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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask for your help solving this impossible riddle/joke

999 replies

killingtime9198 · 03/12/2018 10:57

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 posts:
Thread gallery
10
Butchyrestingface · 04/12/2018 14:17

Without me scrolling through the hundreds of posts..can someone give me a quick update?! Are we any closer??

Nope, not even a smidgen closer.

I'm tempted to recruit the assistance of the linguistics department at my university.

Sunisshining5346 · 04/12/2018 14:19

Oh for Gods sake Angry
Well I think it must be a load of rubbish..a far few intelligent people on here..and still nothing! So I think the joke is us, trying to work it out!

PunishmentSnart · 04/12/2018 14:23

IT'S WHAT FOR/FOUR!!!!!!! You have to be there in person to ask the question and for them to reply.

Like the joke "I'm going to a duck do tonight"

Someone says "What's a duck do?"

And you say "Quack"

Spiderdemon · 04/12/2018 14:26

But you were told you could find out the answer on your wedding day. Your wedding day is past. Just tell them to tell you and stop pissing about. It's not funny to pique people's interest for years at a time, it's toying with their good faith.

thethirdbiscuiteer · 04/12/2018 14:32

I'm worried we'll hit 1000 before Thursday and never know!

(Even though we know the answer will be disappointing.)

Dairyqueen2 · 04/12/2018 14:32

Punishmen ... please elaborate!!

LetMeThinkAboutThat · 04/12/2018 14:33

Have they all sold their souls to the devil so that once you’re in on the joke, you cannot share it’s secret?

gaggiagirl · 04/12/2018 14:34

Yes OP. Simply call your friends arsehole mother and say 'hi bellenda, I forgot to ask for the riddle answer on my wedding day so I'm calling to ask for it now'

WildfirePonie · 04/12/2018 14:34

Can you not remember how your friend told the "joke" when you were 12/13? Any specific hand movements/gestures...?!

DerekTheWonderdog · 04/12/2018 14:36

PunishmentSnart ☝️ one of my favourite jokes. Along with:
A horse walked into a pub and asked for a pint of beer. The barman (1970's joke so 'batman' is fine, it makes it Vintage) said ................
🐴
🐴
🐴
.
🐴
.
🐴
.
.
.
.
.
.
Why the long face 😞😁

We're never going to find out are we OP? Also, if your friend hasn't told you for 20 years what's going to change her mind on Thursday?

Eliza9917 · 04/12/2018 14:42

@killingtime9198 Tue 04-Dec-18 14:02:58
Anyway, I am seeing her on Thursday night.

You need to ring her. This afternoon. You could tell her about this thread and tell her what a stupid cunt she (and her whole fucking family are) is being and ask her to just explain the 'joke'.

I don't understand why you don't just ring her and be done with it instead of dragging it out until Thursday Hmm

Original poster
killingtime9198 · 04/12/2018 14:44

@Eliza9917 because she has said it is 'better in person', and I was thinking about showing her the thread but I'm not especially keen to now with comments like your crossed-out words in!!

OP posts:
mostdays · 04/12/2018 14:44

I don't think I have ever been so disappointed by a thread.

Op, sure your friend is very nice and all that, but I don't like her much right now.

Eliza9917 · 04/12/2018 14:46

It may be better in person but she can still explain it over the phone Hmm

CancelBoswellsCheck · 04/12/2018 14:46

Right Op,there must be an answer on Thursday...do NOT leave until you get it !

Or give us her address so that we can go torture it out of her

circleoflife · 04/12/2018 14:47

I thought the same as thegirlanachronism.
You expect you're going to hear a proper story but it's cut short. So
'There once was a man called Boswell.
For short: they called him Bos... And he walked up the post office steps'. I.e. They've missed out the whole story to cut it short and skip to the final sentence.

Hahaha.
.

Needsmorebeans · 04/12/2018 14:50

After the joke, you say 'what for?' And they say ' a double you, an e an 2 ells'

SoupDragon · 04/12/2018 14:53

After the joke, you say 'what for?' And they say ' a double you, an e an 2 ells'

But that makes no sense as they've not mentioned the missing letters at all. The "what's a duck do" one quoted earlier does make sense.

nottakingthisanymore · 04/12/2018 14:53

circle that’s prob it.

PunishmentSnart · 04/12/2018 14:55

There once was a man/woman called Boswell/Francsene For short they called him/her Bos/Fran. And he went up the Post Office steps/to the library/to the gym?

"What for?(four) Why did he go up the steps/library/gym? )

"Well/Sene"

The four letters missing are: Well/Sene.

It's a play on the word for/four.

You're meant to ask the question What for at the end of the riddle because why are they telling you where he went.

SlowNorris · 04/12/2018 14:55

I think circle has it Shock

knockknockknock · 04/12/2018 14:57

@PunishmentSnart what does sene mean?

Butchyrestingface · 04/12/2018 15:08

You expect you're going to hear a proper story but it's cut short. So
'There once was a man called Boswell.
For short: they called him Bos... And he walked up the post office steps'. I.e. They've missed out the whole story to cut it short and skip to the final sentence.

That would be terrible though. Sad. Bad enough that some of us me have spent the last 24 hours scratching our heads over this. Imagine spending the last 24 years wracking your brain for that.

I hope that isn't the answer. Angry

BloodyUseless · 04/12/2018 15:10

There once was a man/woman called Boswell/Francsene For short they called him/her Bos/Fran. And he went up the Post Office steps/to the library/to the gym?

"What for?(four) Why did he go up the steps/library/gym? )

"Well/Sene"

The four letters missing are: Well/Sene.

It's a play on the word for/four.

You're meant to ask the question What for at the end of the riddle because why are they telling you where he went.

So you say "What for?" and they say "Well"?

I...just...

Come on people. This is completely absurd.

Why wouldn't the riddle end with "What for?" and then you as the guesser have to work out the answer is "Well".

Christ even that is moronic.

Please make it stop.

ErrolTheDragon · 04/12/2018 15:14

If it was a story cut short you'd say 'in short', not 'for short'.

And the 'what for' idea really only works if the destination is a post office.