It’s a good thing that we’re humans and not robots. We can see things and interpret them as they were intended to be, and not too literally. Most of the time, words, phrases, and even gestures don’t mean what they mean literally, and we know how to read between the lines. How would things look if we took all those words at face value? Forget about being figurative; what if we took everything literally and simply as it is? You don’t have to guess because these people decide to show us exactly what it looks like if you decide to take things too literally.
#1: Test Your Litera(l)cy
You have to give this kid some points for creativity. He completely missed what he was supposed to do, but you can’t say he didn’t follow instructions. He followed them all right, much more literally than most people would. We’re glad he has such a good grasp on alphabetical order, though.
When you really think about it, should the teacher score him badly on this one? These are obviously the wrong answers, but he clearly understands the concept of alphabetical ordering, and isn’t learning all about understanding the concepts? Either way, he should take more time to understand the instructions next time!
#2: Just Following Instructions
There are two types of people in the world: people who follow instructions blindly, no questions asked, and people who take the time to inquire and make sure they get the assignment right. The person in charge of this sign obviously belongs to the first group. They were told to make a sign, and they did.
It doesn’t even matter what’s the purpose of the sign. They made a sign, and they technically and quite literally followed the instructions. We have no idea what business sign is advertising, but honestly, we’re intrigued, so maybe they did a good job with this sign.
#3: Dog Down in the Dumps
Focus only on the left side of the picture. We see a man trying to dump his best friend in a garbage can. Why would anyone be so cruel? Well, the sign at the right straightens things out for us. This guy was just doing his best to follow the instructions (very literally). Can you blame him?
It tells all dog owners to throw their dog’s waste in the bin if they happen to do a number two, but the way it is worded definitely isn’t the best. What are we tossing away? Is it the dog? Is it the poo? It’s hard to tell, so this guy decided to go with his gut on this one.
#4: The Definition of a Veggie Burger
There are vegetarians everywhere, and they’re becoming increasingly popular, so it’s only right that restaurants serve menu items that appeal to them and respect their choice not to eat animal products. The vegetarian burger has long been a favorite for recently converted vegans or vegetarians who want the same old taste without betraying their ideals.
Well, this is an unorthodox way to set up a veggie burger. We typically expect to see a regular bun but a patty that is made of plant-based material and not meat. We have a good-looking veggie patty but instead of buns, it’s half a lettuce. Hey, it is healthier than bread, but it might not be as tasty, and you’re sure to get some funny looks.
#5: They Didn’t Say Anything About a Unicycle
It was quite clear that the owner of this shopping center didn’t want the rowdiness and disorder that comes from allowing things like bikes and roller skates. So, they just banned everything. Basically, if it has wheels, they don’t want it in their corridors. There’s always going to be that one oversight, though.
Does no one acknowledge the existence of unicycles or do they believe they are rare enough not to care? Well, from the pictures we’ve seen, it sure looks like unicycles pop up a lot more than you’d expect. He’s technically not breaking any rules, too – practically everything but a unicycle is mentioned on that sign. Ride on, unicycler. Ride on!
#6: Looking at the Glass Half Full
For those who are not too familiar, a pint of beer is a unit of measurement that tends to fill the average beer glass. For those who don’t want to do too much drinking, they’d ask for half a pint or a half-pint instead, which is typically served in a regular glass that is half full or a smaller (that is, shorter) glass.
This was a very intentional and creative choice straight from whoever was in charge of making the glasses, but there’s no denying that it is taking things a bit too literally. It makes serving an exact half-pint a lot easier when the glass is actually half of a regular one.
#7: A Literal Sign
The whole purpose of a bridge is to allow people to traverse over a large body of water safely. In some cases, this body of water is large enough to have boats and other vessels pass through it, but the bridge simply is placed too low for them to clear it. That’s what a drawbridge is for.
To avoid any action movie scenario, you’ll always see signs warning you if there’s a drawbridge ahead. We’ve talked about the importance of road signs and traffic signs. However, writing it as a “draw bridge” can be confusing. He might have wondered why, but hey, it’s important to do what these signs say, so here this guy is, drawing the bridge.
#8: He’s Technically Right
For many children, math is a tough subject that they wish never existed. It can be so abstract and difficult to grasp. When you think you’ve gotten the hang of one topic, another comes to confuse you anew. We’d reckon that this clever kid thought he had cracked the code and gotten the hang of this.
That’s some out-of-the-box thinking at work. To be fair, it does kind of look like the greater than and less than signs are brackets encapsulating the word ‘or’. There surely could have been a better, less confusing way to word the question, so we won’t blame the kid for their clever thought process too much
