Signs are supposed to have the most basic and practical purposes. You expect them to be brief, clear, and concise. To provide direction or information and help us glide through life without any worries. But we’ve got to tell you, this couldn’t be farther from the truth! Whether it’s the most random announcements or threatening messages from around the world you want to be as far away as possible from, some signs hilariously fail to fulfill their goal.
So let us introduce you to the 'Weird Signs' Facebook page that shows the universe does have a twisted sense of humor. It is dedicated to the most unusual road or shop signs out there that tried to get their point across yet displayed the complete opposite. The creators of the account offer proof that unexpected and ironic situations are all around us, simply waiting to be uncovered.
Below, you will find some of the finest examples we’ve gathered from the page, so continue scrolling and upvote your favorite ones! Keep reading to also find an in-depth interview about irony and absurdity with Mitchell Green, a philosophy professor at the University of Connecticut. Be sure to tell us which pictures made you laugh or forced you to scratch your head from confusion, and if you have any out-of-context signs to share, let us know about them in the comments!
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Breaking news! Multiple menaces in the area!
Load More Replies...not sure who goes to spider farms but i sure as hell dont! id def walk the other way haha
I hate to be a party pooper but this is photoshopped. https://www.mirror.co.uk/usvsth3m/calm-down-havent-really-built-5401102
and the five before that and the five before that and the five after after after after after that
Load More Replies...dad with two toddlers: "looking forward to the 5 days after weekend"!
He seems to be quite enjoying himself
Load More Replies...We know irony when we see it. These unexpected moments often catch us by surprise and get stuck in our heads by completely contradicting our expectations. "In situational irony, there is a clash between the professed or ostensible aim of some person or entity, and the situation that they’re in," philosophy professor Mitchell Green, author of Irony as Expression (of a Sense of the Absurd), explained to Bored Panda.
According to him, witnessing a house burning down is tragic, though not ironic. "But when a firehouse burns to the ground, that’s both tragic and ironic, and in particular is a case of situational irony. The reason is that firehouses are built for the purpose of helping to prevent fires. That purpose is dramatically foiled by the firehouse burning to the ground."
Might as well skip the baby food and false expectations and head straight for alcoholism. We're going there anyways.
Dear passengers, please go to the upper deck and smoke. All of you. Now.
Captain the ship is sinking we need a life raft! "Sorry ma'am, no safety until someone smokes"
It's best to have a smoke to calm one's nerves before one enters a No Safety zone.
If the Titanic used this provision, maybe the ship would not have sunk
haha safety is so mainstream and useless lests smoke a lot of cigarettes its cooler than safety and health
IT'S FIVE DOLLARS NOW! 3 DOLLARS USED TO BE OUTRAGEOUS
Load More Replies...When I worked for this company and would have a bad day, I would greet customers with, "Welcome to Hell, where the 'S' is silent."
Hahaha! Right?? xD Bet you they were contemplating it though
Load More Replies...I've been to Hel and back. It's in Poland, but it only has one 'l'. It was nice.
I live in Michigan, USA. You can quite literally drive from Paradise to Hell in a day. Both are towns here.
Load More Replies...To all the Dems who voted for this, I hope you’re happy! Our country is screwed
"Similarly, when the president of the local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving gets pulled over by the police and arrested for Driving While Intoxicated, we have a case of situational irony," Green continued. "Her professed aim is to campaign against drunk driving, but it’s upended by the outcome of getting pulled over on a DWI." He added that we also take some schadenfreude-based pleasure (that we get from witnessing someone's misfortune) in seeing this person shown to be such a hypocrite.
The philosophy professor pointed out that situational irony is different from what is often called verbal irony. "In verbal irony, a person is attempting to communicate that some situation she has in mind is ironic or absurd. (I say, 'Nice job' in response to your backing up your car into a tree, for instance.) But a situation can be ironic without anyone commenting on it."
