Re: Things I suspect everyone saw years ago, except me:

1

James while John what what what what what what what what what in the butt.


Posted by: Sifu Tweety | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 7:15 AM
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2

Then I went to Wikipedia and found "List of linguistic sentences", which you'll be surprised to learn has about 30 items, and decided sometimes the internet ruins the joy of finding out things one at a time spaced out over many years.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 7:15 AM
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3

Buffalo.


Posted by: chris y | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 7:25 AM
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4

"Wenn die, die reinwollen, die die rauswollen nicht rauslassen, dann können die, die rauswollen, die die reinwollen nicht reinlassen."

"When those who want to get in [the subway car] don't let those out who want to get out, then those who want to get out can't let those who want to get in get in. (Long live Berlin) [A subway ad]."


Posted by: x.trapnel | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 8:12 AM
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5

(I know it's nothing in comparison to the others, but it's also an actual public transit sign, rather than just a mind-teaser.)


Posted by: x.trapnel | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 8:24 AM
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6

Now how am I gonna find out what I wanna find out if he no find out what I gotta find out?


Posted by: Minivet | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 8:27 AM
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7

This was in a puzzle book I had as a kid. I definitely thought that the answer was cheating, in a sense, but that entire book was all about that sort of cheating and/or intentionally misleading gotcha question. It took me a long time to decide that that kind of cleverness was annoying rather than laudable.


Posted by: Nathan Williams | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 8:43 AM
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8

I I love love double double Chex Chex!


Posted by: Stanley | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 9:13 AM
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9

I couldn't remember the solution of the one in the post offhand, and felt kind of cheated when I looked it up and realized it was two sentences -- I'd been trying to punctuate it as one.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 9:17 AM
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10

9: you could use a semicolon instead of a period.


Posted by: urple | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 9:20 AM
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11

Fair enough.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 9:28 AM
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12

Actually, where did you look it up? On wikipedia it does have a semicolon.


Posted by: urple | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 9:33 AM
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13

(And I swear I didn't just edit it. I don't even know how to edit wikipedia.)


Posted by: urple | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 9:34 AM
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14

Using quotes around "had had" is a bigger cheat.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 9:34 AM
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15

Wikipedia has it punctuated with a period on this page, which is where I looked.


Posted by: LizardBreath | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 9:39 AM
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16

15: that's just wikipedia author error. If you click the link in fn 1 on that page (which is the reference for this sentence on that page), you'll see it punctuated with a semicolon there, too.


Posted by: urple | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 9:45 AM
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17

that's just wikipedia author error.

*snicker*


Posted by: Stanley | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 9:48 AM
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18

This sentence contains a link to a list of 159 self-referential sentences.


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 10:20 AM
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19

My single my single is dropping is dropping.


Posted by: Matt F | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 10:30 AM
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20

19 is full of win.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 10:43 AM
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21

Queen of Jordan!


Posted by: oudemia | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 11:05 AM
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22

21: People do like the way she says "ham".


Posted by: M/tch M/lls | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 11:34 AM
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23

4: Die, die die, die die Äpfeln gestolen haben gesehen haben, sollen beim Polizei gehen.


Posted by: Merganser | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 11:43 AM
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24

Like 19, some things are VERY BIG IN AMERICA RIGHT NOW.


Posted by: Econolicious (VoA) | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 1:03 PM
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25

The crazy thing about German is that 23 is a normal sentence. (Those who saw those that stole the apples, please report to the police.)


Posted by: teraz kurwa my | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 1:09 PM
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26

Am I writing this sentence or reading it?


Posted by: Rah | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 1:23 PM
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27

Are Hans Martin Gärtner and Martin Gardner really two different linguists?


Posted by: k-sky | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 2:42 PM
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28

Is Martin Gardner even one different linguist?


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 4:54 PM
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29

Are you asking about Martin Gardner or about somebody else with the same name ?


Posted by: Econolicious | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 8:59 PM
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30

Are you asking are you asking about Martin Gardner about Martin Gardner in my asking about Martin Gardner in k'sky's asking about Martin Gardner or are you asking are you asking about Martin Gardner about Martin Gardner in k-sky's asking about Martin Gardner?


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 9:27 PM
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31

Well played.


Posted by: Robert Halford | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 9:29 PM
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32

We must all cultivate our own gardener.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 04-12-11 10:16 PM
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33

Die, die die, Bart, die.

It's German.


Posted by: Sideshow Bob | Link to this comment | 04-13-11 2:26 AM
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34

@33

There's no verb.


Posted by: bjk | Link to this comment | 04-13-11 10:48 AM
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35

I didn't get the joke until just now. Christ.


Posted by: x.trapnel | Link to this comment | 04-13-11 10:51 AM
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36

I can't believe that German has Dieb "thief" but no dieben "thieve".


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 04-13-11 10:51 AM
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