When anyone at work says they heard the machine make a strange noise, I ask them if they could imitate the noise for me, and most people will do their best. This doesn't help me diagnose the problem at all, I just find it entertaining

@justinto My wife called our mechanic to say that the brakes on the car were making a noise and needed to be checked.

"What kind of noise are they making?" he asked.

"They're making the kind of noise they make when they need to checked," she answered.