue for you to perform with your fellow bathroom visitors.
Naturally, you shouldn’t turn it so far that it actually comes off.
The water that is labeled “hot” is labeled “hot” because it is “hot.” Did you know?
I mean, once it’s full of diapers and towels, can you really call it a “trash can” anymore?
Please pantomime flushing the toilet.
Oh, did we say toilets? We meant “receipts.”
IN THIS PARTICULAR BATHROOM, ALL VERBS “ARE” IN QUOTATION MARKS:
Tinkling and taking a leak, on the other hand, are totally acceptable.
You can just imagine you’ve used them, if you like.
Being a good “friend,” “neighbor,” “sibling,” “child,” “tenant,” and “acquaintance” is hard. Harder still is interpreting what the people in your life are trying to tell you at any given moment through the guise of politeness.
HERE’S A USEFUL LESSON IN SAYING SOMETHING, BUT NOT MEANING IT.
… AS YOU CAN SEE, ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ARE “REALLY” “SINCERE.”
We’re all “friends” here. It’s not creepy at all.
You know, we don’t “need” roommates really, we just want one—we can quit anytime.
They are pretending that you already knew that. This way they seem less like jerks for telling you to leave your burger outside.
They have used mowers and more used mowers.
Activities that may qualify as “putting away” dishes: breaking, hiding, and putting more food on them.
This sign is giving you license to do a poor job of cleaning the things that you use.
In this neighborhood, the polite term for hobos is “raccoons.”
Yep—sure sounds like something Plastic would say.
This “buzzer” makes a variety of nonbuzz sounds. Like awoooogas and fart noises and “La Cucaracha.”
The Commissariat is known for his mind-blowing raves … er … “Garden Parties.”
Because of the artful use of quotation marks, this sign can be tailored to apply to lots of things lost on 7-27-09, not just keys. For instance, “keys” could just be slang for puppies. Or identities.
“To All Residents” is such a classic poem. That’s why they put it on the wall.
Just tip us, you jerks.
“It’s paradise.”
Sometimes a special occasion demands special punctuation. And the good ol’ quotation mark is here to make all your seasonal greetings delightfully ambiguous.
Well, in a manner of speaking, they belong to the whole country.
Now being held on the 23rd of November.
If you call hockey players champions.
Every day is a fake holiday when you pay money for it.
Those “special” “Valentine’s” drinks “don’t” have roofies in them.
It’s fine, just tell your senile mother today is Mother’s Day—she won’t know you forgot.
Nothing says “Happy Father Day” like doubt about paternity!
“Remember” that time you thought a photo on a cake was appetizing?
We don’t really want to be polite about this.
Sometimes people hedge their bets on religions by putting the important figures in quotation marks.
There are some instances of unnecessary quotation marks that defy categorization. Embrace the mystery.
No role-playing allowed behind the counter in this establishment.
Certain schools have strict “no drugs in the gym” policies.
A pretend salon.
You wimps. It’s actually just somewhat slippery.
Yeah, I always smell things when somebody says “This is fragrant. SMELL IT!!!”
Does size matter for wolves?
A flooded basement isn’t technically a pool.
Possible ways to “inform” a driver of your stop: think it at her, make a small gesture, or write a note in Braille and leave it on your seat.
The lobsters have actually been prerecorded.
Sure … it’s the hose connection. For the fire department.
Or is it? Just kidding. Or am I?
Either Mexican “laws” are very flexible or “Law” is the nickname of a vigilante who enforces drug trafficking south of the border.
Nothing says “we take our workers’ safety seriously” like dismemberment puns!
Cheat at score keeping, win a gift card.
Or whatever this is—it sure smudges like glass.
Finally get even with that guy you think is your dad.
Check to make sure the water is as low as possible before pushing someone off the diving board.
Some food or drinks allowed.
Really, it’s “THE” bldg.
There’s nothing quite as “hot” as stained glass elephants.
We are just going to not ask and not tell who is doing drugs.
These souvenirs have “something” to do with the state fair.
A good place to “show off” horrible wood paneling and ugly brown wall-to-wall.
It kind of depends on the question, right?
If you call that winning.
Hey, is that a fat joke?
Acne AND spots? Sure sounds like a “treat.”
The opportunity to work on this book is just one example of the ways one punctuation mark has made my life strange but also fun. I would like to express my appreciation for some of the people who made it possible for this book to be produced.
I am blessed with so many family members and “families” who keep me sane (usually) and deserve my thanks for any successes I have. My parents, Robert and Laura, whose excellent sense of humor I inherited, have been helpful and supportive on all of my projects. My siblings, Meredith, Bryan, and Lynnae, are also pretty funny and awesome. I’m glad to be marrying Justin Jonker, who helps me come up with jokes, keeps me from stressing out, and loves me even when I’m annoying. Speaking of people who put up with me when I’m annoying, thanks to my roommate Jamie Landau, my officemates in Terrell Hall 226, and the rest of my academic community at UGA. Y’all rock. Thanks also to my church family in Athens, Georgia, and to my new in-laws, the Jonkers.
