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13,904,754 | Explain the following joke?\nQ:What did the sock say to the foot? A:“Shoe!” | Explanation:Or did the sock say, “Shoo!” “Shoo” means go away, scram, get out of here as in the song “Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me.” Shoe, obviously, is what you put on your foot (after you put on your sock). Was the sock pointing out that the shoe was coming closer?
This joke is silly and doesn’t make much sense but it does make me giggle. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,755 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why was the nose feeling sad? A: It was tired of getting picked on! | Explanation: When you “pick your nose” you stick your finger in your nose and, well, remove whatever is in there. “To be picked on” means that someone is bothering you, bullying you: The older kid picked on the younger kid by pushing him every time they saw each other.
This joke plays with the words “pick” and “nose” and the double understanding there. It is funny because the nose is being picked on, not being picked.
It’s more polite to use a Kleenex. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,756 | Explain the following joke?\nQ:Why does Santa have a garden? A:So he can hoe, hoe, hoe! | Explanation:When Santa laughs he says, “Ho, ho ho!” When you work in a garden sometimes you use a hoe (a tool with a long handle and a flat piece of metal on the end that is perpendicular to the long handle). This joke is funny because it changes “ho, ho, ho” for “hoe, hoe, hoe.” | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,757 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Where do polar bears vote? A: The North Poll! | Explanation: When you go to vote for a candidate, the place that you go is called the poll. Last year my polling place changed from a school to a nursing home; every year, though, I go to the poll to vote.
Polar bears live near the north pole, way up north in the Arctic circle (I could talk about the decrease in the population of polar bears but I won’t). This joke is funny because of the play on words with poll and pole.
I wonder if Santa Claus votes at the north poll too? | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,758 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What did one elevator say to the other elevator? A: I think I’m coming down with something! | Explanation: There is a double meaning in this joke: “To come down with something” is to get sick; elevators come down with something- people. When the first elevator says it is coming down with something the listener hears the double meaning of getting sick and going to a lower floor — and that’s funny because elevators don’t get sick. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,759 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: How do you reach a book in an emergency? A: Call its pager! | Explanation: A pager or a beeper is a small electronic device (not used much anymore because so many people have cell phones) that beeps or vibrates and shows the telephone number of the caller or a message from the caller. They are often used in hospitals or other locations where it is important to contact someone and do so with minimal interference.
This joke is funny because books have pages but do not have pagers. You can also reach a book with your arm. Read a good book today! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,760 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What do you call four bullfighters in quicksand? A: Cuatro sinko! | Explanation: Ah, yes! A bad bilingual joke. Bullfighters are often found in Spanish speaking countries. The number four in Spanish is “cuatro.” If you are in quicksand you are probably sinking down into the sand.
Many English speakers who do not speak Spanish play with Spanish by adding an “o” onto any English word- so “sink” would become “sinko.” Of course “sinko” sounds just like “cinco” which means five in Spanish. This joke is funny to an English speaker who knows a bit of Spanish because the answer sounds like 4, 5 in Spanish as it refers to the 4 bullfighters sinking into quicksand. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,761 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why did Tomás throw the clock out the window? A: He wanted to see time fly! | Explanation: “Time flies” means that time seems to pass quickly as in the expression, “time flies when you are having fun.” Of course if you throw a clock then the clock, which shows the time, is flying. This joke plays with the words “time flies,” both the figurative meaning and the literal meaning.
As winter comes to Minnesota, I kind of hope that time flies and that spring comes soon. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,762 | Explain the following joke?\nKnock, knock! Who’s There? | Theodore.
Theodore who?
Theodore is stuck and it won’t open!
Explanation: Yesterday, teddy bears. Today, Theodore: thee-o door. The last part of the name “Theodore” sounds like “door.” If you say the whole name fast it can almost sound like “thee door” or “the door.” This joke is funny because it is not Theodore who is knocking at the door but someone who says the door is stuck. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,763 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why are teddy bears never hungry? A: They are always stuffed! | Explanation: After you finish eating you could say, “I am full” or you might say, “I’m stuffed.” Both expressions mean the same thing: you have eaten enough and you do not need to eat any more.
If you were to open a teddy bear you would find “stuffing” inside. Stuffing is the material that makes the bear soft and cuddly. Teddy bears are also known as “stuffed animals,” that is, toy animals that are soft and are full of stuffing.
This joke plays on the double meaning of the word “stuffed.” Of course teddy bears are stuffed! But they never eat anything. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,764 | Explain the following joke?\nQ:What did the baker say when he found his lost dough? A:“That’s just what I kneaded!” | Explanation:“To knead dough” is to push and pull it; that is what you do to the dough before you let it rise. “To knead” sounds just like “to need.” This joke plays on these phrases that sound the same. Do you knead more of an explanation? No, but you might need more of an explanation. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,765 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Did you hear the joke about the roof? A: Never mind, it’s over your head! | Explanation: “Over your head” can have two different meanings: 1) something is literally above you; 2) something is too hard for you to understand. For example: 1) the ceiling of the room I am in is over my head and keeps the snow off my shoulders; 2) Quantum physics is “over my head” because I do not understand it.
