10 October 2025

buying a calf

Learn English With Jokes
Placez le pointeur de la souris sur les mots soulignés, sans cliquer.

A motoristautomobiliste, driving past a Tennessee ranchferme, not far from Seymour on the way up to Cades Cove, struck and killed a calfveau that was attempting to cross the road. The motorist approached the farmeragriculteur and explained the incident.

He then enquired what the animal was worthvalait. The farmer replied, “Well, about £700 today, but in six years, it would have been worth at leastau moins £1400. So £1400 is what I’m expectingm’attends à from you.”

The motorist sat down, wrote out a chequerédigea un chèque, and handed it to the farmer. “Here,” he said, “is a cheque for £700. It’s postdatedpostdaté six years from now.”


Vocabulary
motorist: a person who drives a vehicle
ranch: a large farm for raising livestock
calf: a young cow or bull
postdated: dated for a future time
The motoristautomobiliste sped past the village.
The cattle grazed on the ranchferme.
The calfveau followed its mother.
He gave a postdatedpostdaté cheque.
Grammar
This anecdote uses reported speech and the future-in-the-past tense.
Reported speech: The motorist asked what the calf was worth.
Future-in-the-past: The farmer said it would have been worth £1400.
Synonyms & Alternatives
Motorist: driver, car owner, traveller
Ranch: farm, estate, homestead
Postdated: forward-dated, deferred, delayed
Mini Dialogue
Emma: Did you settle the invoice for the delivery?
Liam: Yes, but I issued a postdatedpostdaté cheque for next month.
Emma: Clever! What’s it worthvaut now?
Liam: About £500, but I’m expectingm’attends à more business soon!


© — This blog collects and shares light-hearted jokes that have been passed along by word of mouth. I do not claim ownership of any of them. You are welcome to copy, share, or tell them at weddings, dinner parties, your braaivleis, or even a bar mitzvah. If you have a favourite clean joke, drop it in the comments and we may, if it's really good, feature it here.

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