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https://explainthejoke.com/2020/10/11/my-better-half/ | Q: What’s worse than finding a worm in your apple? A: Finding half a worm! | Explanation: Imagine biting into an apple and finding a worm. Yes, that is a very unpleasant thought because your apple is most likely not in very good condition.
Now, imagine biting into an apple and finding only half of a worm. That means that the other half is in your mouth! Yuck!!
This joke is funny because it sets up the expectation for something bigger, worse than a worm, and then surprises us with less than a worm, only half of a worm.
So, why are there so many types of apples? |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/10/03/jam-packed/ | Q: Why was the baby strawberry crying? A: Because her parents were in a jam! | Explanation: Jam is a type of food that is typically made of fruit. Jam is usually spread on another food like bread or toast (like the way butter is spread on bread or toast). If you use strawberries to make jam, you have made strawberry jam. Mmmm! I like it.
To be in a jam is an idiom that means to be in a difficult situation, to have a problem.
This joke is funny because it plays with meanings of the word jam. Yes, it might make you cry if your parents were in a jam (in a difficult situation), especially if you are a strawberry!
The word jam is also used when musicians play together like in the video below. A jam session is usually informal and may involve improvisation. |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/09/26/a-can-of-corn/ | Q: What did the baby corn say to the mama corn? A: Where is pop corn? | Explanation: There are many types of families. Some families, like the one in this joke, are made of a mom, dad, and baby. Mom can be called mama; dad can be called pop.
Corn, of course, does not have a family, but there are many types of corn. One type of corn is popcorn. Popcorn is a type of corn that, when heated, explodes into a white, fluffy piece that you can eat.
This joke is funny because it plays with the word pop: a type of corn and a name for dad.
Do you like to eat popcorn? I do. I especially like to make popcorn on the stove with my stove-top popper. Then I add just a touch of salt. I find that my stove-top popcorn is better than microwave popcorn. Here is a kernel of popcorn exploding in slow motion (it’s pretty amazing!). |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/09/19/you-can-bank-on-it/ | Q: What runs but never walks, murmurs, but never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, and has a mouth but never eats? A: A river! | Explanation: Thanks the Instagram account of Glacier National Park for this week’s joke.
There are many words in English that have multiple meanings and this joke shows us many of them that are related to a river. The water in a river runs. The river murmurs by making noise as it flows to the sea. The bed of the river is the ground that is under the river. The mouth of the river is where the river flows into the ocean.
This joke is funny because it uses many words related to river that have multiple meanings.
Are you familiar with Colombia’s Rainbow River? |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/09/12/as-clear-as-dud/ | Q: When does a joke turn into a “dad” joke? A: When the answer is a parent! | Explanation: There is a category of jokes called dad jokes. These are jokes that have really bad answers that will make you groan because they are stupid/silly. Puns fit nicely into this category. I rather like theses jokes. By the way, the answer to a joke is also called a punchline.
The word “apparent” (meaning obvious, clear) sounds just like “a parent” (meaning a mom or dad).
This joke is funny because it plays with the word apparent/a parent. When you become a parent, you become a mom or a dad; when something becomes apparent it becomes clear, like the answer to a question.
Here are some kids telling dad jokes. They’re awesome! |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/09/05/a-hard-rain-is-gonna-fall/ | Q: What is worse than raining cats and dogs? A: Hailing taxis! | Explanation: Precipitation is water in any form that falls from the sky. This includes rain, snow, sleet and hail. Hail is frozen rain, ice, that falls; it can be very small or quite large.
Hailing a taxi means to get the attention of a taxi driver so that you can get a ride somewhere. Hailing taxis also sounds like taxis are falling from the sky like frozen rain, like hail.
Raining cats and dogs is an idiom meaning that it is raining very hard, that the rain is pouring down.
This joke is funny because it takes the idiom raining cats and dogs and makes it precipitate harder by hailing taxis. This joke plays with the word hailing, meaning to call a taxi from the side of the street, or falling ice.
Here is Bob Dylan singing A Hard Rain is Gonna Fall: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/08/29/lullaby-me-to-the-moon/ | Q: How do you stop an astronaut’s baby from crying? A: You rocket! | Explanation: Astronauts are scientists who explore and study space. To get into space they blast off in a rocket. In this case, ‘rocket’ is a noun, a thing.
When babies cry, they can often be calmed, soothed, by rocking them. To rock a baby means to gently move a baby back and forth, maybe by swaying, walking, or sitting in a rocking chair. To calm a baby, rock it. Here ‘rock’ is a verb, an action.
This joke is funny because rocket sounds just like “rock it.”
Here is another: Rockit by Herbie Hancock: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/08/22/x-marks-the-spot/ | Q: What did the Dalmatian say after eating lunch? A: Wow, that really hit the spot! | Explanation: If you have seen the movie 101 Dalmatians, you know that Dalmatians are a breed of dog known for their spots. While I like dogs, having 101 of them seems like a lot!
That hit the spot is an idiom meaning something that was needed. In this joke the speaker, the Dalmatian, was hungry and lunch hit the spot: lunch is exactly what was needed.
This joke is funny because it plays with the idea of hitting the spot (the markings on a Dalmatian) and hitting the spot (being exactly what was needed).
If you want to learn more about Dalmatians, this will hit the spot: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/08/15/crossed-with-chicken/ | Q: Why did the child cross the playground? A: To get to the other slide! | Explanation: Back in 2013, the first joke that I explained was, perhaps, the most famous of all jokes–Why did the chicken cross the road? This joke is funny because it plays with that joke.
The answer to the chicken-crossing-the-road joke is “to get to the other side.” This joke plays with that joke by using a different, rhyming word for the last word of the answer, slide. And it also makes sense that a child would cross the playground to get to a slide. People cross all sorts of things to get somewhere: they cross the ocean, they cross the mountains, they cross the desert.
Now here is a slide I might cross the playground for: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/08/08/finally-found/ | Q: Why do you always find something in the last place you look? A: Because when you find it, you stop looking! | Explanation: Perhaps this is more of a logic puzzle than a joke–but it is true! Often times we search long and hard for a missing thing and then find it in the last place we look. Is there a psychological reason it took us so long to find something? I do not know the answer to that. I do know that this joke makes me laugh.
This joke is funny because it creates an expectation for an answer that relates to the way we think. The joke does not fulfill the expectation but gives us a bit of logic. Who would keep searching for something after you have found it? Not me.
Do you know the books Where’s Waldo? If you want to try looking for Waldo, you can click on the this link, or watch this video: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/08/01/whether-balloon/ | Q: What music frightens balloons? A: Pop music! | Explanation: When balloons explode, we say they pop. If you stick a pin in a balloon, it pops. If balloons had feelings, I am pretty sure that they would be scared of things that make the pop.
‘Pop’ is also a type of music, originally from the term ‘popular music.’ Pop music now refers to music that is commercial (sells a lot), usually upbeat, and uses a verse/chorus format. Yea, that’s probably too much information. (By the way, pop can also mean father, and soda.)
