“It was so cold in New York, flashers were only describing themselves” is a classic New York City joke about cold weather. The joke has often been credited to late night television comedian Johnny Carson (1925-2005), but it’s uncertain when (or if) he said it.
 
American television personality Dick Cavett said in a “My Favorite Jokes” article in Parade magazine in November 1971:
 
“It was so cold in New York the other day that in Central Park the exhibitionists were only describing themselves.”
 
     
Wikiquote: Talk:Johnny Carson
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. Last night, it was so cold, the flashers in New York were only describing themselves.
 
14 November 1971, Boston (MA) Globe, “My Favorite Jokes” by Dick Cavett, Parade magazine, pg. 31, col. 3:
It was so cold in New York the other day that in Central Park the exhibitionists were only describing themselves.
     
Google News Archive
20 January 1982, Observer-Reporter (Washington, PA), “Leslie, Sammy Deliver One-Two Punch at Heinz” by Terry Hazlett, pg. B-9, col. 2:
“It was so cold at the airport a flasher just showed me his picture.”
(Leslie Uggams at Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, PA.—ed.)
 
Google Groups: rec.humor
Canonical List Of Language Humor 3/5
Nuke The Unborn Gay Baby Whales For God
4/12/94
(...)
== WAYS TO TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER ==============================================
-= The weather is so cold that… =-=  1 =——————————————————
 
I had to go up and break the smoke off the chimney.
I had to jump start my wife/husband.
I had two feet of ice in my bed…my wive’s.
I put the meat in the freezer to defrost.
I saw a dog stuck to a fire hydrant.
I saw a flasher describing himself.
 
Twitter
Jean Esselink
‏@Uncucumbered
Best line of the day by @michaelstrahan - It’s so cold a flasher came up to me and described himself.
Embedded image permalink
7:58 PM - 19 Feb 2015
 
Twitter
Bobby Wild 100.9
‏@Bobbywild101
HOW COLD IS IT?  Its so cold in NYC that flashers are just describing themselves to women.
1:23 PM - 28 Feb 2015
Garden City, KS