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101 Word Short Stories

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My Neighbor the Idiom Savant

July 17, 2025 17 Comments

By Bud Pharo

I hated my nosy, idiom-spewing neighbor Joe’s eternal optimism.

“Bill, I heard about your divorce. Remember, when one door closes, another opens.”

“Yes, that’s exactly how the burglar broke into my house.”

“Try to be more optimistic. What’ve you got to lose?”

“Well, nothing, thanks to that fucking burglar.”

“Just try to keep your chin up.”

“How else can I hide my double chin for my Tinder pic?”

“Ever try counting your blessings?”

“Only if they’re tax-deductible.”

“Before you know it, everything will be coming up roses.”

Turns out Joe was right, especially after I buried his corpse under my flowerbed.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Laura Amey says

    July 17, 2025 at 5:10 am

    This one made me chuckle.

    Reply
    • Bud Pharo says

      July 17, 2025 at 10:38 am

      Thanks Laura!

      Reply
  2. Stella says

    July 17, 2025 at 9:42 am

    Love this, made me LOL appreciate dark humour.

    Reply
    • Bud Pharo says

      July 17, 2025 at 10:42 am

      Glad you liked it.

      Reply
  3. Neil Tarpey says

    July 17, 2025 at 4:30 pm

    An “idiom-spewing neighbor.” Indeed. I loved the banter, Bud.

    Reply
  4. Sharon Murphy says

    July 17, 2025 at 6:38 pm

    Like the dark humour in this story.

    Reply
  5. Suzy says

    July 18, 2025 at 7:14 pm

    Great story. Wasn’t expecting the ending.

    Reply
    • Bud Pharo says

      July 24, 2025 at 8:15 am

      Hi Suzy,

      I always try to add some type of twist at the end, especially if the story is humorous.

      Reply
  6. Gomathi Sridevi says

    July 18, 2025 at 10:01 pm

    Love this story. Made me laugh.

    Reply
    • Bud says

      July 24, 2025 at 8:16 am

      I t

      Reply
      • Bud says

        July 24, 2025 at 8:19 am

        Oops. Anyway, what I meant to say was that I’ve been trying to write more humorous stories lately because our world could certainly use the levity.

        Reply
  7. Harriet says

    July 23, 2025 at 1:10 pm

    Clever repartee, cool twist humorous ending — definitely a winner. Thanks for the fun, Bud!

    Reply
    • Bud Pharo says

      July 24, 2025 at 8:16 am

      Glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply
    • Lisa H. Owens says

      August 13, 2025 at 8:05 am

      The guy had it coming! Nice twist.

      Reply
  8. Alan Moskowitz says

    July 23, 2025 at 6:23 pm

    Good times! Cool story.

    Reply
  9. Bud Pharo says

    July 24, 2025 at 8:06 am

    A special thank you to all the of you who read the story and liked it.

    Bud

    Reply
  10. Pamela Cartlidge says

    July 30, 2025 at 3:43 pm

    Liked it very much.

    Reply

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