This joke is funny because it plays with the word pop–both a type of music and an action that end the life of a balloon. There is a lot of famous pop music. Here is one of the pop music examples from the list (#26) in the previous links: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/07/25/run-the-good-race/ | Q: What race is never run? A: A swimming race! | Explanation: Thank you to a swimming friend who sent me this joke.
This explanation will be short, maybe abut 50 meters, the length of an olympic swimming pool. Yes, I know, the Olympics did not start this past week because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope you are staying healthy!
If you race someone in a pool, a swimming race, you are not running. You are swimming. Of course this joke could have other answers such as a car race, a spelling race, … you get the idea.
This joke is funny because the idea of a race that is never run makes people think of running.
Here are the top ten swimming races from the 2016 Rio Olympics (according to the author of this video): |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/07/18/sour-milk/ | Q: What do you call a mean cow? A: Moo-dy! | Explanation: Wow, there are a lot of jokes about cows!
As you may know, cows say “moo.” If you don’t believe me you can listen to Old McDonald, “with a moo-moo here and a moo- moo there….”
Moody is a word that means a person who changes his or her mood a lot. If someone were happy and then gets mad really fast, you might say that the person is moody. You could use moody for someone who changes from nice to mean and back to nice again.
This joke is funny because it plays with the “moo” in moody and the voice of a cow.
Here is something else that is moody: The Moody Blues singing Knights in White Satin |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/07/11/ebb-and-flow/ | Q: What did one toilet say to the other toilet? A: You look flushed. | Explanation: After using a toilet, you need to move the lever that sends swirling water down into the sewer. Moving that lever is called flushing. To flush a toilet is to move the lever that starts the water moving.
To look flushed is an idiom that means your face changed its look because of exercise, cold weather or embarrassment.
This joke is funny because it plays with the word flushed: what you do to a toilet after using it, or how you look after exercise.
Speaking of flushing, did you know that water really does swirl in different directions on opposite sides of the equator? Here is the proof: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/07/04/standing-for-liberty/ | Q: Why does the Statue of Liberty stand in New York Harbor? A: Because she can’t sit down! | Explanation: Happy 4th of July to readers in the United States! Wishing you a healthy and safe Independence Day.
This joke sets up an expectation–you hope to hear why New York Harbor was chosen for the location of the Statue of Liberty. It is funny because it doesn’t answer that question. The joke tells us that the statue stands because it can’t sit down. Of course the statue can’t sit down–it’s made of metal!
Here is some information about the Statue of Liberty: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/06/27/bug-fest/ | Q: How do snails fight? A: They slug it out. | Explanation: “Slug it out” is an expression that means to fight. Slug also means hit; if you slug someone, you hit someone. In baseball, a slugger is someone who good at hitting the ball.
A slug is a living thing, similar to to a snail without a shell, that is often found in nature or perhaps in your garden.
This joke is funny because it plays with “slug” and “slug it out.” The slug slugs!
Here are some slugs slugging it out: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/06/20/get-going/ | Knock, knock. Who’s there? | Cargo.
Cargo, who?
Car go, “Beep beep, vroom, vroom!”
Explanation: A knock knock joke to get you moving.
Cargo is the word for goods (things) carried by a ship, train, or truck from one place to another. A ship is loaded with cargo such as boxes, containers, cars, grain, … to move it from one place to another.
“Beep, beep, vroom, vroom!” are the sounds a small child might make while playing with toy cars. As the child makes those sounds, she or he might say in little-kid English, “Car go” meaning that the car makes noises like beep (the horn) and vroom (the engine) as it moves.
The joke is funny because in knock knock jokes you never know how it will end up. This one joins cargo with “car go.”
This is how ships are loaded with cargo: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/06/13/cutting-corners/ | Q: What stays in the corner but travels all around the world? A: A stamp! | Explanation: What fun it would be to travel around the world!
A stamp is that little sticker that you put in the corner of an envelope, showing that you paid, so you can mail an envelope to another location, perhaps to another part of your country or the world. That’s right–you put the stamp in the corner of the envelope.
Normally, when you hear “stay in the corner,” you think of someone in a room, staying where the two walls come together: That is the corner of the room.
This joke is funny because it plays with the expectation of staying in the corner of a room, when the stamp is staying in the corner of the envelope and traveling all around the world.
Watch here to see Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego… |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/06/06/tall-tails/ | Q: Why do cats make terrible storytellers? A: They only have one tail! | Explanation: A tale is a story. If you are a teller of tales you are a storyteller.
A tail is the part of of an animal that located at its rear end. Most animals, such as cats and dogs, have tails.
This joke is funny because it plays with the words tale and tail which sound the same. Tale and tail are homophones because they sound the same but have different meanings and different spellings.
Watch here to understand cats better: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/05/30/hat-trick/ | Q: What did one hat say to the other? A: You stay here. I’m going on ahead! | Explanation: “To go on ahead” or “to go ahead” means to move forward to do something while leaving the other person behind.
That is different from a hat going on a head, which is when a person puts a hat on his or her head. Hats, of course, go on your head.
This joke is funny because it plays with the word ahead which sounds like a head. I like this one because it is easy to remember. (A hat trick, by the way, is when a player scores three goals in one game, such as hockey.)
If you want to learn to do a magic trick with a hat, try this: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/05/23/flower-power/ | Q: What do you call a flower that runs on electricity? A: A power plant! | Explanation: A power plant is a place where electricity is made. There are many different types of power plants.
A flower is the part of a plant that makes the seeds. Flowers and plants get their energy from the sun using photosynthesis. (Does not make them solar powered? I am not sure.) Plants are important to life on earth because we get oxygen and food from them.
This joke is funny because it plays with the word plant: electric plant and a living plant with flowers.
Here are four projects you can make with a mini solar panel: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/05/16/april-showers/ | Q: Why would you want a chicken-proof umbrella? A: To use when the weather is fowl! | Explanation: Spring started back on March 19 in the northern hemisphere, while fall began for me here in the southern hemisphere. As the seasons change, I hope all of you are safe and healthy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The word ‘proof‘ has many meanings. In this joke, chicken-proof means that the chickens cannot get in. This is just like the word waterproof or bulletproof where the water or the bullet cannot enter. Umbrellas, of course, are waterproof so that the water can not go through the umbrella and get you wet. (Normally we do not think about umbrellas as being chicken-proof.)
‘Fowl‘ means a type of bird that includes chickens, turkeys and ducks. ‘Foul,’ which sounds the same as ‘fowl,’ means something that is really unpleasant, like really bad weather.
This joke is funny because it plays with the words foul (really unpleasant) and fowl (birds like chickens, turkeys and ducks). And you would never expect chickens to fall during bad weather, foul weather!
If you want to raise your own chickens (and you have more space than I do) you could watch this |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/05/09/dressed-to-the-nines/ | Q: What is the difference between a well-dressed bicyclist and a poorly dressed unicyclist? A: Attire! | Explanation: Let’s start with some vocabulary:
- Well-dressed means to wear nice clothing (it is the opposite of poorly dressed);
- A bicyclist is a person who rides a bike;
- A unicyclist is a person who rides a unicycle;
- A unicycle is like a bicycle (bike) but it only has one wheel.
