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by AB-Joel on July 18th, 2004

AB-Joel

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Why do we drive on a parkway and park in a driveway?

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Answers. 71 helpful answers below.

  • by Grandma Roses - my avatar is my real dog on September 22nd, 2005

    Grandma Roses - my avatar is my real dog

    Besides the previously mentioned stand-up comedians reason, here is the answer from The Straight Dope website:

    Let's get one thing cleared up right off the bat: you can drive on the driveway. Indeed, if you'll permit me to wax philosophical for a moment, this is the very essence of drivewayness--to enable you to drive from the street to your garage. Moreover, you can park on the parkway, if you're willing to risk the wrath of the law. I don't know that this clarifies things much, but it seemed like a point worth making.

    I think the crux of the issue, however--I love using words like crux--is the dual meaning of "park."

    Park in the sense of tended greenery and park in the sense of stowing your vehicle, though deriving from the same root, diverged in meaning long ago. In Old French, a parc was an enclosure. To this day a military park means an area where vehicles are stored and serviced. As early as 1812 there was a verb "to park," meaning to store one's howitzers in a military park. This carried over to carriages and ultimately to any sort of vehicle.

    Our notion of landscaped parks, meanwhile, derives from the medieval practice of enclosing game preserves for the use of the aristocracy. The term was later applied to the grounds around a country estate, then to royal parks in London to which the proles were grudgingly admitted, and finally to any landscaped public grounds. The idea of enclosure is still evident in expressions like "ball park," for an enclosed playing field. Any more questions, smart stuff?


    Here is their website

    http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_080.html

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  • by pun_nisher on July 23rd, 2004

    pun_nisher

    Let's examine this logicially. First let's define the words.

    *******************************************************************************

    PARKWAY: Dictionary Entry and Meaning

    Definition: [n] a wide scenic road planted with trees

    So a parkway is a road planted with trees to resemble a park-like setting.

    You drive along the parkway to view the scenery.

    *******************************************************************************

    DRIVEWAY: Dictionary Entry and Meaning

    Definition: [n] a road leading up to a private house

    A driveway is a road leading up to a private house.

    So if you don't stop the car and park it you'll hit the house.

    *******************************************************************************

    Hence, we drive on a parkway and park in a driveway.

    I hope this explains it for you.

    Definitions came from this site: http://www.hyperdictionary.com

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  • by Kyogre-Stataen on January 19th, 2008

    Kyogre-Stataen

    The driveway was actually ment for driving for its design. Driveways were first designed to drive by or breeze through the way when driving. Of course, the parking was added in this later in time.

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  • by azlotto on September 11th, 2009