Just a little note in case it helps anyone. Not sure it will but just in case. You’re naturally buoyant in water. Humans naturally float. If you can’t swim, and you’re in water too deep to touch the bottom, don’t panic, you will float. Just float on your back if it’s calm enough and call out. Shout, scream, make it clear you’re in trouble. DO NOT raise your arms out of the water to signal help. You’re going to change your buoyancy by lifting your arms out and that’s going to make your head go under. At that point you’re probably going to inhale water. Just stay calm, float and shout.
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH it says LOL on the sign!!! I was too hung up on the fact that the 9 in 911 looked like an 8!!!! Wow. I can't believe it took me that long lol
Load More Replies...How ironic, I always wondered if these drivers comprehend the math, or that their lift in the back is up before going under a bridge, you don’t have to be a licensed cdl driver , just have common sense
Around here, this is called "Storrowing", after Storrow Drive, where it happens with surprising frequency.
Where is 'here' though??? On an international site a lot of us are not going to have a clue.
Load More Replies...So, if I understand this correctly they put up a pole to warn cyclist that they are about to hit a pole? Got it. Good thinking..
I *think* that the other sign in the background (which presumably has some necessary purpose) also obstructs the bike lane? So the sign in the foreground is warning about the sign in the background--it's still stupid, because all they've done is doubled the problem, but they didn't create a brand-new problem where none existed.
Load More Replies..."Hmm... Wonder what that sogn says" *reads*...*finishes reading* "oh thanks for telli-" *wakes up in hospital* "hey you, you're finally awake" *realizes that he's being in a dream of skyrim* *wakes up* "heres your bill sir" *dies of too many zeros*
But even though we instinctively understand when a situation is ironic, we often have trouble defining and articulating the term. Professor Green told us it can be hard to put into words and express what is needed for an incident to be ironic because these situations are complex while their features don’t always register at the conscious level. "This is similar to the way in which we can often tell whether someone is lying to us but we can’t say exactly what leads us to think that. In our social lives, we often respond to complex cues without attending to all the factors that guide that response. This may be why it’s hard to explain in words what irony is," he noted.
There would be no movie if he never found the secret HQ.
Load More Replies...The SNB was opened to the public in Kelvedon Hatch in 1993. Not so very secret, really.
"Don't forget to make a mark so we don't forget the location of the secret bunker!" \\ Workers : "Say no more"
Given the way homo sapiens devastate the environment to produce " modern equipment and appliances " this could indeed be a statement of fact.
Not sure why you were downvoted, but here - have an upvote. :)
Load More Replies...These are people of the land. The common clay of the new west. You know....
Load More Replies...If they don’t fix that sign, the only customers they’re going to have left are those with dyslexia or visual impairment! 😂
they are perhaps trying to reach out to an abandoned group in the society
By the time u get back, he'll be completely drunk.
Load More Replies...Hmmm... so you pick him up drunk? Not sure that ends up being worth it
As you're scrolling through this compilation of pictures, you'll notice that some signs look more absurd than ironic. They make us stop, take a second to think, and quietly whisper, "What on Earth is going on here?" There’s no doubt that illogical and out-of-context messages make us slightly baffled, yet they are also a perfect source of entertainment.
Green told us that he sees irony as a form of absurdity. However, lots of things are absurd without being ironic, he added. "A chihuahua barking ferociously at a Great Dane is absurd, but it’s not ironic because the chihuahua doesn’t profess to intimidate the Great Dane. (He’s just trying to.) And of course, if the existentialists are right, maybe life itself is absurd. But that doesn’t mean life is ironic."
they were polite and waited until after the sign to crash. what good people.
Ok, the signs behind time to do somethin crazy, everyone ready here we gooo
I feel for that dude. this is weird looking, distracting sign, with the circle, black line in it, and all that
I know a family from Boring, OR. They're a bunch of professional jugglers and hippies and among the least boring folks I've ever met.
I lived in Boring, Oregon. Our freeway exit was also for another town called Oregon City, so the exit sign said "Boring Oregon City".
