A boiled egg is hard to beat!

In another cyberspace discovery journey, I stumbled upon some trivial knowledge that does little or nothing to alter or enhance your life, but I copied it into a note and only recently re-discovered it. I find this information oddly satisfying as it surrounds the infamous Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Britain, and his love of paraprosdokians, a peculiar oddity that Wikipedia defines as a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence, phrase, or larger discourse is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax. For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists like as Groucho Marx.

Again, according to Wikipedia, the etymology of the very strange sounding word stems from the Greek Greek "παρά", meaning "against" and "προσδοκία", meaning "beyond expectation", and can be referred to as "Garden path sentences" where a grammatically correct sentence is worded with the intention to lead the reader to an incorrect interpretation, or "led down the garden path".

Here are some examples that caused the corners of my mouth to turn skyward:
Where there's a will, I want to be in it.
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it's still on my list.
Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
War does not determine who is right, only who is left.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
They begin the evening news with 'Good Evening,' then proceed to tell you why it isn't.
A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.
You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.
You're never too old to learn something stupid.
Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
I'm supposed to respect my elders, but now it’s getting harder and harder for me to find one. 

Paraprosdokians have been used for years by comedians and authors:

I’m a very tolerant man, except when it comes to holding a grudge - Robin Williams
Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time - George Carlin
When I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them - Rodney Dangerfield
I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it - Groucho Marx
People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day - AA Milne in "Winnie the Pooh"

It will likely come as no surprise to those who have read multiple posts on my Blog, but I am in great awe of those who can write intriguing, thought-provoking strings of thoughts, and paraprosdokians definitely fall into a category that I find amusing. 

Hey, once a teacher, always amazed by useless knowledge.