    azlotto

    Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii?
    Why are there flotation devices under plane seats instead of parachutes?
    Why are cigarettes sold in gas stations when smoking is prohibited there?
    Why do fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing?
    If you can't drink and drive, why do you need a driver's license to buy liquor, and why do bars have parking lots?
    Do you need a silencer if you are going to shoot a mime?
    Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations?
    How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings?
    If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?
    If a cow laughed real hard, would milk come out her nose?
    If nothing ever sticks to Teflon, how do they make Teflon stick to the pan?
    If you tied buttered toast to the back of a cat and dropped it from a height, what would happen?
    If you're in a vehicle going the speed of light, what happens when you turn on the headlights?
    Why do they put Braille dots on the keypad of the drive-up ATM?
    Why isn't "palindrome" spelled the same way backwards as it is forwards?
    Why is it that when you transport something by car, it's called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship, it's called cargo?
    If a black box in a plane is indestructible, why can't they make the whole plane out of it?
    Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?
    Why is it so hard to remember how to spell 'mnemonic'?
    If someone invented instant water, what would they mix it with?
    Why is it called a TV "set" when you only get one?
    Why does your nose run and your feet smell?
    Why does an alarm clock "go off" when it begins ringing?
    If pro is the opposite of con, is progress the opposite of congress?
    Why does "cleave" mean both split apart and stick together?
    Why is it, whether you sit up or sit down, the result is the same?
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    Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
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    What do sheep count when they can't get to sleep?
    When you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn?
    Does fuzzy logic tickle?
    Do blind Eskimos heave seeing-eye sled dogs?
    Do they have reserved parking for non-handicap people at the Special Olympics?
    How come wrong numbers are never busy?
    Do radioactive cats have 18 half-lives?
    Why call it "take" a dump, when you leave something behind?
    What was the best thing before sliced bread?
    Why do we call it a hot water heater if the water is already hot?
    If you throw a cat out a car window does it become kitty litter?
    If corn oil comes from corn, where does baby oil come from?
    If there is no God, who pops up the next Kleenex in the box?
    How do they get a deer to cross at that yellow road sign?
    If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?
    Is there another word for thesaurus?
    Is the color orange called that because it's the color of the fruit of the same name, or was the fruit called orange because that's its color? Which came first, the color or the fruit?
    After eating, do amphibians have to wait one hour before getting out of the water?
    How can there be self-help "groups"?
    If white wine goes with fish, do white grapes go with sushi?
    If a mute swears, does his mother make him wash his hands with soap?
    If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?
    Instead of talking to your plants, if you yelled at them would they still grow, but only to be troubled and insecure?
    Is there another word for synonym?
    Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice"?
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    It is hard to understand how a cemetery raised its burial cost and blamed it on the cost of living.
    If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
    Why is a pear called a pear when there is only one?
    What do they pack Styrofoam in?
    Why did God give men nipples?
    Is grass really greener on the other side?
    Do boxer shorts box?
    Why do you wear a pair of panties and only one bra?
    Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
    Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
    Why is it called a "near miss" when you don't hit something?
    When sign makers go on strike, is there anything written on their signs?
    Before the light bulb was invented, what appeared over peoples heads when they had an idea?
    If you spin an Oriental person around and around, does he become disorientated?
    If a vegetable goes into a coma, is it called a person?
    If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
    Why does the word monosyllabic contain five syllables?
    If you wear an antennae to a wedding, would the reception be better?
    Why is abbreviated such a long word?
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    Why do people point to their wrist when they want to know the time? Do I point to my crotch when I want to know where the bathroom is?
    Why is there an 's' in lisp?
    If you were scared half to death twice, would you be 3/4 dead or 100% dead?
    If the cops arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?
    If you ate pasta and antipasti, would you still be hungry?
    If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest end up drowning as well?
    What should you do if you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?
    If a man is standing in the middle of the forest speaking and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?
    If you asked a librarian where the books on self help were would they tell you, or would that defeat the purpose?
    If ATM stands for Automatic Teller Machine, why do we call it an ATM machine? And if PIN stands for Personal Identification Number, why do we call it a PIN number?

    +5

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  • by HasntBeen on July 13th, 2009

    HasntBeen

    Ever since that whole Renaissance thing we've just had trouble getting both cylinders to fire! Send linguists, mechanics, and love!

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  • by BeautifulStranger on October 5th, 2008

    BeautifulStranger

    Why are you Screaming in all CAPS?

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  • by WishUponAStar on August 19th, 2008

    WishUponAStar

    Why are apartments called such when they are so close together? The world may never know.

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  • by Sheepingly needs no handy men only hugs on August 19th, 2008

    Sheepingly needs no handy men only hugs

    Lack of common sense w/ someone.

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  • by Hannnaaaahhhhh on April 16th, 2008

    Hannnaaaahhhhh

    you have a difficult dilemma here to work out dear DillaDolla26. i am guessing that the drive way suggests you drive onto the drive but i do not understand what you mean by park way???? i am from england we do not call it that here.

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  • by Jerichoholic - MaryannO on January 19th, 2008

    Jerichoholic - MaryannO

    And why do we drive on a "parkway"?

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  • by -O-uknow on August 14th, 2007

    -O-uknow

    Parking in your drive way is an efficient utilization of garage space for something other than car storage. In California heavy traffic often makes "parkway" an apt description.