If you are well-dressed it means you are wearing nice clothing. Clothing and attire can be used as synonyms, but attire is typically used to mean nice clothing, formal clothing.
Attire also sounds the same as a tire. A bike has two wheels, that is, two tires; a unicycle has only one wheel, one tire. Wheel and tire are synonyms. (Well, people use them as synonyms. The tire is really the rubber part of the wheel, the part that touches the street.)
This joke is funny because it plays with the the word attire: well dressed or a tire, a wheel. So if you are well dressed on a bicycle you have both good attire, and a tire (one tire) more than the unicyclist.
If you want to learn to ride a unicycle, take a look at Finnovation: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/05/02/bonsai/ | Q: What kind of tree fits in your hand? A: A palm tree! | Explanation: The palm of your hand is the part that faces things you grab. It is easier to see in the picture. The palm of your hand is rather small and, ordinarily, would not hold a tree.
A palm tree is a tree that is found in tropical climates like the one in the picture.
This joke is funny because it plays with the two meanings of the word palm: part of your hand and a type of tree.
Speaking of palms, do you know how to do any magic tricks with your palm? |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/04/25/uncomfortablyclose/ | Q: What do you call a grilled cheese sandwich that gets right up in your face? A: Too close for comfort food! | Explanation: Comfort food is food that makes you feel good, perhaps by reminding you of a special time, place, or person. Comfort food is usually high in calories like macaroni and cheese, or lasagna.
“Too close for comfort” is an idiom that can mean that someone or something is really too close to you, very near to you like the car that almost hit you, or the dog barking at your feet. It can also be more figurative, such as when someone says, “That conversation about coronavirus is a little too close to home.” In that example, someone who is worried about the virus might not want to have to talk about it; the topic is too close to home.
This joke is funny because it combines “too close for comfort” with “comfort food.”
Here is how to make one of my favorite comfort foods (thanks mom and grandma), grilled cheese sandwich- |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/04/18/paper-cut/ | Q: What did the Daddy Scissors say to his children when they acted up? A: Cut it out! | Explanation: Of course, the scissors would say, “Cut it out!”
“To act up” means to behave badly, like students who sometimes act up at school and get in trouble with their teacher or the principal.
“Cut it out” has two meanings: First, is the literal meaning that you can cut something out, like cutting a coupon out of the newspaper; second is the idiom where “cut it out” means to stop doing something. If someone tells you to “cut it out,” that person wants you to stop doing whatever you are doing.
This joke is funny because it plays with two meanings of “cut it out.” Check out these two art projects you can do with paper and scissors. (The first one we can all do; the second one takes more skill!) |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/04/11/egg-cellent-spin/ | Q: How do you make a Chinese egg roll? A: Just give it a little push! | Explanation: Many families will be celebrating Easter this weekend, so an egg joke seemed appropriate.
A Chinese egg roll is a type of food served at many Chinese restaurants (and they are really good). In the name of this food, ‘roll’ is a thing (a noun); the words before ‘roll’ tell what type of roll (adjectives): an egg roll, a Chinese egg roll.
Roll is also a verb that describes what a wheel does as it turns (it rolls) or what a rock does as it goes down a hill (it rolls). If you push an egg, it will roll. This will happen to an egg from anywhere such as China or France or Peru.
This joke is funny because it creates an expectation for one type of answer, but it gives a different answer. When you hear the question, how do you make a Chinese egg roll, you expect the answer to include instructions, perhaps a recipe, about one of my favorite foods–egg rolls. What you get is a funny answer because, of course, if you push an egg, it will roll.
Here is an egg rolling contest from Iowa: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/04/04/is-it-legal/ | Q: Can you keep a sick, bald bird in your house? A: No, that’s ill-eagle! | Explanation: Many of us are staying home so that the world can flatten the coronavirus curve. With that in mind, I offer you an eagle joke and a live eagle cam so you can virtually leave the house.
The eagles in the live-cam video below are called bald eagles because the adults have white feathers on their heads. From far away it appears that they are bald. People who are bald have no hair on their heads. Bald eagles are the only well known birds that have the word ‘bald’ in their name (maybe the only one).
Ill means the same thing as sick. So, a sick, bald bird is a sick eagle, or an ill eagle. Illegal means not legal, something that is against the law.
This joke is funny because ill eagle sounds like illegal. And it is illegal to have an ill eagle.
Here are some healthy, live bald eagles from the Minnesota Eagle Cam: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/03/28/stay-warm/ | Q: How do you stay warm in any unheated room? A: Just sit in the corner where it is always 90º! | Explanation: To understand this joke, you need to think about the temperature. 90º Fahrenheit is a hot temperature. Well, for me it is hot; maybe not for people living in places like Australia, India, the Middle East and Phoenix that experience hotter temperatures.
Fahrenheit is a scale that measures temperature. Most of the world uses Celsius, not Fahrenheit, to measure temperatures (but this joke only works with Fahrenheit because 90º Fahrenheit equals about 32º Celsius).
90º is also the measure of a right angle, an angle that is found in a corner. This joke is funny because it plays with the two meanings of 90º (read ninety degrees)–a warm temperature and the measure of a corner.
Learn how to draw a 90º angle without a protractor- |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/03/14/thats-blarney/ | Q: What do you call a fake Irish stone? A: A shamrock! | Explanation: March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day, in honor of the patron saint of Ireland.
A shamrock is a bit of clover, typically with three leaves as you see in the picture. It is sometimes used as symbol of Ireland. People say that St. Patrick, a Catholic missionary priest, used it to teach about the Christian Holy Trinity.
If something is a sham, it is fake, not what it is supposed to be. In the case of this joke, a sham-rock would be a rock (rock and stone are synonyms) that is not really a rock.
This joke is funny because it plays with the word sham and the word shamrock.
The music and dancing below is not a sham, it is Riverdance: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/03/07/slip-sliding-away/ | Q: Why did the banana put on sunscreen? A: He didn’t want to peel! | Explanation: The outside of a banana, the yellow part that you do not eat, is called the peel. (The outside of an lemon is called a rind and the outside of an apple is called the skin.) Peel is also the verb when you take off the outside of the banana, orange or apple: I peel the orange before I eat it.
When you get a sunburn, sometimes your skin will peel, that is, the top layer of skill will come off because your sun-damaged skin is healing itself. If you do not want to get a sunburn and if you do not want your skin to peel, it is a very good idea to use sunscreen lotion to protect your skin.
This joke is funny because it plays with two meanings of the word peel: the outside of a banana, and what happens to your skin after a sunburn. (Banana peels can also be slippery so I thought of the title from Simon and Garfunkel.)
Did you know? There are… |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/02/29/hitchhikers-guide-to-leap-day/ | Q: What do you tell a hitchhiker on leap day? A: Hop in! | Explanation: Happy leap day, leap year day, February 29! It’s not every year I can explain a joke on February 29!! (Leap year happens once every four years.)
