Could the formulas on the blackboard be from a genuine quantum mechanical derivation? Maybe even Dr. H’s Uncertainty Principle? And the caption almost fits one of its usual ordinary-language formulations — that’s probably the actual point of the gag.
Pete sent this in. It’s also a bit of a CIDU, since wouldn’t knights in armor have metal plate on the bottom of their feet?
And here’s one sent in by Usual John, a bit more of a comic scene-rendering than a gag LOL:
In particular, local rules can cause problems. In the card game Hearts, does the jack of diamonds mean anything special? Can you dump on the first trick? In Monopoly, do you complain that the game takes too long, but put $500 on Free Parking, and allow houses to be turned in for full value? In poker, is the worst low hand A-2-3-4-6 or 2-3-4-5-7? Complain about your favorite example of local rules in the comments.
From the Ask-Me-Anything episode:
As always — but it needs saying explicitly again now and then — we like to think of this as a reader-participation site, and not just for your invaluable (or anyhow amusing) comments, but for suggestions of comics to run and discuss.
Please share your specific suggestions of panels or strips, in CIDU, LOL, and OY categories, either by direct email to
(that’s “CIDU dot Submissions” at gmail dot com) or by using the handy-dandy Suggest A CIDU form page!
The short form deserves a geezer alert, as it was discontinued years ago. There’s a 1040-SR now for seniors — the only difference is that it’s printed in larger type.
https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/extension-of-time-to-file-your-tax-return , the instructions to file an extension, might come in handy if you’re like this woman.
It’s not going to work, Larry.
Actual error message from IRS.gov on the day tax forms (and estimated payments) were due, April 17, 2018. Not funny. Note the difference in the set of dates cited for the outage.
Actual IRS tax tips, if you need last minute help: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-tax-tips including, for example, ways to pay over time.
This Bizarro was about a 10-minute CIDU for your editors.
But a week later, this one could be seen as retroactively helpful:
There was a study of corporate annual reports some years ago. It found that when things were going well for a company, active voice was used, e.g. “We increased our sales over X% …”. When things were going poorly, passive voice was used, e.g. “Sales were negatively impacted by …”
I never order these in a restaurant. I assume they have a similar constitution to the McDonald’s McRib, which is just restructured shredded pork with fake grill marks. Am I wrong?
A few takes on Mickey Mouse entering public domain. The Pinocchio one is particularly apropos.
Thanks to Boise Ed for this LOL from Tundra:
This might be a semi-CIDU with Geezer Alert, but LOL if you remember.
Emma Allen (cartoon editor of the New Yorker) as a child?
As seems to be the standard practice at Comic Kingdom‘s presentation of the “Bob Mankoff Presents: Show me the Funny” archive sampler, this was part of a run on a related theme — here perfumes, air fresheners, aromatherapy, and other fragrances and scents. Most had an easily discernible joke, or anyway intended joke — though since they have the New Yorker in their pedigree somewhere, it can be muted or indirect. This was the first in the thematic series without a discernible punch intention.
P.S. Has anyone seen where in the office I might have left my Calle Ocho flip box?
From Dirk the Daring:
The office assistant who handles the room reservations system has evidently done it again! These hapless office workers just want to hold their meeting, but don’t even have regulation footwear.
Brilliant!
The lion is the king of beasts, And husband of the lioness. Gazelles and things on which he feasts Address him as your highoness.
–Ogden Nash Poems to Carnival of the Animals
Y’know how sometimes when Cornered has a Sunday duplex strip (or higher multiple!), and just one of them hits the funny bone just right? And then CIDU is stuck trying to clip or trim to get that one panel? But this time it’s a case of “Why not both?” Two LOLs for the price of one!
And if we’re still in the Weekend of Remembering nineties/oughties Songs, here is one suggested by that comic:
(This is an OY by virtue of the “language play in any general way” subcategory.)
It seems Diamond Lil concentrates on OY punchlines almost every day; so it would be a danger to keep too often considering them for our weekly OY collections. Still, every once in a while, maybe for no particular reason, one of them will jump out and say “Use me!”.
Thanks to Philip for suggesting!
And if this was a semi-CIDU for you, let Editor Phil help out by pointing out that just before this moment of dialogue, the visitor must have addressed this officer as “Skipper”.
Comics I Don't Understand 