It's a Plumber Thing You Wouldn't Understand

4 designs of the same line, so you can pick the artwork rather than settle for the first one you find.

4 designs From $21.99 Printed to order

Name the right job

Trade and profession shirts are specific on purpose. Someone who says they are a plumber will not accept a near-miss title, and the closely related jobs each have their own version — that precision is the whole point of the joke.

The 4 designs here all name the same job, so pick on how loud the artwork is. Anything worn to work should read cleanly at a glance rather than crowd the chest with a second punchline.

Who it is for

Best for someone a few years into the work — long enough that the job has its own vocabulary and its own complaints. For a new starter it can read as presumptuous, and for someone who has left the trade it reads as nostalgia rather than a joke.

The call-out nobody wants

Plumbers get called at the worst possible moment, by definition — nobody rings a plumber when things are going well. That timing is the whole personality of the trade.

The joke about the price of a call-out is one plumbers make themselves, usually right after describing what they had to reach into. They have earned it.

Heating and plumbing are not quite the same qualification, and someone gas-registered will tell you so.

Sizing and ordering

  • Unisex tees run true to size — size up one for a relaxed fit.
  • 3 garments on this page — Women's Racerback Tank, Women's Ideal Racerback Tank, Unisex Standard T-Shirt. Price differences here are the garment, not the print.
  • Allow two to three weeks. Each shirt is printed after you order, so production time comes before shipping time.
  • Checkout happens on the print partner's site — Senprints handles printing, payment and delivery.

If it is not quite the right job

The wording only works when it names the exact job, so it is worth checking before you buy. Portrait Photographer, Postal Worker and Producer each have their own page with their own designs, and there are more below.

Other subjects

Browse every "It's a Thing" design →

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