Today I randomly opened Detour on the Eternal Road to page 187. With eyes closed, I pointed to the page. The word closest to my finger is answer. That is our prompt today.
Answer by John W. Howell © 2026
“Who has the correct answer? Yes, Jimmy.”
“To see what she could see?”
“No, I’m sorry, that’s not it. Anyone else? Yes, Cindy.”
“To find her brother?”
“Not quite, Cindy, but a good guess. Who’s next? Yes, Tom.”
“She needed to head home.”
“Well, eventually, but not quite yet. Yes, Mary Lou.”
“Her mother calls her.”
“That could happen, but not in this case. Frank, do you think you know?”
“To get an ice cream.”
“That would be fun, wouldn’t it. But for this exercise, we’ll have to wait for another time. I see your hand, Roland. What do you think?”
“She lives over there.”
“That is close, but not the exact answer we are looking for here. Yes, Tim.”
“To see her friends.”
“Another good guess, but just not exactly it. Okay Karen. Your turn.”
“To get to the other side.”
“You are absolutely right, Karen. Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side, of course. Well done.”
“Mr. Jones?”
“Yes, David.”
“That is really dumb.”
“I think you could say that, but it is an anti-joke (sometimes also described as a meta-joke).”
“What’s the purpose?”
“Just to alter expectations. The person hearing the joke expects something witty, and all they get is dumb.”
“Do you have another example?”
“Sure. What’s orange and sounds like a parrot?”
“I don’t know.”
“A carrot.”
“Now that’s funny.”
Fiction Favorites 
Great, i love that kind of discussions about guessings. Thanks, John! Have a nice day! xx Michael
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Thank you, Michael. Wishing you a lovely day as well.
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Thanks, John! xx Michael
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😊
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Hahah you’re a poet and you don’t know it! 😂🤩
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That is for sure. Thanks, Cindy.
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Classics are still funny for a reason.
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Yes, they are.
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And here I thought the question was about James in your book! Trying to get to the other side, of course.
But if you want a ‘joke’ that will make everyone dislike you, just make the answer …. 6-7.
:-0 Ackkkkkkkkkkkkkk!! 🙂
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I still don’t get 6-7 at all. Thanks, Pamela.
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LOL This is great, John.
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Glad you like it, Kymber.
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Crazy funny, John. I love your morning chuckles! 😄
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I’m glad, Gwen. I like them, too. 😊
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I must have missed out on this class. Sounds a lot more fun than algebra.
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Way more fun. Just questions and answers.
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In my mind, I kept hearing, “Bueller? Bueller?” from ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.’
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I loved that film. We still use “Bueller, Bueller” when contemplating a question.
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Got a cackle out of this! I’d have fun in this class!
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Yes. it would be a good class, I think.
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Yes, indeed, a carrot does sound like a parrot. 😀
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Ha ha ha. Thanks, Tim.
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😀
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😊
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Good one, John 🙂
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Thank you, Denise
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That was a lot of guesses but finally the answer revealed itself! Excellent, John.
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Yes, at last. Thanks, Jan
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Imaginative path to get us to chicken. Nice job, John.
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Glad you liked it, Pat. Thanks.
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😍👍
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😊
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I guessed chicken about halfway through!
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Yay, Liz. 🏆 😊
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I shouldn’t be so self-congratulatory. 😉
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😄
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Hahaha…love it. End with a dad joke. Perfect.
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Glad you got a laugh, Monika.
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I love dumb jokes, I love dad jokes (which some say is the same difference). And I love how the teacher made a last minute save with that carrot joke!
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Thanks Marco.
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Good story and a funny ending. Thanks John.
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😊
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