to ask for your help solving this impossible riddle/joke

[killingtime9198]

My best friend's family have a family 'joke', which she originally told me about when we were about 12/13. When she originally told me she didn't get the joke either, but then later did manage to work it out. When she first met her now husband he didn't get it, but he later also worked it out. I have never managed to get it, and every now and again I will remember the saga of this joke (this has been going on for about 20 years now), try desperately for a few days to work it out and then forget all about it for months.

Anyway, I wonder if the powers of mumsnet can either locate someone who has heard this 'joke' before, or who can work it out!

The joke is:

'There once was a man called Boswell. For short they called him Bos, and he walked up the post office steps.'

The joke is definitely NOT that there is no joke, and they're all having a laugh at me for trying to work it out - I am 100% confident of this.

It's shit, for sure!

Oh I realised that much!

There was a man, whose name was boswell, 'And' for short.
They called him Bos.
'And'? he walked up the post office steps!

That punctuation still renders it meaningless - '"And' for short" And isn't short for Boswell, however you punctuate it. And why then also would they call him "Bos" ?

dont StripySocksAndDocs because you actually just made me laugh out loud at my desk with that.

I think we are in danger at going crazy

please Whisky2014 you are making me laugh too much.

so glad i opened this thread

But if either of those are the answer, it could be almost any name doing anything:

There was a man called Shithead, And for short they called him Shit. And he had a shit life.

'Boswelland' theory:
There was a man called Shitheadand. For short they called him Shitand. He had a shit life.

'And' theory:
There was a man called Shithead, And for short. They called him Shit. And, he had a shit life.

If either theory is correct it would be the worst riddle in history.

Exactly, Eliza9917, if either is acceptable then the first And is irrelevant.

If either theory is correct it would be the worst riddle in history.

I don't think anyone is disputing this.

@HPLikecraft
That punctuation still renders it meaningless - '"And' for short" And isn't short for Boswell, however you punctuate it. And why then also would they call him "Bos" ?

His name is Andrew/Andy Boswell. Some people call him And, some people call him Bos.

doyoumind i actually roared laughing at that!

The riddle hasn't changed has it? (Other than it could be either a man or a woman; and they could go to the library instead of up steps to the PO)

The
"There was a man, whose name was boswell, And for short. They called him bos. And, he walked up the post office steps"

Was another poster proving how if you changed the punctuation it read that Boswell was called And for short. (Only hiccup being that you have to ignore the 'They called him Bos." part for this explanation to work.

@Whisky2014 Please do let us know about the upcoming birth of the Chosen One, Boswelland.

FORGET THE FIRST BLOODY "AND"!!!!

The second "and", on the other hAND…

(Only hiccup being that you have to ignore the 'They called him Bos." part for this explanation to work.

Exactly!!!!! FFFFFFS.

His name is Andrew/Andy Boswell. Some people call him And, some people call him Bos

This is getting beyond ridiculous!

Not necessarily . I knew an Elizabeth this was called Barth by some and Liz by others. No one called her "And" though.

It's a stretch and nonsense but welcome to this thread!

Beth!! No one called her Barth

Im saying if you move the punctuation and merge the words it reads like this

"There was a man, whose name was boswelland". Not "there was a man whose name was Boswell and for short". im making it boswelland and then it makes sense to shorten the name to Bos.
"For short they called him bosand - he walked up to OPs friend and slapped her for telling such a shit riddle."

I also think his name is Andy Boswell..

It's this isn't it:

*From OP:

"There was a man, whose name was boswell. And for short they called him bos. And he walked up the post office steps’ '*

With my new punctuation:
"There was a man whose name was Boswelland. For short they called him Bosand." He walked up the post office steps."

So his nickname is really Bosand. The above also works as it doesnt' matter whether he walks up to the library or approaches somewhere else. Can also be he or she.

So the only "riddle" to it is that the nickname isn't Bos, but Bosand.
oh ha ha

Does anyone shorten the names Andrew/Andy to just And?!

This is painful. Text her again OP

I'm going to say it again. Even the new answers are so shit that you would never think, "Yes, I've got it."

Exactly!!! Doyoumind, let's work up a semantic spreadsheet.

I'm embarrassed to be on this thread. Do you think that's a valid reason to ask HQ to remove my posts?

I'm not new, I've just name changed. Been here a while: Penis Beaker, Boswelland etc.

I waa at school with a lad who was known for being humorous and had excellent comic timing, he'd often tell jokes that followed the same format as a joke, but the punchline had to relation to the set up
'A bloke walked into a fish and chip shop and asked the woman behind the counter for a bag of chips.

• Do you want salt and vinegar on that, love?

No thanks I've got my bike outside.

But people would laugh as they didn't want to be seen as not getting the joke or because it was delivered so well and then try and figure it out.

I suspect it is like that, only shore as it doesn't even stand up as a joke.

ITS DOING MY HEAD IN
but why say there once was , shouldnt it be "there was a man"
so it could be to do with his death?