Quotations, Memes and Jokes - Ambiguous Sentances

[jack]

Stolen from Beware of Doug on SDMB. I think I may use as a sig.

The canonical criteria of an ambiguous sentence are:

(1) being an instruction, order, or injunction
(2) interpretable in mutually contradictory reasonable¹ ways
(3) demanding correct interpretation to prevent catastrophic loss of life and/or property.

For instance, "Just remember one thing: you can never put too much water on the reactor."

[1] Edited to add 'reasonable'

Comments

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

When I first read that I interpreted it as you particularly liking my use of 'criterion', unusual singulars being inherently funny. Only when I couldn't find it did I read the next character :) (3) Was what sold it to me (in the original, the sentence came first and everything else was a response to that.)

Also, thanks. Will do.