Answering a question as it was asked

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Band Saw Box

Band Saw Box

Passed Away Dec 8, 2021
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Most if not all of us answer question people ask us with the answer they are expecting. Can you tell me what time it is? It's 9:27. If you work in retail as I do a customer will ask can you tell me were coffee is. That's on 5. I guess we may all ask questions that can have an answer we would not expect. A customer asks me Can you tell me were coffee is. I should answer yes I can and nothing more. Since they did not ask me if I could tell them. Or your ask Can you tell me what time it is. You could ask yes or no since that that they only asked if you could tell them and not to tell them the time. I guess there is a unlimited number of question that have the answer people are looking for and the answer to the question they asked. So how many of you have what to give or have given the answer to the question as is was asked.
If my wife (Evelyn) were to see this post she would say "Too much time one the boat"
 
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good answers for "What time is it" or "can you tell me what time it is"



1) Its 5 o'clock somewhere.

2) As time is a theoretical concept that is used in order to place events into a stream that is easily rationalized by you but has little to no bearing on the streams of others around you and is very subjective. I do not believe I can.
 
Thanks to caller id if I know and want to give the person calling a hard time I answer in the ways you described. If they ask if my wife is home I reply yes. After a short pause I ask them if they would like to talk to her. They answer "well yes" and I say ok I thought you were just checking to see if she was home. Every once in a while they ask if they can speak to her as soon as I say yes shes home then I just say no they cant speak to her and wing it from there.
 
As I say several times a day "If you want a better answer, you must ask a better question."I will not disclose what I'm usually called before I say that, and what is generally said to me after I say it.
 
Eh, I don't worry much about properly phrased questions.

As far as I'm concerned if a question is asked and I understand (or think I do) what is really being asked, I'll give them the answer they want.

Do you have a bathroom? Sure, it's the second door on the right.

Do you know what time it is? Sure, 11:05.

I'm my experience, answering the pure question being asked only is not the best way to make new friends. :-)
 
The question I like to answer best is when someone asks "Wheres your honey?" and I say. "She at work or She at home" it always get a big smile.
 
Answer...

I like Dan's reply, be a good person, answer the question in a friendly manner....you never know "what shoes the other person is walking in"
they may just need that friendly, upbeat and informative reply...unless the
situation really calls for it, a sarcastic response is not appropriate....Matthew 7:12
 
One of of my favorites.

I usually give the "expected" answer. To do otherwise just drags out the conversation.

Reading about the caller ID did remind me of a bit of trouble I got myself into though.

I fix computers for a living and usually answer either with my name, the company name or just Hello. For close friends and if I am feeling playful, I sometimes answer "Acme Vacuum, we suck big time". Well my friend was referring some new business to me and dialed my number and handed the prospective customer the cell phone. Fortunately, they had a sense of humor.
 
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Russianwolf said:
good answers for "What time is it" or "can you tell me what time it is"



1) Its 5 o'clock somewhere.

2) As time is a theoretical concept that is used in order to place events into a stream that is easily rationalized by you but has little to no bearing on the streams of others around you and is very subjective. I do not believe I can.
Click to expand...

Is your name Sheldon Cooper???????:biggrin:
 
My son in law is 6' 9" tall and has long since grown tired of being asked if he plays basketball. He does not. His favorite answer is.

"No, do you play miniature golf?"
 
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Adillo303 said:
One of of my favorites.

I usually give the "expected" answer. To do otherwise just drags out the conversation.

Reading about the caller ID did remind me of a bit of trouble I got myself into though.

I fix computers for a living and usually answer either with my name, the company name or just Hello. For close friends and if I am feeling playful, I sometimes answer "Acme Vacuum, we suck big time". Well my friend was referring some new business to me and dialed my number and handed the prospective customer the cell phone. Fortunately, they had a sense of humor.
Click to expand...

I do a similar thing and sometimes answer "City Morgue, you kill em, we chill em" or "City Crematorium, you kill em, we grill em" There is usually dead silence for a few moments. :biggrin:
 
I can not answer your question without polling everyone to see if they have ever done that to come up with an exact number for you since you asked "how many" instead of "have you ever" which could be answered with a simple yes or no.
 
John Pratt said:
What about the whole "May I", "Can I" question debate. My mother used to go round and round with that one when we were young.
Click to expand...

My mom used to do that but I stopped that in its tracks one day.

Me: Mom, Can I go to Jimmy's house?
Mom: I don't know are you capable of going?
Me: Only if you allow it so my question still stands as valid.
 