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  • by tqj2004 on May 14th, 2007

    tqj2004

    Because we have a confusing language.

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  • by mcclisteraf on December 14th, 2006

    mcclisteraf

    That's awesome That's like why is their brail on a drive thru atm machine.

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  • by jalex137 on June 29th, 2005

    jalex137

    To give standup comics more material?
    There is probably not a good answer to this question. It's just one of the oddities of the English language. All languages have these humorous and sometimes poetic peculiarities, but I suspect that English, particularly American English, is particularly prone to these, because it is so heavily derivative of other languages.

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  • by oracledelphi on February 19th, 2005

    oracledelphi

    They do that only in America. Elsewhere you drive up the driveway, to get from the street to the house or whatever the building is.

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  • by Anonymous on July 3rd, 2009

    Anonymous

    same reason your feet smell and your nose runs

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  • by dontcallmewave on February 2nd, 2008

    dontcallmewave

    lol

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  • by Sweet T on January 20th, 2008

    Sweet T

    Why do we park in the driveway and drive on the parkway?



    Driveway and Parkway

    From what I understand, 'way' means 'road'. So a driveway is a road that you drive on, typically either to the street or your garage. A parkway is a road through or to a park. Usually parkways are landscaped, or beautified, with medians or trees along the edges.

    Park comes from an old word (parc I think) meaning something enclosed. Generally fancy landscaped areas in the old days were enclosed to keep the riff-raff out, and started being called parks....the name stuck. The military enclosed the places they stored their vehicles (wagons and such, up to modern stuff) and called them 'parks' as well. They began referring to storing their vehicles as 'parking' them. The term started applying to any vehicle sometime around just after the war of 1812 and gained popularity into WW2, and stuck. It just lost the meaning of 'enclosed'. When so many military veterans continued using the phrase when they became civilians, it became standard.

    Driveways and Parkways

    This question is not as random as you think. Driveways were initially much longer, leading from the road back to the main house on the property. So initially people really did drive on them. The word parkway was used to describe a well developed thoroughfare, complete with trees, grassy divided medians and other landscaping, thus the "park" in the name.

    Here are more opinions and answers from other WikiAnswers Contributors:

    * I think this is a linguistic quirk incorporated into contemporary English as a direct result of an old George Carlin skit. But, I could be wrong.

    * Partly because English is one of the most free-for-all languages in the world, with fewer rules and more borrowed words than just about any other tongue. Besides the driveway conundrum: 1) The plural of foot is feet, but the plural of boot is boots (beet??), 2) A vegetable farmer is a person whose job is to produce produce, 3) Your nose can run and your feet can smell, 4) "In action" and "inaction" are opposites, 5) You can be overwhelmed, but not whelmed, 6) "Plague" has one syllable but "ague" has two, 7) "ghoti" can be pronounced "fish" (see George Bernard Shaw), 8) "ough" has at least five different pronunciations, 9) its, hers, yours, ours and theirs are the only possessives that do NOT take apostrophes and on and on and on.

    Answer

    We will understand this when we figure out why Frosted Flakes have frosting, but pitted prunes DON'T have pits...

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  • by designer is wearing a ....... on November 22nd, 2007

    designer is wearing a .......

    the same reason we call delivery by car a shipment, and delivery by ship is called cargo. go figure. by the way, why is it a hot water heater , you dont need to heat hot water

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  • by keithold is a prodigal bagger on July 26th, 2007

    keithold is a prodigal bagger

    G'day Nene1234,

    Thank you for your question.

    I think that it is a subtle intelligence test and that people who park on the parkway end up losing their license. :>)

    Regards

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  • by anonymous for now on July 26th, 2007

    anonymous for now

    Plenty of answers are provided here: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/7027

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  • by MG1942 Has a Life Penguin on July 22nd, 2007

    MG1942 Has a Life Penguin

    Because a driveway implies a space to drive where normally there would not be one(i.e. your front yard) whereas a parkway is a place where they saw the need to make a way to drive, but didn't want to strip the area of vegetation to make an EXPRESSWAY, so they pave typically a two-lane road, and dress it up nicely with landscaping to resemble a park.

