Man baffled after realising what pineapple on doorstep means

There are plenty of bamboozling things to come home to, but what could be more curious than walking up your driveway and finding a stray pineapple lying in wait.

Exotic fruit doesn’t land on a British driveway by accident, and it proved a head scratcher for one man who was alarmed to later discover why someone may have left it there.

He took to Reddit’s ‘Today I F**ked Up’ page to share the experience. Having returned home at 7pm one evening, everything seemed as it ought to and he got on with his much-deserved rest and relaxation.

Down to clown (vladimir soldatov/Getty Images)

An hour later, his girlfriend came home to find a pineapple by the front door with a note that read ‘Welcome’.

For reasons known only to the Redditor, he and his girlfriend left the lost pineapple where it was. He 'didn’t think much of it until the following morning when [he] saw it there’.

Unsure what to make of it, he wondered if it might have criminal implications. It’s been reported that criminals occasionally use some kind of marker to show their fellow scoundrels that the place is a robbery target, as the Redditor noted in his explanation.

"A white spray paint X on the door would have been too obvious and criminals are getting smarter," he said, ignoring the fact that driveway pineapples are hardly subtle.

Keen to disrupt the imagined criminals’ line of communication, he took the pineapple indoors.

"At work, I told my friend about what happened and immediately he said you were invited to a swinger party,” he said. “I was stumped. What? He proceeded to explain the story of swingers and pineapples."

The more street-wise among you probably clocked that one straight away: pineapples, namely upside-down ones, have been used as a symbol for swinging.

Swinging, dear innocent reader, is the practice of hooking up with another couple for casual sex.

The Redditor learned that the pineapple was in fact an invitation to a swingers’ party – at least, he presumed so.

He explained: "If someone places a pineapple on your doorstep they’re inviting you to swing. If you leave it there upside down you’re responding to their invite accepting it."

Now, you may be somewhat offended to realise that you and your partner have never found a pineapple outside your front door and therefore must not appeal the local swingers. Whether that’s a mark of shame or pride is up to you.

Be careful with your pineapples - you wouldn't want to give the wrong impression (marie martin/Getty Images)

It turns out that this particular pineapple was more innocent than the connotations implied. The Redditor explained it was, in fact, a weird gift from a friend.

"He was in town in a pub, got drunk, went past a small gift shop with the pineapple in the window and thought it would be a great decor for us,” he explained. "We’re very close and give each other random gifts."

Sounds like that friend might be interested in getting even closer. Wink wink, nudge nudge.