To begin with, a hitchhiker is a person who waits by the side of a road or highway looking for someone to drive him/her down the road. Often hitchhikers will use their right thumb to show that they want a ride. Hitchhiking is sometimes called “thumbing a ride” and it is very dangerous to do. It is also dangerous to pick up hitchhikers if you are driving. Please don’t hitchhike or pick up hitchhikers.
“Hop in” is a common idiom that means you can get in the car. Leap and hop are synonyms.
This joke is funny because telling someone to hop on leap day is funny
Here is a song about hitchhiking by Vanity Fare (lyrics):
The title for this post alludes to the book series Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/02/22/wild-and-free/ | Q: What did the tiger say to her cubs before they went out to play? A: Be careful–it’s a jungle out there! | Explanation: A jungle is a forest in tropical areas. In a jungle there are many trees and plants that no one takes care of because they grow on their own. There are many wild animals and birds in the jungle; there are lots of insects, too. A jungle can be a dangerous place for someone who is not familiar with it.
In English, “it’s a jungle out there” is an idiom that means that a place or a situation is dangerous or threatening.
This joke is funny because the tiger in the joke is actually in a jungle. No need to use that idiom in the jungle.
Check out this tiger cub in the jungle: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/02/19/a-pirate-looks-at-forty/ | 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. |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/02/15/bear-crossing/ | Q: What do you get when you cross a bear with a forest? A: Fur trees! | 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): |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/02/08/fire-away/ | 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.
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: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/02/01/the-cows-might-be-listening/ | Q: Why shouldn’t you tell secrets on a farm? A: Because the potatoes have eyes and the corn has ears! | 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: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2020/01/24/my-treat/ | Q: What did one plate say to the other? A: Dinner is on me! | 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: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/12/14/run-run-as-fast-as-you-can/ | Q: What does the gingerbread boy put on his bed? A: Cookie sheets! | 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.) |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/12/07/word-wizard/ | 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: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/11/30/puppy-time/ | 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: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/11/23/can-you-ear-me-now/ | 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.’
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: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/11/16/stealth/ | Q: What kind of shoes does a ninja wear? A: Sneakers! | 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? |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/11/09/among-the-hidden/ | Q: Can a leopard hide anywhere he wants? A: No, he is always spotted! | Explanation: If you have ever seen a leopard, you will know that leopards have spots. Spots are the round marks that a leopard has on its fur.
Spot can also be used as a verb. To spot something means to find it or notice it while looking for it- I spotted a squirrel in the tree.
This joke is funny because it plays with the word spot. A leopard is spotted (adjective) because it has spots; a leopard is spotted (verb) when you see it.
This is from Rudyard Kipling‘s Just So Stories about How the Leopard Got His Spots: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/11/04/bogged-down/ | Q: What is the difference between a pirate and a cranberry farmer? A: A pirate buries his treasure while a cranberry farmer treasures his berries! | Explanation: Cranberries are a sour fruit, related to blueberries, that are used to make cranberry sauce and cranberry juice. Because they are so sour they are not usually eaten by themselves.
Pirates are, well, pirates (think Pirates of the Caribbean).
This joke is funny because it plays with the word treasure. When used as a noun it is a thing that is very important to you, like the treasure that pirates bury. When it is a verb, you treat it with respect because of its value to you, you treasure it.
Watch the cranberry harvest here- |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/05/21/worse-than-its-bite/ | Q: Why is a tree like a noisy dog? A: Because each has a lot of bark! | Explanation: Dogs bark; barking is the noise they frequently make (some dogs bark less then others). In this case, ‘bark’ is a verb, an action.
Trees have bark; when you touch the trunk of a tree you are touching the bark. In this case, ‘bark’ is a noun, a thing.
This joke is funny because it plays with the two meanings of the word ‘bark.’
Here is a barking dog running up the trunk of a tree, touching the bark, of course.
Thanks to a student of mine for his inspiring care for dogs! |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/04/14/perfect-ending/ | Q: Why do prisoners like the punctuation marks period (.), exclamation point (!) and question mark (?) when they write? A: Because each one marks the end of their sentence! | Explanation: If you have been convicted of a crime and sent to jail, your sentence is the time that you must stay in jail. Of course, everyone in jail awaits the end of their sentence so they can get out of jail.
The punctuation marks period, exclamation point and question mark are used to indicate the end of a sentence when writing. In writing, a sentence is a complete thought that can stand alone, typically including at least a subject and a verb (but there are exceptions).
This joke is funny because it plays with two meanings of the word sentence.
Speaking of sentences, watch this video for information about a different type of sentence, an interjection. |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/03/06/a-purrfect-joke/ | Q: What color is a happy cat? A: Purr-ple! | Explanation: Cats make two common sounds- they meow and they purr (they can also howl and screech but those sounds are not as common). Purring is that low, rumble that you can feel on a cat’s neck under its chin. Purring is a sound that a cat makes when it is happy.
Purple, as you know, is a color.
This joke is funny because it plays with the pur in purple and purr. I hope you have a purrfect day! |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/01/25/brilliance/ | Q: Why did the teacher wear sunglasses during class? A: Because her students were so bright! | Explanation: Have you ever seen a teacher wear sunglasses while teaching in a classroom? I haven’t. Most people only wear sunglasses when they are outside in the sun. The light from the sun is so bright that it is good for your eyes to shade them with sunglasses.
Students who are smart can also be called bright. In this case, smart and bright are synonyms.
This joke is funny because it plays with two meanings of the word bright: giving off lots of light and smart.
Here is a song about a bright future and the use of sunglasses (shades): |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/01/21/catch-and-release/ | Q: What can you catch but not throw? A: A cold! | Explanation: Are you familiar with the expression, to catch a cold? when you catch a cold you get a cold (runny nose, sneezing, maybe coughing, …) from someone else. Cold sometimes means the opposite of hot but in this joke it refers to getting sick.
Normally when you catch something, like a ball or a frisbee, you can throw it back to someone. You can catch a cold but you cannot throw it… although you can pass a cold along to someone else. So, if you are sick, if you have a cold, please take care of yourself so you do not pass it on to someone else.
This joke is funny because it plays with the word catch (catch a ball) and the phrase catch a cold. Stay healthy!
Here is an explanation of how you can catch a cold: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/01/18/sweet-honey-in-the-hair/ | Q: Why do bees have sticky hair? A: They use honey combs! | Explanation: You already know that bees make honey. Honeycomb is where honey is stored in the hive. The honeycomb is made of many hexagons (a 6 sided figure like a snowflake or nuts and bolts) that are made of wax.
A comb is used to make your messy hair neat. When you run the comb through your hair or pass the comb through your hair you are combing your hair.
This joke is funny because it plays with the words comb and honeycomb. And obviously, bees do not have hair that needs a comb like people do. (Bees, though, do have hair.)
Here is a very interesting video about bees growing from eggs in the honeycomb:
(By the way, the title of this post comes from one of my favorite music groups, Sweet Honey in the Rock.) |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/01/16/cow-askew/ | Q: What do you call a cow with two legs? A: Lean meat! | Explanation: For some reasons I find cows to be funny, like this joke.