The idea of twinning the Twatts (one in Orkney, one in Shetland) with F*****g, Austria is still in the conception phase.
I’ve been through boring! They have a sign there that says paired with Dull, Scotland!
Meanwhile if you're after some stairs, they are located in India.
for the future plans, please do not take my convenience into consideration. thank you!
I think they need a better understanding of the word “convenience”, LOL. 🤣
Pretty much true. Why do department stores have the device for people with MOSTLY mobility issues all the way at the back corner of the store? "Do you use a walker? Now you can use it to walk three times as far to get to the elevator where we can hide you from the customers who can just walk to where they're going. No, you can't take it on the OTHER device that lets you walk less. That one is right in the middle of the store lot with spotlights and crystal chandeliers to show off the people who can just walk. Get your crippled a*s to the back corner of the store where we don't have to look at you." That is what it feels like.
This does beg the question, why do so many of us feel amused when coming across these ludicrous announcements? "I suspect there’s a bit of schadenfreude in people’s enjoyment of these signs," the professor noted. "Not only do we enjoy the situational irony, but we also take a bit of pleasure in seeing the institutions that placed the signs coming across as foolish. This is of a piece with the more general fact that we love it when powerful institutions show their weaknesses, just as when famous people do." And what we enjoy even more is snapping a photo and showing our discoveries to everyone online. So if you have the perfect picture stored in your gallery, don't be shy and share it with us in the comments!
It's only if you've got a legally parked car that you need to worry
I once saw a professionally printed sign that said, "No Parking. Violators will be sighted." I certainly hope so. They may also get a ticket.
"Hey Colin, remember the other day when you asked for the definition of irony?"
Customer - I will buy a few jumbo packs please. Employee - Ok, why do you need so many? Customer - Because by the look of the sign they should last about a week or two.
I wonder when the people that took the fence, will come back for the gate?
It is pretty *demented*, lol. I think you meant dimensional but it actually works with this. 😅
Load More Replies...I had put one in my yard (with a camera) to confuse neighborhood kids, it worked! Kids & adults would actually use it!😂
It should be but some people have different preferences
Load More Replies...the sign on the other side of this door: "After leaving thou, close the door please"
Haha I'm Swedish ill explain.... So the triangle is a warning for drivers that there is a speed bump, made so they slow down.. And blue one is crossing for ppl walking.. So sorry no aliens lol
(The X-Files theme plays in the background.) The Truth is Out There.
I thought it meant that the person was a speed bump XD
Definitely a speed bump in case the that man falls while crossing.
The problem with the mix up with words, leaves us with 'I taste things with my tong' I don't think so......
Grab them with a tissue paper and lick them all! Oh, and run very quickly and never buy openly displayed bakery products ever again.
This is exactly why I can't eat buffets and open counter foods 🤢
Load More Replies...Finally, people are catching on to my favorite selection method! :)
So can I use my tongue on the hot cashier? Which one, Bill or Marge? Tough question indeed.
The funniest thing is being in anerica, i read it clockwise from top. Makes mores sense when you read counterclockwise from bottom
okay now take a right of the interstate drive for about 30 miles than find the guy with green hat ask him to use his teleporter go back to bill and teds phone booth. go to the dinosaurs age grab a buck tooth trade to the guy who is in you basement. do two double backflips for some reason. change your name go do a thelma and louise dont worry you might survive. drive out than go back to were you started run a marathon than youll reach your destatnation
don't show this to new york mayor please, or he would want to complete his collection of weird signs
it's like a test, can You make it out of this aisle without questioning Your healthy living choices?
Reminds me so much of a two ronnies sketch with the butler being nothing but professional but still managing to insult the lord while complimenting the lady. “Your sweet m’lady”. “Your nuts m’lord”.
Healthy living is somewhere between cookies and candy? I feel like there's a joke there. 🤔
In a pub on Valentines night, the usual rose sellers are out and about. Made the mistake of offering me one for my wife, she leans over and whispers, you want to buy me something red, make it wine!
