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.

OP I think I may have an answer but it's a bit random......is there a Wiltshire connection?

This is a man called Boswell

Smug bastard

Is that Andy Boswell, though?

And it's BoswellAndNotAndAFox, NOT BoswellAndNotAFox. Are you TRYING to wind me up?!

Why dont you just say it pip?

Right give me your friend’s number. If you won’t ask her, I will.

Yes, Little. AND HE Boswell.

So the clue must be buried with him.

Everyone, let’s go to the cemetery!

OK - I've taken out ALL the punctuation, and I've come up with this...

ThereoncewasamancalledBoswellforshorttheycalledhimBosandhewalkedupthepostofficesteps

Oh.
Your imaginaryfriend is a massive cunt OP

NEW THEORY.
This is a Siamese twin, one called Boswell, one called Forshort? Could the 'they' be referring to the man/men?

PS this is not a joke OR a riddle because it's not funny and there's no question element to it

The horses name is Friday?

No OP I'm affraid that won't do at all. I will have gone off my nut by then.

I thought as a riddle, Bos needs a letter to become Boss so he went to post office to get letter. He/she could have gone to library to get letter.

Mioaw thats right. What the fuck is the questuin op? If your friend said it to me id say "ok".

20 pages deep and we still don't have an answer? FFS, where's Anne Hegarty when you need her?

It’s just a play on words. Four short of Boswell is Bos. The rest is only included to confuse.

The poor, late Andy (Andhe) Boswell. RIP.

None of this was his fault.

Promise I am not a troll! The reason the likely update is Thursday is because I’m seeing friend then. My money is on those who have bet that it’s something the teller physically does before/during/after telling the joke, or the way it’s told...

OK so we'll need you to video it all ok.

The horses name is Friday?

It’s just a play on words. Four short of Boswell is Bos. The rest is only included to confuse.

What, they were short of some letters when saying his name? That's more complicated than just saying his name was shortened to Bos. I don't think the answer to a riddle is more complicated/convoluted than the original proposition.

Read a couple of pages ... really don't waste your time on this OP, seems like a boastful 'I'm smarter than you' kind of thing from your friend. All families have 'in jokes' but don't inflict them on others and laugh at them for not 'getting it'.

Take four letters from Boswell and you get Bos. Four short they called him Bos.

What, where does the horse fit in to this?

Surely it wouldn't be allowed in the post office, either? Unless it's a guide horse or something.

GreenTeacup beat me to it!

It’s just a play on words. Four short of Boswell is Bos. The rest is only included to confuse

There once was a man called Boswell. Four short they called him Bos

That makes rhe mosr sense. I think you have it.

Four short they called him Bos.

So the riddle is to think of slightly different grammar for a sentence whilst keeping the completely same meaning?

No, just no.