Explain the Joke

A Pirate Looks at Forty (+ 40)

Posted on February 19, 2020 by stfleming

Q: What did the ol’ pirate say on his birthday?
A: Aye, matey!

Explanation: Happy birthday, matey, and have some cake! “Matey” means pal or friend.

Ol’ means old; the apostrophe (‘) replaces the ‘d’ in old just like the apostrophe replaces the ‘o’ in didn’t (did not).

This joke is funny because of the sounds. If you say “Aye, matey” slowly, it sounds like “I’m eighty (80).” Pirates say things like, “Aye, matey.” To hear some more things that pirates say you can watch this video, talk-like-a-pirate video, matey.

Posted in ELL, ESL, humor, Joke | Tagged birthday, cake, EAL, ELL, English, ESL, funny, humor, jimmy buffet, jokes, kids, Matey, pirate, Talk like a pirate | 1 Comment

Bear Crossing

Posted on February 15, 2020 by stfleming

Q: What do you get when you cross a bear with a forest?
A: Fur trees!

Fir tree with a pinecone (Needpix.com)

Explanation: Can you imagine a tree with fur growing on it? No, fur grows on animals, specifically, on mammals. Trees can’t grow fur, but bears can. All bears have fur covering their bodies.

Trees, on the other hand, grow leaves. Even pine trees have leaves because their needles are a type of leaf. Fir trees are a type of pine tree with needles.

This joke is funny because it plays with the words fur and fir which sound the same. Thinking about a fur tree, a tree with fur, is funny.

Here are some bears in trees (and there are fir trees nearby, I think):

Posted in ELL, ESL, humor, Joke | Tagged Bears, EAL, English, ESL, Forest, funny, Fur, humor, jokes, kids, leaves, reading, tree, writing | 2 Comments

Fire Away!

Posted on February 8, 2020 by stfleming

Q: What does an angel use to light a campfire?
A: A match made in heaven!

Explanation: When people go camping, sometimes they will build a campfire for cooking, roasting marshmallows, or telling stories.

match-159212_640 To build a fire you need dry wood (small pieces to start the fire) and a match to light the fire. Matches are small sticks or pieces of cardboard that you strike on the match box to create a flame, fire.

“A match made in heaven” is an idiom meaning a perfect match, usually referring to two people who make a good couple.

This joke is funny because it plays with the word match (the stick used to create fire) and the idiom “a match made in heaven.” Because angels come from heaven, they would use matches that come from heaven to start their fire.

If you want to see how matches are made, watch here:

Posted in ELL, ESL, humor, Joke | Tagged Adults, Angel, Camp, children, EAL, English, ESL, funny, humor, Idiom, jokes, kids, learning, match, teaching | 1 Comment

The Cows Might Be Listening

Posted on February 1, 2020 by stfleming

Q: Why shouldn’t you tell secrets on a farm?
A: Because the potatoes have eyes and the corn has ears!

Screen Shot 2020-01-29 at 2.43.57 PM

Explanation: Ah, yes- more food jokes!

When you look at a potato, you will see it has small bumps sticking out. It is from these points that new potato plants will grow. These points are called eyes, potato eyes. No, potatoes cannot see with their eyes.

An ear of corn was explained here. When you take corn from the field, harvest the corn, you are taking the ears off of the plant.

This joke is funny because it plays with the word eyes (eyes you see with/eyes of a potato) and ears (ears you hear with/ears of corn). If potatoes can see you and the corn can hear you, you probably shouldn’t tell secrets!

Learn to grow potatoes here:

Posted in ELL, ESL, humor, Joke | Tagged corn, EAL, Ears, English, ESL, Eyes, farming, food, humor, jokes, kids, Potato, Secrets | 4 Comments

My Treat

Posted on January 24, 2020 by stfleming

Q: What did one plate say to the other?
A: Dinner is on me!

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Explanation: When a meal such as breakfast, lunch, or dinner is served, it is typically put on a plate. If you go to a restaurant, the server may bring your food on a tray; the plates are then taken from the tray and set on your table. Your food is on the plate. So, if a plate full of food is talking, dinner (or lunch or breakfast) is really on the plate.

“Dinner is on me” is also an idiom that means, “I will pay for your food.” When you go to a restaurant and someone says to you, “Dinner is on me,” it means that the speaker will buy your meal. (Be sure to say, “Thank you” if someone buys your dinner!)

This joke is funny because it plays with the idiom, “dinner is on me.” Dinner is actually on the plate… and, in this joke, the plate will pay for dinner. (By the way, the title “My treat” is another idiom that means that the speaker will pay for the meal.)

