I loved the quote attached with Anu's email today:
Thank you for sending me a copy of your book - I'll waste no time in reading it.
Moses Hadas, teacher and author (1900-1966)
Can anyone think of another short saying with three (or more) legitimately implied variant meanings?
Let's see...how 'bout, "You are so talented--nobody can catch you at embezzling". Though I think that's only two.
I think Disraeli has prior dibs on this one.
When an aspiring writer would send Disraeli an uninteresting manuscript to review, he liked to reply, "Dear Sir: I thank you for sending me a copy of your book, which I shall waste no time in reading."
From the wikipedia entry on Disraeli:
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_DisraeliBingley
A friend of mine who was studying semantics gave the following sentence which his class had discussed:
My hobby is destroying my friends.
k
My hobby is destroying my friends. Whew--it took me a minute, to come up with something besides the speaker liking to destroy his friends! Yow.
Sorry to be the dense one here, but I don't get the third meaning in "Dear Sir: I thank you for sending me a copy of your book, which I shall waste no time in reading." I see two: he will read it immediately, and he will not read it because he doesn't want to waste the time required to do so.
he will read it immediately
Or the time he spends reading it will be well spent.
how about:
we saw her duck
is that what you mean?
That'll do, duck! And I like the other example too :) Any more? I particularly liked the sly wit of the (disputed origin) saying.
Drugstore ad?
When you stop by to fill your prescription, don't forget to pick up something for your small business, and stock up on coke from the pharmacy (chemist) that dispenses with accuracy.
the pharmacy (chemist) that dispenses with accuracy. Nice to see you back, John!