Language is funny. It is filled with idiom, metaphor and simile. We use it all the time. The hot water heater heats COLD water not hot, we "hit" the accelerator, we "beat" the other team, we may "run" to town, or even "run" a red light. And of course if you want to Pee on it all, "go shake hands with wife's best friend" or "go point Percy at the porcelain"!
 
Band Saw Box said:
Most if not all of us answer question people ask us with the answer they are expecting. Can you tell me what time it is? It's 9:27. If you work in retail as I do a customer will ask can you tell me were coffee is. That's on 5. I guess we may all ask questions that can have an answer we would not expect. A customer asks me Can you tell me were coffee is. I should answer yes I can and nothing more. Since they did not ask me if I could tell them. Or your ask Can you tell me what time it is. You could ask yes or no since that that they only asked if you could tell them and not to tell them the time. I guess there is a unlimited number of question that have the answer people are looking for and the answer to the question they asked. So how many of you have what to give or have given the answer to the question as is was asked.
If my wife (Evelyn) were to see this post she would say "Too much time one the boat"
Click to expand...

Okay, word nazi for a moment. Can and could are both questions of ability so there is no difference in saying,"Can you tell me the time?" and, "Could you tell me the time?" Proper English would be to use will or would. Okay, I feel better now.

When I used to work in retail people would ask me, "Can you tell me where the bathroom is?" The look on their face when I said, "No." was priceless.
 
Russianwolf said:
good answers for "What time is it" or "can you tell me what time it is"



1) Its 5 o'clock somewhere.

2) As time is a theoretical concept that is used in order to place events into a stream that is easily rationalized by you but has little to no bearing on the streams of others around you and is very subjective. I do not believe I can.
Click to expand...

I like answer #2. :biggrin:
 
CabinetMaker said:
Band Saw Box said:
Most if not all of us answer question people ask us with the answer they are expecting. Can you tell me what time it is? It's 9:27. If you work in retail as I do a customer will ask can you tell me were coffee is. That's on 5. I guess we may all ask questions that can have an answer we would not expect. A customer asks me Can you tell me were coffee is. I should answer yes I can and nothing more. Since they did not ask me if I could tell them. Or your ask Can you tell me what time it is. You could ask yes or no since that that they only asked if you could tell them and not to tell them the time. I guess there is a unlimited number of question that have the answer people are looking for and the answer to the question they asked. So how many of you have what to give or have given the answer to the question as is was asked.
If my wife (Evelyn) were to see this post she would say "Too much time one the boat"
Click to expand...

Okay, word nazi for a moment. Can and could are both questions of ability so there is no difference in saying,"Can you tell me the time?" and, "Could you tell me the time?" Proper English would be to use will or would. Okay, I feel better now.

When I used to work in retail people would ask me, "Can you tell me where the bathroom is?" The look on their face when I said, "No." was priceless.
Click to expand...

Well, yeah, maybe, but "can" and "could" may also possibly be correct under the right circumstance. Such as, "does the person being asked have the ability to tell correct time. Does he/she have a watch/clock and able to tell time anyway.

English, especially our American version can get us in trouble sometimes-and then we try to sort through it with using emails. No facial expressions to go along with the spoken word.

Just do your best to answer the question as asked. The guy really is just probably trying to get someone to agree with him to gain confidence in whatever they may be doing.

As akways, IMHO. I don't mine anyone disagreeing with me. Or should I say something else?:biggrin:
Russ
 
"I just want to thank you for helping."
"OK, go ahead and thank me."

Contronyms are words that can mean opposites, depending on how they are used.
Turn OFF means stop, take OFF means go. LEFT over means remaining, he LEFT means departed. WEATHER means withstand, WEATHER means erode away.
Contronyms present lots of opportunities for passive aggression.
 
If you think 'can' is only to be used to denote 'ability', and you have never used the word mayn't, then you're making the same error yourself.

So-called 'perfect' language usage, while admirable and lofty as a goal, often sounds foreign to our conditioned ears when practiced. If one were to hold back the progress of language, then humankind would still be speaking in ancient Amoritic (or perhaps more likely, Neanderthal grunts and gestures). :smile:

That being said, I still refuse to use the words 'busted, a'int, app, and tweet', or the like!
 
This reminds me of the young son who asked his Mum where do we come from mother proceeds with her best new version of the birds and bees son replies oh Fred next door comes from Canada.

Probably best to find out the root of the question sometimes.

Kind regards Peter.
 
KBs Pensnmore said:
Adillo303 said:
One of of my favorites.

I usually give the "expected" answer. To do otherwise just drags out the conversation.