Learn how to make a plate here:

Posted in ELL, ESL, humor, Joke | Tagged children, cooking, dinner, ELL, English, ESL, funny, humor, Idiom, joke, kids, Plate | 2 Comments

Run, Run as Fast as You Can

Posted on December 14, 2019 by stfleming

Q: What does the gingerbread boy put on his bed?
A: Cookie sheets! 3-gingerbread-man-cookies

Explanation: A gingerbread boy is a type of cookie that is made out of gingerbread and cut in the shape of a person. Many people in the United States bake gingerbread cookies during December and decorate them with frosting.

Sheets are used to cover a mattress before you lie down on it.

Cookie sheets are flat pieces of metal that are used to bake cookies. When you put the cookie dough on the cookie sheet you can put it into the oven.

This joke is funny because it plays with the word ‘sheet;’ there are sheets that you put on a bed and cookie sheets that are used for baking.

If you would like to make your own gingerbread cookies you can watch this video. (If you go to the video on YouTube you will see the recipe.)

Posted in ELL, ESL, humor, Joke | Tagged baking, children, Christmas, cookies, cooking, ELL, English, ESL, holidays, humor, joke, kids, recipe, Sheet | 1 Comment

Word Wizard

Posted on December 7, 2019 by stfleming

Q: What is a wizard’s favorite class in school?
A: Spelling!

Explanation: To spell a word (verb) is to say each letter in the word one by one: l – e – t – t – e – r. (Spelling in English is a challenge!)

The magic words that wizards says are called spells (noun). When a wizard casts a spell, some magic will happen.

This joke is funny because it plays with the different meanings of the word spell. Here are some spells from the Harry Potter movies:

Posted in Joke | Tagged ELL, English, ESL, funny, Harry Potter, humor, joke, kids, letters, Magic, school, Spell, Wizard | Leave a comment

Puppy Time

Posted on November 30, 2019 by stfleming

Q: What do you call a dog that can tell time?
A: A watch-dog!

Explanation: A watchdog is a dog that guards your house; they are also known as guard dogs. (Watchdog can also refer to a group or agency that makes sure that other groups are doing good work.)

A watch is something you use to tell what time it is; a watch is typically worn on your wrist although some people use pocket watches. (A clock also shows the time but is usually on a wall or on a table.)

This joke is funny because it makes you think of a dog wearing a watch: A watch-dog. Can you imagine a dog wearing a watch, telling time?

While these dogs below may not be able to tell time, they do a great job of herding:

Posted in ELL, ESL, humor, Joke | Tagged animals, clock, dog, ELL, English, ESL, funny, guard dog, humor, joke, puppy, teach, time, Watch | Leave a comment

Can you ear me now?

Posted on November 23, 2019 by stfleming

Q: What has many ears but cannot hear?
A: A field of corn!

Explanation: “Ear” has two meanings (when used as a noun, a thing): 1) Most people (and most animals) have an ear on each side of their head that allow them to hear sound; 2) ear also means the whole cob of corn (see the picture).

This joke is funny because it plays with two meanings of the word ‘ear.’

Ear of Corn

By the way, ear is used in some common idioms such as I’m all ears (listening completely), I learned it by ear (to learn a song by listening), and Your suggestion went in one ear and out the other (something you heard but it did not impact you in any way).

Harvest time is coming to an end in the northern hemisphere so I thought a corn joke would be appropriate. Watch the corn harvest here:

Posted in ELL, ESL, humor, Joke | Tagged corn, ear, ESL, funny, harvest, hearing, humor, idioms, joke, kids, Language, Literacy, Thanksgiving | 2 Comments

Stealth

Posted on November 16, 2019 by stfleming

Q: What kind of shoes does a ninja wear?
A: Sneakers!

Image by DavidRockDesign from Pixabay

Explanation: A very long time ago in Japan, ninjas worked as secret agents for the government; they were spies who were trained in the martial art of ninjutsu. They were known for being very quiet when they worked so that no one would hear them; ninjas sneak around quietly. To sneak (verb) means to go quietly so that no one will hear you.

Sneakers (noun) is another word for tennis shoes or running shoes.

This joke is funny because it plays with the word sneaker: Both a type of shoe and someone who sneaks.

Do Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wear sneakers?

Posted in ELL, ESL, humor, Joke | Tagged EAL, English, ESL, funny, humor, jokes, Ninja, Ninjutsu, Quiet, shoe, Sneak, Stealth, vocabulary | 1 Comment