When something leans it is not quite straight up and down, it is a tilted like the Leaning Tower of Pisa or Leaning Cow Wine. If a cow had only two legs it would, at a minimum, lean; most likely it would fall over.
Lean meat is meat is meat that does not have much fat.
This joke is funny because it plays with two meanings of the word lean.
By the way, askew means crooked. Try a Google search for the word askew and see what happens to the screen!
…and just so you know, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is not leaning as much these days: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/01/14/in-a-single-bound/ | Q: Can a kangaroo jump higher than the Empire State Building? A: Of course! Buildings can’t jump! | Explanation: Kangaroos are well known for being able to jump high and far with their powerful legs. Buildings, on the other hand, cannot jump.
This joke is funny because the expected answer is that no, kangaroos cannot jump higher than the Empire State Building (they can only jump about 30 feet). Everyone knows that buildings cannot jump. Because we know that buildings cannot jump, we are thinking about the kangaroo jumping as high as the 1,250 foot Empire State Building. Clearly impossible!
What if we replaced the Empire State Building with a frog so the question reads, “Can a kangaroo jump higher than a frog?” Now we know that we are comparing who can jump higher. It all depends on how you understand the question and what the kangaroo is compared to. Logic says the answer to the question is no but the joke looks at the illogical and we laugh.
Learn more about kangaroos here:
And learn more about the Empire State Building here: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/01/13/sweet-swiss-music/ | Knock Knock. Who’s there? | A little old lady.
A little old lady who?
I didn’t know you could yodel!
Ah, the beauty of a knock knock joke and Alpine music. Yodeling is a type of singing where the singer changes the voice from falsetto singing (high singing like the Bee Gees) to normal singing and back again. It is commonly associated with the Alps of Europe but is also found in other cultures.
The words “little old lady who” sound a bit like yodeling and that is what makes this joke funny.
In the 1970s there was a TV commercial for hot chocolate that used a bit of yodeling
There is also a yodeling song from The Sound of Music: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/01/11/lost-sleep/ | Q: Why did the boy run around his bed? A: Because he was trying to catch up on his sleep! | Explanation: To catch up on something (such as sleep) is to do something you have not had time to do. You catch up on sleep by sleeping more after a time of little sleep. You can also catch up on the latest news by reading/ watching today’s news (or the newest tweets on Twitter, for example). Someone might say, “When I returned from vacation I had to catch up on the news/ my emails/ my homework …
To catch someone is to chase after that person until you can touch him or her. You might catch someone in a race; a police officer might catch a criminal. (You can also catch a ball but that is a different meaning).
This joke is funny because it plays with the different meanings of the word catch and the phrasal verb catch up on.
Speaking of catching, do you know the story of The Gingerbread Man? |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/01/07/on-your-marks/ | Q: How do you keep an elephant from charging? A: Take away its credit cards! | Explanation: When an elephant runs towards you or something else, we say the elephant is charging, much like a bull might charge (run) at the cape of a matador. To charge is also to pay for something by credit card. The beginning of the joke makes us think of how to stop an elephant from running at something- very difficult to do!
This joke is funny because it plays with the two of the meanings of the word charge: a way of moving forward and using a credit card.
The word charge has many other meanings, such as charging your phone or to accuse someone of doing something wrong.
Here is an elephant charging and someone stopping it: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2019/01/06/toothache/ | Q: What is the best time to go to the dentist? A: 2:30 (Tooth hurty!) | Explanation: A bad joke for the new year… and I hope your teeth (one tooth, two teeth) do not hurt!
This joke is funny because two thirty (2:30) sounds the same as tooth hurty. You’re right, ‘hurty’ is not a real word. A child might use the word ‘hurty’ or ‘owie’ or ‘boo boo’ to say that something hurts: “I have a tooth hurty.” It’s not common but it happens. If your tooth really hurts it is time to go to the dentist no matter the hour of the day.
Please send me any child-friendly jokes that you would like explained.
Watch Caillou visit the dentist: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2018/10/18/hamburger-no-helper/ | Q: What do you call a cow with no legs? A: Ground Beef! | Explanation: Beef is a type of meat that comes from cows, cattle. When this meat is put through a grinder it is called ground beef. Ground beef is the type of meat that is found in hamburgers and other dishes.
This joke is funny because it plays with the word ground. Ground is the land you stand on when you are outside. Ground is also the past tense of the verb grind, to reduce something to small particles.
If a cow has no legs it would be on the ground, therefore, ground beef. |
https://explainthejoke.com/2017/10/09/make-me-a-drink/ | Frankenstein: Hey witch, can you make me a glass of lemonade? Witch: Poof! You’re a glass of lemonade! | Explanation: The word ‘poof‘ in this joke is the sound of a witch casting a spell. (I could have used the word zap or another magic word.)
When you hear the question, “Can you make me a lemonade?” you expect the answer to be a yes, a no, or something like that. Maybe a, “Sorry, we have no lemons.” In this case the witch turned Frankenstein into a glass of lemonade with magical powers and that makes this joke funny.
Here is a summary of the book Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2017/10/06/gives-you-goosebumps/ | Q: What do ghosts read? A: Booooks! | Explanation:Ghosts say, “Boo!” when they come out to scare you. Of course books are for reading. This joke is funny because it combines the word ‘boo’ with the word ‘books.’ Ok, it’s only sort of funny but it made me giggle.
Here is one of the Goosebumps movies:
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https://explainthejoke.com/2017/07/03/drawing-an-american-doodle/ | Q: What do you call an American drawing? A: Yankee doodle! | Explanation: There is a famous American song titled Yankee Doodle Dandy and a well known poem with a similar name. A doodle is a drawing, like you might make in your school notebook.
This joke is funny because an American drawing might be called an American doodle; Yankee is a name for an American, especially during the Revolution.
Happy 4th of July to the folks in the U.S. and those traveling overseas. |
https://explainthejoke.com/2017/04/14/hippity-hoppity/ | Q: Where does the Easter Bunny go to eat pancakes? A: To IHOP, of course! | Explanation: IHOP is the shortened name for the International House of Pancakes. It is pronounced I-Hop. Hop: that is what rabbits do when they move; rabbits do not walk, they hop (or jump).
This joke is funny (well, a little bit funny) because it turns IHOP into I-hop, or rather, the bunny hops to IHOP for pancakes.
How about some pancakes for breakfast? …or dinner? |
https://explainthejoke.com/2017/04/13/wet-rabbit/ | Q: How did the soggy Easter Bunny dry himself? A: With a hare dryer! | Explanation: The Easter Bunny is a character from folklore in the United States. He is said to bring eggs to children on Easter Sunday. Soggy means wet. So how would a wet rabbit dry itself? A hair dryer, perhaps. Or in this case, a hare dryer.
Hare and hair sound the same. Hare is an animal that looks similar to a rabbit; hair grows on your head.