Reading about the caller ID did remind me of a bit of trouble I got myself into though.

I fix computers for a living and usually answer either with my name, the company name or just Hello. For close friends and if I am feeling playful, I sometimes answer "Acme Vacuum, we suck big time". Well my friend was referring some new business to me and dialed my number and handed the prospective customer the cell phone. Fortunately, they had a sense of humor.
Click to expand...

I do a similar thing and sometimes answer "City Morgue, you kill em, we chill em" or "City Crematorium, you kill em, we grill em" There is usually dead silence for a few moments. :biggrin:
Click to expand...

Some of my favorite old ones

"Joe's Pool Hall, Cueball speaking"

"Grey's Mortuary, You stab 'em, we slab 'em"
 
KBs Pensnmore said:
Russianwolf said:
good answers for "What time is it" or "can you tell me what time it is"



1) Its 5 o'clock somewhere.

2) As time is a theoretical concept that is used in order to place events into a stream that is easily rationalized by you but has little to no bearing on the streams of others around you and is very subjective. I do not believe I can.
Click to expand...

Is your name Sheldon Cooper???????:biggrin:
Click to expand...

Does sound kinda like him, doesn't it.

But I'm not nearly that nerdy.

Trivia question for you. How long does it take the earth to spin on its axis exactly once?
 
Russianwolf said:
KBs Pensnmore said:
Russianwolf said:
good answers for "What time is it" or "can you tell me what time it is"



1) Its 5 o'clock somewhere.

2) As time is a theoretical concept that is used in order to place events into a stream that is easily rationalized by you but has little to no bearing on the streams of others around you and is very subjective. I do not believe I can.
Click to expand...

Is your name Sheldon Cooper???????:biggrin:
Click to expand...

Does sound kinda like him, doesn't it.

But I'm not nearly that nerdy.

Trivia question for you. How long does it take the earth to spin on its axis exactly once?
Click to expand...

1/365.25 of a year, give or take a few minutes! :smile:
 
<<Trivia question for you. How long does it take the earth to spin on its axis exactly once?>>


The earth's average rotation period:
86,164.098 903 691 seconds which equates to one (solar) day. But that's slightly less than 24 hours (23.934) or 1436.068 minutes.
Sheldon
 
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Kretzky said:
<<Trivia question for you. How long does it take the earth to spin on its axis exactly once?>>


The earth's average rotation period:
86,164.098 903 691 seconds which equates to one (solar) day. But that's slightly less than 24 hours (23.934) or 1436.068 minutes.
Sheldon
Click to expand...

When I am at work it seems a lot longer. :crying:

:wink:
 
yep

most people think 24 hours which is noon to noon. Problem is the earth has moved around the sun slightly in that time so has to over rotate slightly to get back to noon. So one spin is roughly 23 hours and 56 minutes. Very important when you are tracking a star in a telescope for a photo.

I'm not nerdy at all. :tongue:
 
What I dislike is being asked how I am in the third person, as though I'm not there. :at-wits-end: That's the one I mess with. :devil:

"How's Pete today?"

"I don't know, I haven't talked to him yet. He is right over there, (pointing at another Pete I work with) you should go ask him."

Looks of confusion ensues. :befuddled: :befuddled: :befuddled:
 
Wow. I did not expect to get this many replies to this silly little post. I do have to say that when I'm dealing with customers I give the answer they are looking for...but I will give the she at work or at home to were your honey. I will mess with my coworkers when they ask a question but it's all in fun. I also like messing with people about time. Someone may ask what time is the truck going to be here? I tell them between 8 and 9 and I put money on it, when it show up at 10 local time they tell be I was wrong. I say no it is still between 8 and 9. Thanks for all the replies they have been a lot of fun to read.
 
Band Saw Box said:
Wow. I did not expect to get this many replies to this silly little post. I do have to say that when I'm dealing with customers I give the answer they are looking for...but I will give the she at work or at home to were your honey. I will mess with my coworkers when they ask a question but it's all in fun. I also like messing with people about time. Someone may ask what time is the truck going to be here? I tell them between 8 and 9 and I put money on it, when it show up at 10 local time they tell be I was wrong. I say no it is still between 8 and 9. Thanks for all the replies they have been a lot of fun to read.
Click to expand...
I have problems with the double questions. We turn left here? Right? That needs a real careful answer especially when asked by my spouse.
 
I also hate the ones that go like this.

She: Would you like to have ham and cabbage for supper?
He: That will be just fine.
She: Or maybe you'd rather have hotdogs and saurkraut?
He: Whatever you'd rather fix will be fine.
She: Well how about .....
 
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