Life — March 31, 1927 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Alibi Contest - Life Magazine Page This page presents **Alibi Number Eleven** and **Alibi Number Sixteen**, part of Life magazine's humor contest asking readers to submit clever excuses. **Alibi Eleven** depicts a dentist visit gone wrong: a patient's tooth was so loose it "jumped for joy" during extraction—an absurd explanation the patient offers to explain their distress to an annoyed lady (likely a companion). The humor relies on the ridiculous excuse and the woman's justifiable anger at the patient's embarrassment. **Alibi Sixteen** shows a man caught playing cards, claiming he didn't know the difference between hearts and spades—a transparent lie mocking those who feign ignorance to escape blame. The contest awards $50 for the best alibi and $10 each for five runners-up, encouraging readers to submit humorous excuses for everyday mishaps and social failures.