A woman shoots her husband, then holds him under water for five minutes. Then she hangs him. But five minutes later they both go out and enjoy a wonderful dinner. How?

This clever riddle plays on the multiple meanings of common verbs, leading our minds down a dramatic path before revealing a much more mundane, yet equally fascinating, scenario. The key to solving it lies in understanding the traditional process of developing photographs. When someone "shoots" their husband in this context, it refers to taking a picture with a camera, capturing his image on film or a digital sensor.

The subsequent actions describe the darkroom process that was once standard for creating physical prints from photographic negatives. "Holding him under water for five minutes" refers to immersing the photographic paper, bearing the husband's image, into a chemical bath—typically a developer solution. This crucial step brings out the latent image on the paper, making it visible. The timing of this immersion is often critical for proper development. Following this, prints would be rinsed and then "hung" up to dry, often using clips on a line, much like laundry.

This riddle highlights the rich vocabulary associated with photography's historical methods, a craft that has largely been replaced by digital techniques today. While the darkroom process is less common for amateur photographers now, it was a fundamental skill for generations, turning captured light into tangible memories through a series of precise chemical reactions and careful handling. The humor in the riddle comes from the stark contrast between the violent implications of the verbs and their peaceful, artistic application in photography.