Ladder

A ladder is a staircase that has stood up straight. It consists of two long poles joined by rungs, and is used for reaching things that are higher than the person who wants them.^[1]

A ladder has no top step. It has a top rung, which carries a notice saying it is not a step, making it the most widely read rung in the world.

Safety

Ladder safety is governed by the 1971 Ladder Code, which runs to 640 pages and must be read before use. The Code is kept on a high shelf for safety. Most readers use a ladder to reach it.^[2]

The Code’s first rule is that a ladder must be held at the bottom by a second person. The second rule, added in 1974, is that the second person must not also be up the ladder.

Walking under ladders

Walking under a ladder is considered unlucky. Statisticians have found that the bad luck is concentrated almost entirely among people who walk under a ladder that someone is painting from.^[3]

Height

Every ladder is slightly shorter than the thing it is needed for. This is known as the One Rung Short Principle and has been observed in every ladder ever borrowed from a neighbour. Ladders bought new are exactly the right height for the previous job.

See also

• Staircase – a ladder that lay down a bit
• Mountain – would need a long ladder

References

1. Rung, R. (1971). The Ladder Code. 640 pp. Top Shelf Press.
2. Step, S. (2002). “Not a Step”. Climbing Quarterly 9.
3. Drip, D. (1988). “Under Ladders: A Study in Paint”.