Q: What is a plumber’s favorite food?
A: A leek!
Explanation: A plumber is a person who fixes water pipes if they are clogged or are dripping; that is, if they have a leak.
A leek (two e’s) is a vegetable a lot like a green onion. A leak (one e, one a) is what happens to the water pipes when water drips out.
This joke plays with the word leek/ leak and that is what makes it funny.
Person 1: Did you hear about the new restaurant on the moon?
Person 2: No, what can you tell me about it?
Person 1: It has great food but no atmosphere!
Explanation: A restaurant is a place to eat. Usually in a restaurant someone asks you what you want to eat and then serves you your food; then you pay for the food. To some people the food is the most important (if not the only) part that matters. To other people, the atmosphere of the restaurant matters. The atmosphere of a restaurant is the way it looks, the way it sounds, the way it smells; it is the way you feel when you are there- much more than just the taste of the food.
The moon, of course, has no atmosphere. When we talk about the atmosphere of the moon we are talking about the layer of gasses that surround a planet or a moon. The moon has no atmosphere; the earth has an atmosphere- that is why we can breathe.
This joke plays with the double meaning of the word atmosphere and that makes it funny! Of course if you want an out of this world restaurant you could try The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.
Q: Why did the lady wear a helmet every time she ate?
A: She was on a crash diet!
Explanation: A crash diet is a diet where a person loses a lot of weight in a short amount of time: lose weight fast. A helmet is protection for your head when you are playing a sport or working.
This joke is funny because it combines the idea of crashing (bumping into something really hard) and being on a diet. You don’t need a helmet when you are on a diet and that is why this joke is funny.
This political cartoon/ editorial cartoon shows Minnesota winning its bid to host the Superbowl in 2018. The man with the red shirt is Zigy Wilf, the owner (well, part owner) of the Minnesota Vikings. It is funny because he is pictured in shorts which would never be worn in Minnesota in February when the average high temperature is the 20’s F. This cartoon combines the news about global warming and the Superbowl bid.
Thank you for the suggestion to explain an editorial cartoon, on occasion.
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Gary Varvel
Indianapolis Star May 21, 2014 |
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.”
Explain the Joke 