And one that said "THIS SIGN IS PRIVATE PROPERTY. DO NOT READ. "
Load More Replies..."Also, there is a dangerous cliff ahead" in fine print for those who don't have their glasses on..
Thank you!!! I was trying so hard to make it out LMAO
Load More Replies...Why is the cliff warning the smallest yet most important warning on the sign.
Because they know that "dangerous cliff ahead" will just encourage thrill seekers, but a stupid sign will make people actually stop and read.
Load More Replies...Chicken or Egg problem: if the sign wasn't there to warn about its edges, the warning wouldn't be necessary.
But then they couldn't warn about the cliff (in fine print).
Load More Replies...I guess they've had more lawsuits over people getting cut by the sign vs falling off the cliff.
There is no complaint after falling down the cliff
Load More Replies...Reminds me of my constantly closing local chairlift called cloudchaser
Load More Replies...Nope. It's a swing ride that's 300 feet tall. So this high wind ate really dangerous
Load More Replies...I always wanted to ses kangaroos and wombats on skis! Gimme the directions!
Especially kangaroos soaring off the wombat jump! Of course, the wombat will then leave a few cubes behind to mark the occasion.
Load More Replies..."The quick red kangaroo ski- jumps over the lazy brown vombat". Makes perfect sense!
Hey. Wombats aren't lazy. They parti all night long!
Load More Replies...We might get the occasional roller-skating moose here in the States, but nothing like a skiing wombat! Australia has all the cool animals.
Australia may have all the cool animals but they have some of the creepiest too LOL x
Load More Replies...Looking forward to the day a kangaroo wins the slopestyle in the x games
Christ, the mice are the size of kangaroos and on skis! WTF🤣🤣 Edit: they’re all on skis
Haha, we have Super Shoes in my area and I swear their signs always have one burnt out letter and occasionally, it's the second S!
if you go all the way there and find out they meant 'shoes', you should be able to sue them!
Wow, such an existential question! LOL! Makes me wonder... are hands gloves?
It doesn't make a lot more sense with the sign fully lit: "Bare Feet Shoes" What does that mean?
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSsVymL-Xx6jeN0QSbc5fDfcOmKJSb3f2bmv6FCSj8ASsYheXtU2m6C8UA&s Maybe it means beauties such as these... (Hope link works)
Load More Replies...Skeleton shoes. Amazingly when your skin comes off in a large piece, it's called "degloving"
That's not a problem as long as Will Smith isn't around
Load More Replies...Through the fire and flames they'll carry on. Wouldn't worry about it.
Upvote Dan because your post made me think of the DragonForce song
Load More Replies...No kidding! I actually love those adverts for laundry pods (tide pods in USA?) that say “keep away from children”. My husband and and I always chorus together “that’s advice to live by”.
Good idea. Why hasn’t anyone thought of that before now? (Before anyone gets triggered: /s, ffs)
I'm assuming this was on children's pajamas? Fireman pajamas maybe?
My pubic space is very safe - unfortunately 🤣🤣
Load More Replies...I think they’re trying to drive the point home (pun intended) that this is strictly a bike bridge, NO cars allowed. I also think they did a damn fine job of it.
listen kid, there are signs that you follow, and there are ones that you don't
Residents of towns around here have put duct tape over the "Slow" in many neighborhoods.
Load More Replies...Most of us would get the joke cause it's made and explained often /hj
Load More Replies...Neurodivergent kids with energy drinks. Wonderful idea. Either they'll fall asleep or everyone will go feral (I'm neurodivergent (ADHD) and caffeine makes me exhausted)
Load More Replies...The grammar is bad. It's meant to say that you should drive slow because there are children playing in the area. The missing comma changes it to mean slow(delayed/disabled) children are playing; no warning to drive slowly.
Load More Replies...It's not fair that they never post the signs for us fast children
I've always wanted to live on Quality Street. There's one in Reading I believe..
