'Can you hear me now?'
An elderly gentleman feared his wife was getting hard of hearing. So one day he called her doctor to make an appointment to have her hearing checked. The doctor made an appointment but suggested meanwhile there's a simple informal test the husband could do to give the doctor some idea of the state of her problem.
Here's what you do," said the doctor, "start out about 40 feet away from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 and so on until you get a response.
That evening, the wife is in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he's in the living room. He says to himself, "I'm about 40 feet away, let's see what happens".
So, in a normal tone he asks, "Honey what's for supper?" No response.
So the husband moved to the other end of the room, about 30 feet from his wife and repeats, "Honey, what's for supper? Still no response.
Next he moves into the dining room where he is about 20 feet from his wife and asks, "Honey what's for supper?" Again he gets no response.
So he walks up to the kitchen door only 10 feet away. "Honey what's for supper?" Again there is not response. So he walks right up behind her.
"Honey what's for supper?"
"Damn it Fred, for the fifth time, CHICKEN!"