Q: What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back?
A: A stick!
Explanation: That’s just silly! A boomerang is currently used as a toy but according to some histories it was/ is used for hunting. Originally it was made of wood but now can be made of plastic or other material.
This joke is funny because you expect a more serious answer and not such a silly answer. Of course if you throw a stick it will not come back.
Q: How did the karate teacher greet his students?
A: “Hi-Yah!”
Explanation: To greet someone is to say, “hello” (or something similar) when you meet him or her. The words “Hi-Yay” are a common sound when doing karate. Saying “hi” is also a common way of greeting people.
This joke is funny because it plays with the word “hi.” You would expect a teacher to say, “Hi,” but not “Hi-yah!” … unless it’s a karate teacher. Feel free to watch The Karate Kid or Kung Fu Panda to learn more about karate. Now I am wondering, what is the difference between karate and kung fu?
Q: Why is spaghetti the smartest food?
A: It always uses its noodle!
Explanation: Yum! Spaghetti! To “use your noodle” is to use your brain, that is, to think. Spaghetti is a type of noodle.
This joke plays with the word noodle, both your brain and the pasta. Now I’m hungry and off to the kitchen I go!
Q: Did you hear about the actor who fell through the floor?
A: Don’t worry, it was just a stage he was going through!
Explanation: Actors are the people who perform in a theater play or are on TV. The place where actors act is called the stage. So, if an actor falls through the floor he or she is falling through the stage.
To “go through a stage” means to go through a step in a a life process. There are many stages of physical and psychological development (e.g. Piaget, Erikson), stages of grief, …
This joke is funny because it plays on the literal and figurative meanings of “going through a stage.”
Q: How much did the butcher charge for his venison?
A: A buck!
Explanation: There is so much going on in this joke! To begin with, a butcher is a person who prepares/ cuts meat so that it is ready to be cooked. Venison is meat that comes from a deer; a female deer is called a doe and a male deer is called a buck. A buck is also another name for one U.S. dollar ($1.00). This joke is funny because it plays on the double meaning of the work “buck.”
Q: Why couldn’t the monster go to sleep?
A: It was afraid there were children under the bed!
Explanation: This joke plays on a common fear of children that there is a monster under the bed- it turns that fear around by having the monster afraid that there are children under the bed.
Listen here for some scary stories.
Q: Why did the ninja go to the doctor?
A: He had kung-flu!
Explanation: Kung-fu is a Chinese martial arts style of fighting. It is also the name of an old TV show, yes, Grasshopper. The flu (influenza) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus. This joke plays on the similarity between “flu” and “fu.”
Q: When does your dinner never get hot?
A: When it is chili!
Explanation: Chili is a type of food (and the name of a restaurant). Chilly means cold. Chile is the name of a country. This joke plays on the words chili (the food) and chilly (not hot).
It is still chilly here in Minnesota! Maybe I’ll make some chili!
Q: Why is it hard to play cards in the jungle?
A: Too many cheetahs!
Explanation: Cheetahs are large cats. The word “cheetah” sounds like the word “cheater,” a person who does not play by the rules; a person who cheats. It is really hard to play cards with a cheater!
Explain the Joke 