A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

Recent entries:
“Shoutout to ATM fees for making me buy my own money” (3/27)
“Thank you, ATM fees, for allowing me to buy my own money” (3/27)
“Anyone else boil the kettle twice? Just in case the boiling water has gone cold…” (3/27)
“Shout out to ATM fees for making me buy my own money” (3/27)
20-20-20 Rule (for eyes) (3/27)
More new entries...

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z


Entry from May 18, 2016
“To lose weight, go to a paint store. You can get thinner there”

There’s a popular weight loss joke:
 
“To lose weight, go to a paint store. You can get thinner there.”
 
“Sign in paint store: Want to get thinner? Try ours—98c a gallon” was cited in 1964. “All they have to do is go to a paint store. You can get thinner there” was cited in 1971.
 
   
Google Books
Freedom and Union
Volumes 19-21
1964
Pg. 60:
Sign in paint store: Want to get thinner? Try ours—98c a gallon.
 
Google News Archive
9 July 1971, Milwaukee (WI) Sentinel, Alex Thien column, pt. 1, pg. 21, col. 1:
Bill Ambrosh has come up with a system for people who want to lose weight. All they have to do is go to a paint store. You can get thinner there.
     
5 August 1979, Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch, “The National Challenge” edited by J. Baxter Newgate, pg. M-6, col. 3:
The results of National Challenge No. 129, in which you were to invent a novel way to lose weight.
(...)
Second prize:
Go to a paint store. You can get thinner there.
—Deana Marie Cherrico,
Camp Springs, Md.
 
Google Books
More Bulletin Board-Ers
By Helen Eisenberg and Larry Eisenberg
Lima, OH: CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
1984
Pg. 69:
If too fat, get thinner at paint store.
 
Google Books
Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies
By Alan L. Rubin, Fran Stach and Denise C. Sharf
Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide
2000
Pg. 21:
And don’t go to a paint store and expect to get thinner.
 
Twitter
Kristin Finley
‏@kristinfinley
On a diet? Go to the paint store. You can get thinner there. #punday
2:30 PM - 12 Apr 2009
 
Google Books
Kevin Ahern’s 1001 Punniest Limericks
By Kevin Ahern
Lulu Publishing (Lulu.com)
2014
Pg. 38:
The overweight man couldn’t bear
Each diet led him to despair
So he raced to the door
Of the nearest paint store
When he heard you could get thinner there.

Posted by Barry Popik
New York CityExercise/Running/Health Clubs • Wednesday, May 18, 2016 • Permalink


Commenting is not available in this channel entry.