This joke is funny because hair and hare sound the same. Happy Easter! |
https://explainthejoke.com/2017/03/13/a-pirates-life/ | Q: What is a pirate’s favorite letter? A: You might think it’d be R but ’tis the C they love! | Explanation: Pirates are known for saying “Arrrr.” But it is really the Sea (C) they love.
Of course they love the sea (pronounced the same as C ), the ocean. It’s where they sail their ships: upon the ocean.
This joke plays with the traditional answer to this joke (R or arrgh) and adds a new idea.
Here are some singing pirates for kids…
And here is a Jimmy Buffet song about pirates for adults:
Thank you to adakkusu-san! |
https://explainthejoke.com/2016/11/09/toothless/ | Q: What do you call a bear with no teeth? A: A gummy bear! | Explanation: The soft, red part that your teeth seem to come out of is called your gums. When you lose a tooth your gums will probably bleed a little but it is nothing to worry about.
A gummy bear is a type of candy (also spelled gummi bear). I like how they feel when I bite into them.
A bear that has no teeth probably still has gums. This play on words makes him a gummy bear and makes this joke funny.
There is also a TV series called Gummi Bears. Here is the first episode: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2016/11/07/sad-fruit/ | Q: What fruit do you eat when you are sad? A: Blueberries. | Explanation: In English some colors are associated with feelings. Blue is associated with sadness. When you “feel blue” it means that you are feeling sad.
If the berries are blue then are they sad? Only in this joke are berries sad; it is the double meaning of the word ‘blue’ that makes this joke funny (the color and being sad).
Blueberries for me are not sad- they make me happy, especially when I pick my own in the wild. Here is a video of some campers picking blueberries in the Boundary Waters: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2016/11/02/musical-teeth/ | Q:What musical instrument is found in the bathroom? A:A tuba toothpaste. | Explanation:A ‘tuba‘ is a large musical instrument, a brass instrument, that plays very low notes when you blow into it.
A tube of toothpaste is, well, toothpaste that comes in a tube and it is usually kept in the bathroom.
If you say “tube of toothpaste” fast it sounds like “tuba toothpaste” and that is what makes this joke funny.
Here is an old commercial for Ipana Toothpaste with Bucky Beaver:
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https://explainthejoke.com/2016/10/31/transparently/ | Q: Why are ghosts so bad at lying? A: Because you can see right through them! | Explanation: To “see through” someone means to understand them, what they really mean, to understand the truth. You can “see through” someone who is telling a lie; that is, you can tell that they are lying, not telling the truth.
Of course you can see through a ghost because ghosts are transparent.
Do you play Minecraft? Here is how to make a ghost (transparent player) in Minecraft: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2016/10/30/heartfelt-halloween/ | Q: Why didn’t the skeleton want to go to school? A: His heart wasn’t in it. | Explanation: A skeleton is just your bones; nothing on the inside and nothing on the outside. That means that there is no heart in a skeleton.
If your “heart isn’t in it” that means that you do not want to do something: Peter’s dad wanted him to play football but Peter’s heart wasn’t in it (he did not want to play football).
This joke is funny because of the double meaning: a skeleton does not have a heart and this skeleton did not want to go to school.
Here is a skeleton who was missing a bone (and a heart!). |
https://explainthejoke.com/2016/10/29/kind-of-punny/ | Another pun: I used to hate crayons but I’m drawn to them now. | Explanation: Crayons are used for drawing. “To be drawn to something” means that something is enticing, attractive, makes you want to approach it or get to know it. I love water so when I see it, I am drawn to water. I am also drawn to chocolate and coffee. My students are drawn to the game Pokémon Go on their phones. This pun is funny because of the use of the word “drawn.” |
https://explainthejoke.com/2016/04/09/apple-or-blueberry/ | Q:What’s the best thing to put into a pie? A:Your teeth! | Explanation:Mmmmmm! I love a good pie! I love to sink my teeth into a good pie (“Sink your teeth into” is also an idiom)!
When someone asks you about putting something into a pie, most people think about what type of pie they like such as apple pie or French Silk pie. This joke is funny because it gives an unexpected answer, your teeth, when the expected answer is a type of pie.
Watch this video to learn how to draw a pie:
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https://explainthejoke.com/2016/03/23/chicken-little/ | Q: Why did the Easter egg hide? A: Because he was a little chicken! | Explanation: An egg will soon become a chicken so you could say that an egg is a little chicken, a small chicken (OK, I know that an egg is not a chicken, not yet anyway, but that idea helps make this joke funny).
“To be chicken” means to be scared: He’s too chicken to go down the slide = he’s too scared or too afraid to go down the slide. Sometimes people hide when they are scared like in this scene from the movie Jurassic Park.
So, when the egg hides it is a little chicken, both a scared chicken and and a small chicken!
Take a look at these Easter Eggs: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2016/03/21/lost-in-keyboard/ | Q: What is an astronaut’s favorite key on a keyboard? A: Space! | Explanation: Are you familiar with a computer keyboard? Here is a picture. The long key at the bottom is called the space bar or the space key. Of course it is the favorite of the astronaut because the astronaut goes to space!
You see, space can mean the long key on a computer keyboard and it can mean the area outside of the earth’s atmosphere, outer space.
Here is the Space Shuttle Blasting off into space for the last time: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2016/03/18/the-eggs-on-you/ | Q: Why shouldn’t you tell an egg a joke? A: Because it might crack up! | Explanation: To crack up means to start laughing (sometimes it also means to to go crazy). When you break an egg you first crack it open.
If an egg cracks up does it start laughing or does it just crack open? This joke is funny because of the double meaning of the word ‘crack.’
More with egg: You can also be caught with egg on your face, be a good egg, and here are many more egg-spressions (expressions).
Learn an interesting way to crack an egg: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2016/03/07/all-decked-out/ | Q: Why couldn’t the pirate play cards? A: Because he was sitting on the deck! | Explanation: The flat part of sail boat (or pirate ship!) where you stand is called the deck. A group of playing cards is called a deck of cards. If you are sitting on a deck of cards you can’t play with them… and that’s what the pirate was doing! Or maybe he was sitting on the deck of his ship.
This joke is funny because of the double meaning of the word ‘deck.’
If you are interested in learning how to play a new card game take a look at this video: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2016/02/29/your-future-is-very-clear/ | Q:What kind of cookies make you rich? A:Fortune cookies! | Explanation:If you have a lot of money you have a fortune. The cookies that they give you in Chinese restaurants are called fortune cookies.
This joke is funny because it plays with the double meaning of the word fortune: a lot of money and a type of cookie.
Watch the video below to learn how to make fortune cookies out of paper:
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https://explainthejoke.com/2016/02/25/dread-knight/ | Q:What bug do knights hate? A:Dragonflies! | Explanation:Bugs are insects. A knight (sounds like night) is a soldier for a king or queen. They often wore armor or a coat of mail and rode on horses. In stories, knights sometimes fight dragons.
A dragonfly is an insect that eats mosquitoes. They are beautiful and they do not bite people!
Knights hate dragons but notdragonflies– and that is why this joke is funny!
