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Jokes with pun punchlines
ggurman
7 Posts
(Offline)
1
2015/10/23 - 3:12am
Is there a term for the kind of joke that ends in a play on a well-known expression? Rather than include examples here, I'll give you links to two I found online: Good Evening and The Island of Trid. I know I've heard others, but they're escaping me now. (If you know any others, please post them (or links).
 
Thanks very much!
EmmettRedd
859 Posts
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2
2015/10/23 - 8:42am

There was a rich king of a south sea island (maybe not too far from Trid). He was so rich that he had a two-story grass hut/house. He also had an expensive hobby; he collected thrones and would often buy them from kings on neighboring islands. He stored his thrones on the second floor of his grass house. One day he came home from one of his throne-collecting trips to find that his house had collapsed.

The moral of the story: People who live in grass houses should not stow thrones.

It (along with many others) are here.

deaconB
744 Posts
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3
2015/10/23 - 9:11am
During the collapse of the USSR, there were shortages everywhere - and they were using a coal fired locomotive to escape to the West.  They didn't have much fuel, and they were traveling on a dark and storm night, because who knew how long the border would be open.
 
"We can't go much further," the fireman told the engineer. "We're down to running on the heat from the coals."  The engineer asked the fireman to fetch the porter.
 
"You're from around here, aren't you?"  The porter nodded.  "You know where we could buy some coal?"
 
"My uncle runs a coal yard.  He owes me a favor."  The engineer asked where the coal yard was.  "I think we're a couple of miles from there.  Had to see.  He's right close to the train station."
 
"Which station would that be?"  "Well," the porter said, "they called it Danzig before WWII, when they charged the name back to Gdansk, but the locals keep tearing down the new sign that covers the name painted directly on the station, so it could be either one."
 
They could see they were approaching a community in the infrequent lightning bolts, so the engineer sent the fireman to hang over the railing at the front of the locomotive with an oil lantern, and try to read what the station house said.
 
As they got close, the engineer shouted, "What's it say?"
 
"Hard to tell, but I think it's DANZIG IN THE DARK" 
 
So the engineer jerked on the brakes, and yelled, "Buy coal, porter!"
Guest
4
2015/10/23 - 11:41am

ggurman asked: Is there a term for the kind of joke that ends in a play on a well-known expression?

I believe it's just another form of "pun" ... that's what I'd call all these examples anyway. So here's my contribution:

A golfer was warned by his doctor that his heart was too weak to continue playing the game, but he refused to give up his favorite sport. Sure enough, next time he played, he suffered a heart attack and ended up in the hospital. When his doctor saw him again, he admonished the guy, saying "What did I tell you? You should have put the heart before the course!"

EmmettRedd
859 Posts
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5
2015/10/23 - 12:30pm

Heimhenge said

ggurman asked: Is there a term for the kind of joke that ends in a play on a well-known expression?

I believe it's just another form of "pun" ... that's what I'd call all these examples anyway. So here's my contribution:

A golfer was warned by his doctor that his heart was too weak to continue playing the game, but he refused to give up his favorite sport. Sure enough, next time he played, he suffered a heart attack and ended up in the hospital. When his doctor saw him again, he admonished the guy, saying "What did I tell you? You should have put the heart before the course!"

Some of the word play almost become Spoonerisms, but, Spoonerisms transposed word sounds without trying to make real words. The Pee Little Thrigs and Rindercella are retelling of classics completely full of Spoonerisms.

By contrast, many of these puns given in this topic use real words to transpose word sounds.

ggurman
7 Posts
(Offline)
6
2015/10/23 - 1:07pm

EmmettRedd said
There was a rich king of a south sea island (maybe not too far from Trid). He was so rich that he had a two-story grass hut/house. He also had an expensive hobby; he collected thrones and would often buy them from kings on neighboring islands. He stored his thrones on the second floor of his grass house. One day he came home from one of his throne-collecting trips to find that his house had collapsed.

The moral of the story: People who live in grass houses should not stow thrones.

It (along with many others) are here.

This one of the ones I used to know but couldn't remember. In fact, I remembered the punchline but not the joke. But I remember it as "shouldn't *stow* thrones," which matches the original slightly better. Anyway, thanks for sharing this (and the link).

Guest
7
2015/10/23 - 3:08pm

Benny Shapiro worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He used to tell his friends that he was the curator, although his primary job was to keep the exhibits clean and polished. One day he happened to be dusting around the Arabian exhibit, and he noticed an ancient urn that needed some cleaning. He got out his dust rag and began polishing. Lo and behold, an enormous Genie appeared before him.

"Master," the Genie began, "I am the Genie of the urn. I can grant you three wishes, but there is one condition I will put on you: You must never shave or cut your beard for the rest of your life, or you will be forced to take my place inside the urn forever."

Benny thought about it for a bit, and decided it was a fair condition for three wishes. So Benny wished to own Microsoft which was promptly granted. Then he wished for the most beautiful woman in the world as his wife, and lo and behold, she was. Finally, he wished for fame and fortune and he instantly became a worldwide celebrity.

Over the years, Benny's beard became longer and longer until it almost reached the floor. As it grew longer, it began to itch. He tried to ignore it, but the itch became more and more irritating, while the memory of the Genie's warning faded.

Finally he decided he had to get rid of the beard and he shaved it off. Instantly he was trapped in the urn, to stay there forever.

The moral of the story: A Benny shaved is a Benny urned.

This is one from Fractured Fairy Tales  part of the Rocky and Bulwinkle show.

Guest
8
2015/10/23 - 3:25pm

Dick said: This is one from Fractured Fairy Tales  part of the Rocky and Bulwinkle show.

That was a great cartoon. I'm pretty sure my "heart before the course" pun is from the same source., but couldn't find it here.

deaconB
744 Posts
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9
2015/10/23 - 3:50pm

Jay Ward was a comic genius.  I liked fractured fairy tails, but fractured flickers was even better.  My little brother used to have a sweat shirt of Dudley Do-Right for president, and the "Kirwood Derby" was possibly the greatest spoonerism ever.

If only Jay Ward had teamed up with Bob (Beany and Cecil) Clampett, they could have driven Walt Disney into bankruptcy. 

Guest
10
2015/10/24 - 1:24pm

deaconB said: Jay Ward was a comic genius.

Totally agree. I loved his stuff. B&C was also great. Another fav was Schoolhouse Rock, done by David McCall. You gotta put him up there with the best of them.

Just occurred to me that in those days there was no computer animation. They did it the traditional way, hand-drawing one frame at a time. I'm pretty sure Ward and McCall and Clampett weren't the actual animators, but whoever did it, those animations looked pretty good. Even by today's (2D) standards.

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