"It's really easy to create congestion. Here, let me close this lane."
well, to be fair, it has eased congestion on that particular [closed] lane
I wonder...is there a sign in there with instructions how to keep one's pubic space safe?
Welcome to North Carolina. Also the home of Morehead City.
Load More Replies...I'm from North Carolina (where this is located) we also have towns called Erect and whynot lol
I though these were both same direction! I guess I'll never get this.
I’m just wondering if the guy in the wheelchair will give the one-legged woman a lift so she can get away from the Dalek too.
Load More Replies...There are four groups who can't use the stairs: one-legged women, zombies, wheelchair users and Daleks.
Daleks have been using stairs since Sylvester McCoy's days - first episode of Remembrance of the Daleks.
Load More Replies...ah yes, the four genders. Man, woman, person in wheelchair, and shower
Those aren’t genders, they’re Donald Trump’s very fine, the best, dementia test results!
Load More Replies...Peg people, normal people, people with a wheel sticking up there a**e all taking a shower! Obviously 🙄/jk
Guys. I’m Pegshowerfulid.. peggender one day.. (first) shower gender the other… (last)
Thank you for trusting us enough to come out XD.
Load More Replies...I love the day the Doctor and the others ran up the stairs to escape the Daliks, and one of them muttered "elevate" and levitated after them.
Texas is voting on the Salem bathroom ban tomorrow.
Load More Replies...That is when bathrooms suck. Good thing here in Mexico, there exists NO such thing.
Load More Replies...Yeah people, only restrooms can use these restaurants! Get with the program!
And head down for Un-London (In case you don't know, Un-London is SCP 1678)
Load More Replies...“And in other news, pedestrians ran into taxis going to see the *other* London”
Makes sense for a Found On Road Dead. Also for a Fix Or Repair Daily.
My mind trying to pronounce it fjord and just not getting the joke for ages.
More like Dracula toilets—-the ones that don’t need mirrors.
Load More Replies...so we have toilets for suits and one for clergy, what about normal people?
I believed that he would just open a portal and p**s in it -- in emergency situations.
Load More Replies...The one on the right is for when you say screw it and wear your snuggie everywhere that day.
There's two in Scotland, I live in one, just outside Glasgow lol. The other is in Paisley
Load More Replies...Error road not found (it’s an actual road tho wth)
Load More Replies...nice. instead of just saying 'get lost' which is very confusing, this one is showing a clear direction
Ah, yes, Lost…..I know it well. My childhood is currently there, with my youth. Also, my virginity, and occasionally my mind.
pregnant women may sit only if the baby is singing a song...very loudly
This isn't weird at all. They're on all the Japanese trains - now if only more people would comply.
It usually crops up in funny sign lists because apparently in vitro Japanese babies provide WiFi.
Load More Replies...Damn, those japanese are brilliant, so tech savvy. They giving out wifi in utero....
My parents had a stop sign on their trailer where my mom parked the car. They said it was so she wouldn't hit the trailer. Not sure how true that was but it was funny having a stop sign.
Another one of life's simple pleasures interfered with by a meddling bureaucracy.
You fell for it, the arrow is pointing in the opposite direction of the beach.
Load More Replies...Place in Hawaii. Bit of a hike to get there, too rocky to be worth it.
I think this is one in Washington (going by vegetation) and if so, the one I am thinking of is nice enough but the sign doesn't really help you get there.
Load More Replies...remember that friend in high school when you told him something and asked 'keep it to yourself' next day everyone knew?
This is from the UK, and we also regularly have signs that say "Heavy Plant Crossing". I always think of the triffids when I see them!
Load More Replies...OMG there is a sign like that at my local park. It has been there a few months now. I have no idea what it means. I can assure you there is no plant moving.
Because it is inside a game reserve with free roaming lions, leopards, hyenas, rhinoceros and lots of other dangerous wild animals ready to snack on or just kill a dumb tourist. i know, it is in Namibia, my home country.
