"So I rang up my local swimming baths. I said 'Is that the local swimming baths?' He said 'It depends where you're calling from.'"

The line from Tim Vine plays with the ambiguity created by language and exploits the expectation of a simple, transactional exchange. At first glance, calling a local swimming baths to confirm their identity is mundane. Yet, the humour emerges in the receptionist's unexpected reply: “It depends where you’re calling from.”

The listener expects a straightforward confirmation, either "yes, this is the local swimming baths" or "no you've reached the wrong number". Instead, the reply takes the phrase “local swimming baths” in a relative sense rather than absolute. For the caller, these baths are local, but "local" is inherently subjective; what is local to one person may not be to another. The response, conditioned on the caller's location, transforms a factual query into a contemplation of perspective. If the caller is nearby, then indeed this might be their local pool. If not, perhaps it is not local at all.

Tim Vine’s comedic style relies on puns, wordplay, and twisting the intended meaning of seemingly ordinary phrases. Here, he subverts the common expectation by answering a practical question with logical literalism, but with an absurdist slant. The joke shines a light on how language often assumes shared context or perspective. We habitually think of “local” as absolute when, in truth, it only makes sense relative to the observer.

The joke also gently mocks the sometimes overly pedantic or unhelpful responses one can encounter when dealing with customer service. Instead of effortless communication, we’re met with semantic wrangling over the very word that ought to connect us. This interplay of misunderstanding highlights the inherent subjectivity in everyday communication and the humor that can arise when these assumptions are made explicit. By taking the question literally and breaking social convention, Vine’s joke makes us laugh while also nudging us to consider the quirks in our daily exchanges.