The Exciting Conclusion of the Maltese Clamping Mystery

I’ve got a busy morning.

I’m leaving this afternoon on a long trip

I’ll be visiting many countries.

So I’ve got a lot to wrap up before the flight leaves.

Where am I going first?

I’ll tell you tomorrow when I arrive.

But today, I’ll give you a clue: It rhymes with “I can’t wait to go to _______.”

THE CLAMPING MYSTERY

Yesterday I asked you to guess the meaning of a sign in Malta which I had never seen before.

It said: “No clamping.”

Thank you for your guesses.

Some of you came close.

Here’s the rest of the sign:

Do a Google image search for “clamp” and you’ll find tools that hold two objects together.

Do a news search for clamp and you’ll find the phrase “clamp down on.”

That means the authorities are getting stricter and enforcing more controls.

Here in Prague, the city government wants to clamp down on late-night noise from tourists.

And in Malta, if you park in a clamping zone, you may find you can’t drive your car home because Rita the meter maid has clamped a big piece of metal onto your wheel.

In the US, we call it a “boot.”