Here is a video all about dragonflies:
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https://explainthejoke.com/2016/02/23/chew-chew-train/ | Q: What’s the difference between a teacher and a train?? A: A teacher says, “Spit out that gum!” and a train says, “Chew! Chew!” | Explanation: Or perhaps the train says, “Choo, choo?!?”
In most schools gum is not allowed. If a teacher sees you chewing gum he or she will ask you to spit it out (even though there are some researched benefits of chewing gum).
Another name for a train is a choo choo and that sounds the same as chew- chew, probably because of the sound of the train whistle.
This joke is funny because it plays with the words “choo choo” and “chew, chew.”
If you like trains you might watch the Choo Choo Bob Show, Thomas and Friends, go to a train show or travel Europe on the Eurail.
Or you could watch a 1903 silent film- The Great Train Robbery! |
https://explainthejoke.com/2016/02/15/619/ | Q: Why was there thunder and lightning in the lab? A: The scientists were brainstorming! | Explanation: I love a good thunderstorm! Especially if I am safe inside. A brainstorm is not a real storm but a way to gather ideas
When people brainstorm they make a list of many ideas. Scientists brainstorm ideas for experiments and possible answers or explanations to questions they have. (A lab is a place where some scientists work.)
This joke is funny because it plays with the words storm/ brainstorm.
Here is what a thunderstorm looks like. Remember: do not go out in a thunderstorm! |
https://explainthejoke.com/2016/02/04/tools-for-fools/ | Q: What tool can you use to cut water? A: A sea-saw! | Explanation: To understand this joke you must first know what a seesaw is. A seesaw is a toy/ game/ ride that you might see on a playground where children play (it is also known as a teeter-totter). Imagine a long piece of wood that is balanced in the middle; one person sits on each end of the board and as one goes up, the other goes down.
A saw is a tool used to cut things. Of course, you cannot cut water… even with a saw. This joke is funny because seesaw sounds like sea-saw and both end in “saw,” a tool (saw is the past tense verb of to see). (Just to be clear: the fools part of the title refers to someone trying to cut water, not the amazing performance below!!)
Here are some gymnasts performing on a see saw- Do not try this at home! |
https://explainthejoke.com/2016/02/02/february-cannot/ | Q: Can February March? A: No, but April May! | Explanation: Happy Groundhog’s Day! Or Groundhog Day? Hmmm…
The above joke plays with the months and the double meaning of some of the words.
“To march” means to walk with a regular pace or to walk in an organized way; think of soldiers marching or people marching in a parade or a protest. Can February March? No, it is a month and it cannot walk. March is also a month (and there are two of the meanings of March).
May, in addition to being a month, is an auxiliary verb similar to ‘can’ or ‘might.’ In this joke February cannot march but April might be able to march. It only makes sense if you understand the multiple meanings of March and May.
But it is February and here is a quick-talking explanation of Groundhog Day: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/12/25/winter-ride/ | Q: How does a snowman get around? A: He rides an icicle! | Explanation: Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate!
“To get around” means “to move” or “to travel.”
An icicle is a piece of ice that forms when dripping water freezes. The word icicle sounds like tricycle. This joke is funny because those two words sound alike.
In honor of Christmas I offer you one of my favorite movies, It’s a Wonderful Life. In this movie George Bailey does not “get around” but the end of the movie is great! |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/12/19/rappin-wrapper/ | Q: What do you call an elf who sings? A: A wrapper! | Explanation: In this joke, elves are Santa Claus’ helpers. They are the ones who make the toys and wrap them so that Santa can deliver the toys on Christmas Eve. “To wrap a present” means to cover it with decorative paper to make the gift look nice. Wrapping a present also makes people wonder what is under the wrapping paper.
A “Rapper” is a person who sings, usually songs that have amazing rhymes at high speed. (For more information on the history of rap music check out this link.)
This joke is funny because “wrap” sounds like “rap.”
Here is a Christmas rap song about the Grinch Who Stole Christmas: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/12/17/workout-yeti/ | Q: What do you call a snowman with six-pack abs? A: The Abdominal Snowman! | Explanation: Let’s start with six-pack abs: six-pack abs are stomach muscles that are well formed and strong. To get six-pack abs you need to do a lot of exercise. (By the way, ‘abs’ is an abbreviation of abdominal muscles, stomach muscles.)
Abominable means something that is very bad, unpleasant, something that causes revulsion. Abominable (no d) sounds a lot like abdominal (has the letter d) and remember, abdominal refers to the stomach.
The abominable snowman is also known as a yeti; most people believe that the abominable snowman is not real… some would disagree.
This joke is funny because abdominal sounds like abominable. And no snowman I have ever seen has six-pack abs!!
Here is a video clip from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer where the Abominable Snowman appears: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/12/04/you-have-the-right-to/ | Q: Why did the belt get arrested? A: Because it held up a pair of pants! | Explanation: To hold up: this phrase has more than one meaning. You could take a magic wand in your hands and hold it up in the air like Harry Potter; a piece of tape can hold a piece of paper to the wall; a belt can hold up a pair of pants. In these examples one thing holds another thing in place.
To hold up a bank means to rob it, to steal money from the bank.
This joke is funny because of the multiple meanings of “to hold up.”
Here is Woody Allen trying to hold up a bank: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/11/30/pop-feelings/ | Q: Why did the can crusher quit his job? A: Because it was soda pressing! | Explanation: A can of pop, a can of Coke, a can of soda… all are pretty much the same thing. Before you recycle the can, though, you should crush it– crush the can, that means to use pressure to change the can from big to little as in the picture. There are machines that can crush a can (called a can crusher) and the person who crushes the can is also called a can crusher). If you press a can of soda (pop) I could say that you are “soda pressing.” It would be an unusual thing to say but I could say it.
The words “soda pressing” sound like “so depressing” and that is what makes this joke funny. If a job is too depressing then someone might quit that job.
Depression is not funny. If you are someone you know is depressed please find help.
See this video to see how aluminum is recycled: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/11/26/november-flowers/ | Q: If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? A: Pilgrims! | Explanation: Happy Thanksgiving!! This is one of my favorite jokes and one that I did not understand when I was a kid.
In the northern hemisphere spring comes around the month of April. During April it rains in many areas. The rain that falls in April gives water to the flowers that bloom in May; in much of the northern hemisphere there is snow during the winter and nothing blooms.
This joke sets up a pattern: April showers bring May flowers; May flowers bring… ? The answer is Pilgrims who arrived in what is now Massachusetts in a boat; the name of the boat was the Mayflower. The joke is funny because you expect an answer that begins with June, the next month according to the pattern.
Here is Charlie Brown celebrating Thanksgiving: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/11/24/really-the-last-pun-really/ | Broken pencils are pointless. If the tip of a pencil is broken, the pencil has no point (point-less). If the tip of a pencil is broken the pencil has no purpose, that it is pointless. This pun plays with the double meaning of pointless. | Thank you to the reader who contributed this one! Really, the last pun for now.