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  • by Esteban-- Smart ass Pumpkin on July 22nd, 2007

    Esteban-- Smart ass Pumpkin

    it is in the Torah.

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  • by ChrisDG on June 19th, 2007

    ChrisDG

    I persoanlly park *on* the driveway, unless it has been partially excavated. In which case I would opt to park on the roadside next to my house.

    And I drive on the road, not a parkway.

    But both these points are currently moot, since my car is without engine at this moment in time.

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  • by hdsquaver spark on March 25th, 2007

    hdsquaver spark

    Because parkways aree how you get to parks and driveways are how you get up to you house.

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  • by Jay Was Here - AYPWIP on March 22nd, 2007

    Jay Was Here - AYPWIP

    Not sure... maybe the answer can justify:

    Why Interstate Highways are in Hawaii

    Why are there flotation devices under plane seats instead of parachutes?

    Why are cigarettes sold in gas stations when smoking is prohibited there?

    Why do fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing?

    If you can't drink and drive, why do you need a driver's license to buy liquor, and why do bars have parking lots?

    If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors?

    Why do they put Braille dots on the keypad of the drive-up ATM?

    Why is it that when you transport something by car, it's called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship, it's called cargo?

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  • by Brew Guy wishes he was icefishing... on March 13th, 2007

    Brew Guy wishes he was icefishing...

    A parkway is named to make reference to parks (central 'park') while a driveway is named to describe 'the portion of one's property intended for the navigation of one's automobile'

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  • by CoachMJ on February 12th, 2007

    CoachMJ

    For the same reason we have Jumbo Shrimp and put cargo on a ship and a shipment on a truck.

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  • by RockyRun2011 on December 14th, 2006

    RockyRun2011

    I don't know,but good question! points for you!

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  • by Outta-here on March 18th, 2009

    Outta-here

    Why is there an Interstate highway in Hawaii???

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  • by bolwerk on February 21st, 2009

    bolwerk

    It's a complete mystery.

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  • by Scooby on March 18th, 2009

    Scooby

    Yes, indeed, why is that!?? a very thought provoking question!
    I’ve no idea!!!!

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  • by Wide Awake @ has closing date woo hoo on July 3rd, 2009

    Wide Awake @ has closing date woo hoo

    Why are all your questions tired duplicates?

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  • by Anonymous on August 15th, 2009

    Anonymous

    I think this is a linguistic quirk incorporated into contemporary English as a direct result of an old George Carlin skit.

    Partly because English is one of the most free-for-all languages in the world, with fewer rules and more borrowed words than just about any other tongue.

    Besides the driveway conundrum: 1) The plural of foot is feet, but the... Read more plural of boot is boots (beet??), 2) A vegetable farmer is a person whose job is to produce produce, 3) Your nose can run and your feet can smell, 4) "In action" and "inaction" are opposites, 5) You can be overwhelmed, but not whelmed, 6) "Plague" has one syllable but "ague" has two, 7) "ghoti" can be pronounced "fish" (see George Bernard Shaw), 8) "ough" has at least five different pronunciations, 9) its, hers, yours, ours and theirs are the only possessives that do NOT take apostrophes and on and on and on.

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  • by Msdriftwood is no longer heartbroken on February 16th, 2009

    Msdriftwood is no longer heartbroken

    The same reason asteroids are in space and hemmoroids are in..........well, you get the picture

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  • by Dezimae is FINALLY 21 on March 18th, 2009

    Dezimae is FINALLY 21

    well thats like Iceland and Greenland. Greenland is covered in snow and ice and Iceland is green and pretty. it was to confuse the people buying the land. lol. so there must be some kind of reason.

