Newpaper Double Entendre of the Day

[debka_notion]

I saw this ad in the local paper, and was quite puzzled for a while as to why that would be good incentive:

"Advertise your car till it sells for only $20"

I'd put the much needed comma after "car", rather than before "for". Oops. But it was funny- and quite handy when I realized what it really was trying to say.

Comments

[nuqotw.livejournal.com]

Odd. I made the same comma error. Do we naturally parse at the first available opportunity?

[tirerim.livejournal.com]

I think the problem is that it really doesn't need a comma for the first interpretation, in which "for only $20" is modifying "sells" rather than "advertise". It's a genuine ambiguity, but we naturally tend to parse it as attaching at the closest place, rather than farther up the tree.

[shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com]

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