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https://explainthejoke.com/2015/11/24/last-of-the-puns-for-now/ | No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery. “To push the envelope” is an expression that means to exceed or try to exceed the normal limits. “Stationery” is writing materials such as paper and envelopes. “Stationary” (-ary) means to not move. This pun plays with the word stationery/ stationery and the idea of pushing something (moving something) and staying still (stationary). | Whoever invented knock-knock jokes should get a no-bell prize.
If you knock on the door you do not use the doorbell. “No-bell prize” sounds like Nobel, Nobel Prize. This pun plays with the words no-bell/ Noble.
Energizer Bunny Arrested: Charged with Battery
- When people are arrested they are charged with a crime.
- One of the crimes you can be charged with is battery (verb): contact that hurts another person.
- A battery (noun) is a small energy source that might be put in a flashlight or radio.
- The Energizer Bunny is a toy that is used by Energizer Batteries to advertise their products. The Energizer Bunny toy uses batteries, that is, it gets its power from batteries: it is charged with batteries.
This pun plays with the words battery and charged and their double meanings.
I put my grandma on speed dial. I call that Instagram.
Speed dial is one button on a phone that dials instantly someone’s telephone number. If a speed dial button is programmed to call grandma then it dials grandma instantly. Combine instantly and grandma and you get insta-gram which sounds like Instagram, a photo sharing website… you also get a punderful pun! |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/11/23/more-puns-explained/ | In my previous posting I showed a picture of some puns. Here I continue to explain the puns. The other day I held the door open for a clown. It was a nice jester. | A clown and a jester are very similar characters.
“Jester” sounds like “gesture.”
When you do something nice for someone it is a nice gesture.
This pun is funny because it is a nice gesture to hold the door open and the clown (the jester) was nice. Double meaning and similar words make for a good pun!!
Pasteurize
Pasteurize sounds like “past your eyes.” If something is past your eyes it is too far to see. (Pasteurize really means to heat something in order to kill the bacteria.) |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/11/23/puns/ | According to the Urban Dictionary, a pun is “a play on words, usually used for comic reception,” that is, used to make people laugh or groan. A friend sent me this picture on Facebook (it is not mine and I do now know where it comes from) and it is a good example of some puns: Let me explain a bit: | A coffee cup is called a mug. To mug someone is to assault them with with the intent to rob them. This is a pun because it plays with the word mug in reference to stealing a coffee cup, a mug.
Click on the picture to read more mugs (and I will continue to explain the puns in this picture this week). |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/11/20/attorney-wear/ | Q: What do lawyers wear to court? A: Lawsuits! | Explanation: There are many, many lawyer jokes; this is just one example.
Lawyers go to court to represent plaintiffs (civil court), defendants (civil court and criminal court) and the prosecution (criminal court). When lawyers go to court they need to wear nice clothing- usually they wear a suit because it is a formal situation.
A lawsuit is when one party sues another in court.
This joke plays with the words suit and lawsuit: the idea that a lawyer who works with the law would wear a law-suit.
Here is one of my favorite law videos: How a bill becomes a law. |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/11/18/polished-bread/ | Q: What happens if you eat yeast and shoe polish? A: Every morning you will rise and shine! | Explanation: Yeast is the ingredient in bread that makes it rise; if there is no yeast or the yeast is dead you will get flat bread or flatbreads.
Shoe polish is the paste that you put on your shoes with a rag and then polish with a brush to make your shoes shine.
When you put yeast (makes bread rise) and shoe polish (to shine your shoes) together you “rise and shine.” “Rise and shine” is a common phrase in many homes in the United States. It is often used in the morning or when you need to wake someone up. YouTube is full of motivational videos that use the phrase “rise and shine.” Here is one way Disney used “rise and shine” … |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/11/11/incognito/ | Q:What do you call a fake noodle? A:An Impasta! | Explanation:Noodles, such as spaghetti noodles, can be called pasta.
An imposter is a person who pretends to be someone else.
So, a fake noodle is an “impasta” which sounds like a combination of imposter and pasta… and that is what makes this joke funny.
Did you see the movie The Imposter? Here is the trailer:
VIDEO
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https://explainthejoke.com/2015/10/29/national-cat-day/ | Q: What is it called when a cat wins a dog show? A: A CAT-HAS-TROPHY! | Explanation: Today in the United States is National Cat Day! so a cat joke seemed appropriate.
When someone (or some animal!?!) wins a contest like a dog show that person often wins a trophy. When something bad happens it is called a catastrophe or a disaster.
This joke plays with the word catastrophe and breaks it into parts: cat-has-trophy- which sounds a lot like catastrophe. Personally, I think it would be great if a cat won a dog show! Have a great National Cat Day! |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/10/21/please-sir-i-want-some-more/ | Q: Did you hear about the hungry clock? A: It went back four seconds! | Explanation: To “go back for seconds” means to serve yourself more food from the kitchen, the serving dishes or perhaps the buffet line. And you only “go back for seconds” if you are hungry. The word ‘four’ (4) sounds the same as ‘for.’
A clock tells time by using hours, minutes and seconds. In the joke, ‘seconds’ has two meanings: to go back in time four seconds and to go back for a second helping of food… and that’s what makes this joke funny.
Here is a classic scene from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens when Oliver went back for seconds: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/10/20/off-key/ | Q:What’s the difference between a guitar and a fish? A:You can’t tuna fish! | Explanation:Tuna fish? No, tune – a – fish. You see, for a guitar to sound good, you have to tune it. A fish cannot be tuned… but there is a fish called a tuna fish.
This joke is funny because “tune a” sounds like “tuna.”
Here is a tuna fish video that is in tune and has a nice jingle at the end:
VIDEO
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https://explainthejoke.com/2015/10/14/light-my-fire/ | Q: How do you make a fire with two sticks? A: Make sure one of them is a match! | Explanation: This joke only works if you know what a matchstick is. If you have a match or a matchstick you can easily make a fire. This joke leads one to think that the answer will be “rub two sticks together” but that would be too much work for a joke.
Here is a link to a Jack London story, To Build a Fire: http://www.jacklondons.net/buildafire.html
If you want to build a fire by rubbing two sticks together you could try this: |
https://explainthejoke.com/2015/10/12/trout-trouble/ | Q:Why can’t fishermen be generous? A:Because their business makes them sell fish! | Explanation:This is a bad pun (are there good puns?)! Their business makes them ‘sell fish’ or shall I say “selfish.” Yes, sell fish sounds just like selfish but there is a world of difference in the meaning. A selfish person is someone who wants everything for him or herself.
Here is a video of some folks selling fish at the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, WA:
VIDEO
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https://explainthejoke.com/2015/10/10/hare-raising/ | Q: How do you paint a rabbit purple? A: With purple hare spray! | Explanation: Hair≠ Hare but they sound the same. Hair is on your head and sometimes people use hairspray to keep their hair in place. Hare is an animal similar to a rabbit. And there is no such thing as Hare Spray! (But there is spray paint.)
That is what makes this joke funny- playing with the word hare/ hair and the idea of purple hare spray to paint a hare the color purple.
All of this reminded me of the movie Hairspray so here is the final song: |