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  • by Moongrim on February 16th, 2009

    Moongrim

    Oh I've driven on drive ways, but not for long. And when I park on parkways the cops usually give me such a hassle.

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  • by cindyahb on March 25th, 2007

    cindyahb

    the person who came up with these just wanted to mess with us. i hope they are having fun in hell

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  • by jin jang on March 22nd, 2007

    jin jang

    During rush hour we actually park on the parkway,and drive to park in our driveways.

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  • by Chosun One on March 22nd, 2007

    Chosun One

    because America is backwards ass

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  • by American idle on March 25th, 2007

    American idle

    Yeah, old George Carlin.

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  • by Im Alec has abandoned this account on March 25th, 2007

    Im Alec has abandoned this account

    You may do that in America, but we Brits are not so crazy.

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  • by BabyRottweiler on May 14th, 2007

    BabyRottweiler

    I have no idea... but excellent question!

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  • by Empress of Everything Ever on April 14th, 2007

    Empress of Everything Ever

    Ssame as why in Australia you pay a toll on the freeways!

    Because! That's why....lol

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  • by LuckyLefty on March 22nd, 2007

    LuckyLefty

    We drive on parkways?

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  • by blink182lover4life on March 13th, 2007

    blink182lover4life

    Thats a good question but its making my head hurt! :)

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  • by xpukex on September 21st, 2006

    xpukex

    same reason there are hemroids on you A$$ and asteriods in space

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  • by xpukex on September 21st, 2006

    xpukex

    same reason there are hemroids on your ass and asteriods in space

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  • by Andy B has left AB on October 25th, 2011

    Andy B has left AB

    I don't think we've got any "parkways" in my town, although it is true that we do park in driveways. Still, it's a good question.

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  • by loveschimps on July 11th, 2007

    loveschimps

    I don't know but someone is listening to Pete Seegers english is crazy

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You're reading Why do we drive on a parkway and park in a driveway? - which can also be phrased in the following ways:

  • Why do we park on driveways yet we drive on parkways?
  • Why is it we drive in a Parkway and park in a driveway?
  • Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?
  • Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?
  • Why do we drive on parkways and park in diveways?
  • Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways?
  • Why do people drive on "parkways" and park on "driveways"?
  • Why do we park in a driveway and drive on the parkway?
  • Why do we park on drive ways and drive on park ways?
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  • Why do u park in a driveway and drive in a parkway?
  • Why do we PARK on driveway, but DRIVE on a parkway? 0_o
  • Why exactly do we drive on the parkway and park in a driveway?
  • Why do we "park" in a "driveway"?
  • Why do we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway
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  • Why do we drive through parkways and park in driveways?
  • WHY DO YOU PARK IN THE DRIVEWAY AND DRIVE ON THE PARKWAY?
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  • Why do you park in a driveway yet drive on a parkway?
  • Why do we park in driveways and drive in parkways
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  • Why is it that we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway?
  • Why do you drive on a park way and park on a drive way?
  • Why is a driveway called a driveway when you park on it and why is a parkway called a parkway when you drive on it?
  • WHY DO WE PARK ON DRIVEWAYS? AND DRIVE ON PARKWAYS?
  • Why do we drive on the parkway and pak on the drive way?
  • Why do you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?
  • Why is it that you park on a driveway, but drive on a parkway?
  • Why do you park in a driveway, but drive on a parkway?
  • Why do we drive on parkways, and park on driveways?
  • Why do we park in driveways and drive on parkways? (borrowed from George Carlin)
  • Why do people drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?
  • Why do they call a driveway a "driveway" when u park in it and a parkway a "parkway" when u drive in it?
  • Why do we drive on parkways but park on drive ways?
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  • Why do you park in drive ways and drive on parkways?
  • Why do we park in a driveway and drive in a parkway
  • Why do we park on driveways, and drive on a parkway?
  • Why do we drive on the parkway and park on the driveway?
  • Can anyone explain why we drive on parkways but park on driveways?

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