Load More Replies...Nope. I’m not Dwight Schrute. I do not keep empty soda bottles or cans handy to pee in—-and risk cutting my “delicate areas”. Even if I have to squat on the grass behind the building, I will not do my biz in my car.
So the taps stop running and stop to watch you shake your shimmy for them?
I would like to see the place where customers most often arrive with skis, strollers and cellos.
So many “unusual” place names across the UK. Personal favourites are; Wetwang, Wyre Piddle (call a doctor), Brown W***y, Butt Hole and Gropecunt Lane
This is a place in Orkney. The surname Twatt is also pretty common there.
i know a woman called violet twatt, her son changed his name to watt
Load More Replies...The funny thing is, there are two places in the UK with this name. One on Orkney and one on Shetland.
Plans to twin them with F*****g, Austria are still at the conception stage.
Load More Replies...They could also put up a warning sign about the risk of explosion.
Yeah, you never know when you might have sudden urine outbursts. 🙆♂️☔
You can see these in Florida mobile home parks. Usually in those where only 55 years old and older live.
Load More Replies...This is done because drivers are often on 'automatic pilot' and because it's unusual it helps jog you to your senses. So I've heard.
Might as well, seems everyone does 40 minimum anyway, everywhere
Poor Stanley. Too dumb to figure out how doors work so a sign had to be made especially for him. It's ok, Stanley, I'm sure you're smart in other way.
Well you learn something new today and today I learned how to operate a door.
There working to keep the hunan population down.
Load More Replies...I'm more intrigued by the car jumping over the speeding motorcycle.
No way. Nuh-uh. I’m not putting my hand in there. You can put your hand in there all you want, with wild abandonment—-possibly even abandonment of your hand. I prefer not to take that risk and to keep my hand, thank you very much.
Knowing how poorly people wash their hands, or even just rinse, I dry my hands on my pants instead of using those things.
hombre travieso, mirando así. Podría vencerte ahora mismo. También un saludo a todas las personas que google tradujeron este comentario.
I think in this case they "THEN wine"ed quite a bit before they "Make Sign"ed
Load More Replies...There are two buses that run on electricity instead of gas and one is chasing the other. Hope you understand.
Load More Replies...In this instance, bus is short for "bus duct". It's a type of material meant to run vertically in tall buildings to carry electricity to each floor. The term "chase" is used like a channel. So an electrician would recognize that this is where the conductors go from floor to floor... Sorry to ruin the humor in this sign
Looked to the comments for someone to explain.Thanks!
Load More Replies...Or get a blind guy to decode.. unless they made that mistake in Braille too.
Load More Replies...When I was a kid I thought those signs meant you had to sit down. Just why standing up was such a problem eluded me, of course.
you have to run at it really fast and believe that it is really a door
The exit sign is already outside of a building. There is nowhere left to "exit".
Load More Replies...It looks to be on the street. You can't exit any further...unless...welcome to the multiverse!
90% of signs out there are so people don't get sued. Natural selection bust.
I was hoping to find the sign that says "private sign, do not read", but i guess that one was done how it was suppose to be.
I know right? But it might have been a bunch of patriotic individuals threatening her because she implied we weren't #1 at something. >.>
Load More Replies...As a middle aged American who has been to more than 40 states and spent more than a month in 6 (more than a year in 4) and been to enough other countries to see directly how our politics affect them, we absolutely deserve what we get. However, anyone who thinks that their own system is free from systemic problems desperately needs a rectal craniotomy.
Load More Replies...90% of signs out there are so people don't get sued. Natural selection bust.
I was hoping to find the sign that says "private sign, do not read", but i guess that one was done how it was suppose to be.
I know right? But it might have been a bunch of patriotic individuals threatening her because she implied we weren't #1 at something. >.>
Load More Replies...As a middle aged American who has been to more than 40 states and spent more than a month in 6 (more than a year in 4) and been to enough other countries to see directly how our politics affect them, we absolutely deserve what we get. However, anyone who thinks that their own system is free from systemic problems desperately needs a rectal craniotomy.
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