The Small and the Mighty

The local bar was so sure that its bartender was the strongest man around that they offered a standing $1000 bet: The massive bartender would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and hand the lemon to a patron. Anyone who could squeeze just one more drop of juice out would walk away with the money. Many people had tried over time weightlifters, longshoremen, etc.) but nobody could do it..

One day this scrawny little man came in, wearing thick glasses and a polyester suit, and said in a tiny, squeaky voice, "I'd like to try the bet." (After the laughter had died down,) the bartender said OK, grabbed a lemon, and squeezed away. Then he handed the wrinkled remains of the rind to the little man..

But the crowd's laughter turned to total silence as the man clenched his fist around the lemon and, one by one, *six* drops fell into the glass!.

As the crowd erupted into cheering, the bartender payed the $1000, and asked the little man, "What do you *do* for a living? Are you a lumberjack, a weightlifter, or what?".

The man adjusted his glasses on his nose and replied, "I work for the IRS.".

Originally published November 14, 2002.