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.

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“Shout out to ATM fees for making me buy my own money” (3/27)
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Entry from May 09, 2021
“What has three feet, but can’t walk?”/“A yardstick.”

A yardstick riddle is:
 
Q: What has three feet, but can’t walk?
A: A yardstick.

 
The riddle has been cited in print since at least 1899.
 
           
Newspapers.com
26 August 1899, The Champaign County News (Champaign, NY), pg. 7, col. 5:
Conundrums Answered.
What has three feet but can’t walk? A yardstick.
 
Newspapers.com
17 June 1921, The Gazette and Daily (York, PA), “Riddles Sent in By Members of Birthday Club,” pg. 14, col. 3:
Margaret Spahr, Dover.
What has three feet and cannot walk? Ans.—A yard stick.
 
Newspapers.com
28 November 1921, The Gazette and Daily (York, PA), pg. 4, col. 6:
What has three feet and can’t walk? Ans.—A yard stick.
     
Google Books
Almanac
The Louisiana State Board of Health
1926
Pg. 13:
What has three feet and cannot walk? A Yard Stick.
   
Newspapers.com
11 June 1933, The Sunday Star (Indianapolis, IN), magazine sec., pg. ?, col. 6:
What has three feet but can’t walk?—Sophie Estelle Dugoleski.
(...)
A yardstick.
 
Newspapers.com
23 July 1938, The Herald (Miami, FL), “Uncle Ray’s Corner,” pg. 3B:, cols. 1-2:
What has three feet but can’t walk?
(...)
A yard stick.
 
Google Books
Practical Classroom Procedures for Enriching Arithmetic
By Herbert F. Spitzer
St. Louis, MO: Western Publishing Co.
1956
Pg. 60:
What has three feet and can’t walk?
ANSWER: A yardstick.
 
Google Books
The Giant Book of Family Fun and Games
By Jack Tedford
New York, NY: F. Watts
1958
Pg. 100:
What has three feet but cannot walk?
A yardstick.
 
Google Books
Arithmeriddles
By Lowry Waring Harding
Columbus, OH: Association for the Study of Educology, Ohio State University
1961
Pg. 44:
Q. What is there about a yardstick that is especially noteworthy?
A. It has 3 feet but cannot walk.
   
Google Books
September 1962, Boys’ Life, “Think and Grin,” pg. 86, col. 2:
Jim: What has three feet and can’t walk?
Tim: A yardstick.
— Benny Cousar, Jr., Washington 1, D.C.
   
Newspapers.com
17 February 1973, Enquirer and News (Battle Creek, MI), The Mini Page sec., pg. 3, col. 1:
Q. What’s long, has 3 feet, but cannot walk?
A. A yardstick.
—Bobby Heath, Coldwater.
 
Newspapers.com
9 September 1973, Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram, “Mini Jokes,” The Mini Page, pg. 3, col. 1:
Question: What has 3 feet, can’t walk and can’t talk?
Answer: A yard stick.
—Ann Irwin, 9
Krum

 
Google Groups: alt.humor.puns 
Puns of the Weak: 05-02-03
Stan Kegel
May 5, 2003, 3:59:23 AM
(...)
Why did the yardstick have trouble buying shoes?
Because it has three feet (Daiy Groaner)
 
Twitter
CHANEL
@_chanelsade_
RT: @__lalalalydia What has three feet but can’t walk? <=...a yardstick.

1:58 AM · Sep 23, 2010·Twitter Web Client
 
Twitter
michael nguyen
@MiKEEOHHHH
Ryan: what has 3 feet but can’t walk?
Me: a yardstick?
Ryan: wow don’t tell me u have those popsicle sticks too
LOLLL
9:28 PM · Nov 8, 2010·Twitter SMS
 
Twitter
coolshades
@cool_shades
Today’s lame popsicle stick joke: What has three feet but can’t walk?  A yardstick
5:06 PM · Dec 26, 2010·Twitter Web Client
     
Twitter
domino
@W__Domino
Popsicle joke #2: WHAT HAS THREE FEET AND CANT WALK?............A YARDSTICK…....y am I even wasting my time? Lol
1:52 AM · Aug 1, 2012·Twitter Web Client
 
Twitter
Jeannie
@Star_enilnO
Q:  What has three feet but cannot walk?
A yardstick #VOTERENDON
1:16 PM · Jul 6, 2017·Twitter for iPhone
     
Google Books
Reader’s Digest Fun Jokes for Funny Kids Vol. 2
Edited by Reader’s Digest
New York, NY: Studio Fun International
2019
Pg. ?:
Q: What has 3 feet but cannot walk?
A: A yardstick.
 
Twitter
Jimmy RevJim Olsen
@mybuddyjimmy
What has 3 feet but cannot walk? Yardstick. #RiddleoftheDay
3:22 PM · May 9, 2021 from Des Moines, IA·Twitter for iPhone

Posted by Barry Popik
New York CityWork/Businesses • Sunday, May 09, 2021 • Permalink


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