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Confused Sherlock Reacts to Ambiguous Crocodile Warning Sign

This is a two-panel meme. The top panel shows a warning sign posted on the shore of a body of water, printed with the text "CROCODILES DO NOT SWIM HERE", which is phrased ambiguously: it can be interpreted either as a warning to humans not to swim in the area due to the presence of crocodiles, or as an instruction forbidding crocodiles themselves from swimming at the location. The bottom panel features a screenshot of Benedict Cumberbatch portraying Sherlock Holmes from the BBC *Sherlock* television series, with a visibly confused, perplexed expression, and overlaid text reading "Wait, what?" that expresses disbelief and confusion at the awkward, ambiguous wording of the warning sign. The humor comes from the unintended double meaning of the poorly written public safety notice.
Make

Dialogue

Wait, what?

Text content

CROCODILES DO NOT SWIM HERE

Overview

This is a two-panel meme. The top panel shows a warning sign posted on the shore of a body of water, printed with the text "CROCODILES DO NOT SWIM HERE", which is phrased ambiguously: it can be interpreted either as a warning to humans not to swim in the area due to the presence of crocodiles, or as an instruction forbidding crocodiles themselves from swimming at the location. The bottom panel features a screenshot of Benedict Cumberbatch portraying Sherlock Holmes from the BBC Sherlock television series, with a visibly confused, perplexed expression, and overlaid text reading "Wait, what?" that expresses disbelief and confusion at the awkward, ambiguous wording of the warning sign. The humor comes from the unintended double meaning of the poorly written public safety notice.

Origin notes

This meme was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the account @WholesomeMeme. It is a derivative work that combines two separate, widely circulated pre-existing assets: a real photograph of a poorly worded public warning sign, and a popular reaction image of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes from the BBC Sherlock series. This type of wordplay/grammar ambiguity joke meme is a common format shared on social media humor accounts.

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