I owe a serious debt of gratitude to my literary agent, Kate McKean; my editor, Emilie Sandoz; Jacob Gardner; Erin Thacker; Becca Cohen; and the other fine professionals at Chronicle Books. All of these people are very good at their jobs and make mine easier.
Finally, huge thanks to the thousands of Internet strangers who read the “Blog” and send me their pictures. Without all of you, this book would literally not exist. This is especially true of the hundreds of people whose high-quality, high-hilarity finds appear in this book. Their names, and a few whose images got cut, are found here. Working on this book and maintaining the “blog” has taught me that strangers can be generous, funny, and encouraging. Even on the scary Internet. Thanks for that.
Douglas Aldridge
Alastair Alexander
Peter Allendorfer
Gene Anderson
Michelle Atkins
Adrian Bailey
Lelah Baker-Rabe
Kate Baldwin
Kristin Bamberger
Cassie Barnum
Turi Becker
Benjamin L. Begley
Bethany Benzur
Brian R. Bernardini
Sean Biehle
Jill Blaeser
Angela D. Blair
Kate Borders
Bob Bowden
Kristen Brown
Matthew Budman
Sarah Bunker
Alexander Burun
Darren Bush
Steven Camilli
Brenda Campbell
Jen Carmichael
Alex Carmichael
Blake Carver
Joey Cavella
Jason A. Cerrato
Sarah Chverchko
Kathryn Clagett
Andy Clinton
David E. Cochran
Bill Cokas
Hannah Coleman
Diane Cousineau
Krista and Karen Cukrowski
Meghann M. Cuniff
Pedro Curi
Carlos d’Abrera
Ron Davis
Danny Davis
Susan Debacker
Jeff Demetriou
Erin Demund
Gregor Dodson
Claire Donnelly
Ryan “M” Donovan
Weston Dulaney
Meg Eckman
Maureen Egan and Matthew Barry
Robin Eiseman
John Eklund
Emily
Kristin Engel
Maggie Enright
Jamye Evelyn
Jennifer Faer
Wylie Fisher
Benjamin Flight
Ela Majikfaerie Forest
Katharine Foster
Janella Fox
William Fraser
Cheryl Freer
Bill Fuhry
David Galloway
Valerie Gartland
Erik Gensler
Susie Ghahremani
Michael Gorman
Margo Greenlaw
Christa Grieco
Natalie Guest
Paul Hallows
Jennifer A. Hanscomb
Caroline Harris
Ethan Hazzard-Watkins
BJ Heinley
Benjamin Hill
Jon Hoffman
Eric Homan
Marcy K. Hosket
Camille Janer
Neal Jennings
Kiersten Jeske
Anne DeMarsh Johnson
Richard Johnston
Emily Jones
Rusty Kahl
Blake Kanewischer
Jennifer Karmel
Meredith Keeley
Jonathan Khoo
Penelope Klein
Sarah Baird Knight
Terry Lee Knight
Simone Kovago
Eric Kramer
Sara Kruger
April Krukowski
Jonathan Kunberger
Jennifer Lambert
Mandy Langston
Joshua W. Levy
Danielle Lindemann
Lisa
Jennifer Madsen
Ryan Mallady
Joanna Mang
Mindy Maris
Barry D. Marsh
Tim Masterton
Drew Maust
Eileen McAuslan
Margaret McDonald
Stacey McLachlan
Katy Miller
Alison J. Mills
Caron Mitchell
Karen Moore
Heather Mroczkowski
Ariana Myers
Karin Myhre
Amanda Nelis
Michelle Neuman
Jeff Newton
Matthew M. Nordan
Danielle Nuchereno
Nick O.
James Page
David Paris
Kay Partain
Tom Partington
Katie Pegoraro
Angela Perkins
Bettina Pickett
Bryan Pohl
Lorie Popp
Nicole Reader
Bill Rehm
Sarah Reid
Meredith L. Reynolds
Laura Rheinheimer
Jeff Richards
Carson Rittel
Hayley Heller Ritz (Jenny’s Mom)
Guillaume Roberts
Leah Rodgers
Jason Rose
David G. Rupert
Alex Schiller
Angela Schneider
scrabblehound
Jennifer Shepherd
Deanne Schulz
Bianca Siegl
David Silverstein
Aksel Inge Sinding
Ofer Sivan
Zach and Brittany Smith
Liz Smith
Kimmy Snyder
Logan Sobonya
Cina Sorensen
Karie Spaetzel
Pat Spellman
Lori Stelma
Molly Beth Strijkan
Sully Syed
Angela T.
Jacqueline Temkin
Amanda Terkel
Kayla Terry
Mica Wickersham Thomas
Matthew Thompson
Ric Timmers