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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Entry from December 03, 2014
“Why should I signal?” (joke)

Many people offer silly excuses for not using a turn signal while driving on the road. One particular excuse is sometimes given by an elderly driver in a small town. “Why should I signal?” the elderly driver tells a police officer. “Everyone knows where I live and where I’m going!”
 
The joke has been cited in print since at least 2003.
   
 
Google Books 
Industrial Canada
Volume 69, Issues 7-12  
Pg. 38:
‘What did you crash into me for?”
 
“I was overtaking and you didn’t signal your turn.”
 
“Why should I signal? Everybody knows I turn left on Fridays . . .”
     
The Guardian (UK)
Country Diary
Sarah Poyntz
Wednesday 9 April 2003 21.46 EDT
(...)
Our kind neighbour Michael Monks, winner of many awards for his pedigree cattle and a great raconteur, told us this recent anecdote (names changed!): Tom was driving towards Ballyvaughan behind Nora, who suddenly turned off without signalling. Tom followed to remonstrate: “You gave no signal - I could have run into you.” Nora replied, “Sure, Tom, what ails you? Everyone knows where I live and that I’d be turning off here.”
 
31 January 2008, The Carillon (Steinbach, Manitoba), “Letters to the Editor,” pg. 7A, col. 1:
My theory is that because people have lived so long in the same house in Steinbach, and driven the same car for so long in Steinbach, it doesn’t dawn on them to actually signal. “Everyone knows where I live and what I drive, why should I signal?”
(Letter from Rick Loewen, Landmark, MB.—ed.)
 
Straight Dope Message Board
Really Bad Directions
jjimm
04-10-2009, 11:21 AM
Around here you always seem to be instructed to turn left at Aunt Sis’ house. Or at the bar where Bubba got shot.Which reminds me of the story I heard in Ireland.
A coworker’s granny used get to her house, and just to swerve across the road into her driveway without signalling. When the coworker gently suggested that this was pretty dangerous, granny replied:
“Sure, why would I need to signal? Everyone knows where I live!”
   
Google Books
Senior Rhapsody
By Irene Boyer
Pittsburgh, PA: Dorrance Publishing Company, Inc.
2011
Pg. 7:
“Hi. I’m Ray,” he greeted the officer gingerly.
“Do your directional signals work?”
“Of course, they do. This baby is brand new!”
“Then why don’t you use them?”
“Hell, everyone knows where I live.”
   
Yellowscene magazine
Five Long-Time Families at the Heart of Boulder County
By Cynthia Ord | Photos by Joe Friend
Published on: May 8th, 2014
(...)
Keith can remember highway 42 being built. He recalls a Lafayette with only two stoplights before 287 bisected it. Driving down Baseline road, his grandfather never got in the habit of using his blinker. “Why should I signal?” he famously quipped. “Everybody knows where I live!”
 
St. George (UT) News
Are Utah drivers really the worst?
Written by Kimberly Scott on December 2, 2014
(...)
COMMENTS
MODIGLIANI December 3, 2014 at 9:49 am
Oh, Billy, you made me laugh this morning. “..nobody’s business where I’m going.” Reminds me of the old joke about the hillbilly who turned left on a mountain road and caused a pileup. No signal. When he was asked why he didn’t signal he said, Why should I signal? Everybody knows where I live.”

Posted by Barry Popik
New York CityTransportation • Wednesday, December 03, 2014 • Permalink


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