This joke plays on the double meaning of the phrase “over your head.” Get it? Or is it over your head? | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,766 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: When is a baby good at basketball? A: When it’s dribbling! | Explanation: “To dribble” the basketball means to bounce the ball as you walk or run down the basketball court. “To dribble” is also to let saliva drop from your mouth. Babies often dribble, that is, they drool, they let saliva or food or milk come out of their mouths.
This joke is funny because it plays on the double meaning of the word dribble; babies cannot dribble a basketball but they dribble all frequently. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,767 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why do scientists think humming birds hum? A: Because they can’t remember the words! | Explanation: “To hum” can be to sing, “la, la, la” when you don’t know the words to a song or keep your lips together and make the notes of a song. This joke is funny because hummingbirds don’t really hum; they chirp. They’re birds! I wonder why they can’t remember the words?
Here is a scene where Ingrid Bergman hums a few bars. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,768 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why did the police arrest the turkey? A: They suspected it of foul play! | Explanation: “Suspected of foul play” means that the police think you did something illegal. The group of birds that include chickens, duck, geese and turkeys are known as fowl. “Foul” and “fowl” sound the same. This joke plays with the word fowl/ foul and is really a lot funnier if spoken, not read. (A foul is also a mis-play in a sport such as basketball. Isn’t English fun!) | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,769 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Should you have your whole family for Thanksgiving dinner? A: No, you should just have the turkey! | Explanation: Another joke that plays with a double meaning. Imagine a conversation like this: “What did you have for dinner?” “I had soup and bread.”
“To have _____ for dinner” is to eat whatever you put in that blank space. Yesterday I had turkey for dinner. I did not have my family, that is, I did not eat my family (thank goodness!).
To “have your family for dinner” can also mean to invite them over to eat dinner with you. That is why the joke is funny. The listener is expecting advice on whether or not to invite the family over for dinner. The answer shows that the questioner had a different meaning in mind. It reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode, To Serve Man.
Happy day after Thanksgiving! And no, I am not going shopping. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,770 | Explain the following joke?\nQ:Which side of the turkey has the most feathers? A:The outside! | Explanation:At first when you hear this joke, the expectation is that the answer will be the right side or the left side, perhaps the top, bottom, front or back. What the listener does not expect is the outside; that answer is too obvious. That is why the joke is funny!
Happy Thanksgiving Day! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,771 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What is the musical part of a turkey? A: The drumstick! | Explanation: “Drumstick” has two meanings: a drumstick is the piece of wood that a drummer uses to hit the drum and make music; a turkey leg, one that has been cooked and is ready to eat, is also called a drumstick. This joke plays on the double meaning of the word drumstick.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the United States. Everyday I am thankful! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,772 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why did the bee get married? A: Because he found his honey! | Explanation: Sweetie, dear, my love, honey. These are all words/ phrases that a person might use for his or her significant other, for the love of your life. So, when you “find your honey” you find that person who means a lot to you. Then, you could marry that person.
This joke plays on the double meaning of the word honey: a sweet treat made by honey bees and someone who you love. In this case the bee found his honey, his love. The honey he made, is back at the bee hive. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,773 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why did the poor dog chase his own tail? A: He was trying to make ends meet! | Explanation: “To make ends meet” is an expression used when someone is working hard to earn enough money to pay the bills. The word “poor” in “poor dog” can be an expression of sympathy such as “you poor thing” or it can mean poor as in a person with little or no money.
This dog is working to make ends meet by having its mouth grab its tail. If and when the dog bites its tail, its head will literally meet the tail; the two ends of the dog will meet. This joke is funny because it plays with the word “poor” and the expression “make ends meet.” | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,774 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: How did the music teacher get locked in the classroom? A: His keys were inside the piano! | Explanation: Well, the word “keys” in this joke has two meanings: 1) Keys are the white and black parts of the piano that your fingers touch when you play the piano; 2) Keys are the pieces of metal that you use to unlock doors. This joke is funny because piano keys are in the piano, they are part of the piano but if you leave the keys to your room in the piano then you cannot get into you room.
Piano teachers need to keep their keys in their pockets and not in their pianos! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,775 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why are graveyards noisy? A: Because of all the coffin! | Explanation: A coffin is the box that dead people are buried in. Coughing is the body’s natural response when there is a tickle in the throat and you try to clear it- you cough.
This joke is funny because it plays on the similar sound of “coffin” and “coughing.” In English, many people drop the final ‘g’ sound on words ending in ‘ing.’ That makes “coffin” and “coughing” sound even more alike.
Don’t let your coughin’ send you to the coffin! See a doctor! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,776 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What do you get from a pampered cow? A: Spoiled milk. | Explanation: To be “pampered” is to be taken care of in a very nice way. Someone might go to the spa to have her nails done and get a massage and we could say, “She is being pampered.”
If you are too pampered or if you expect someone to always take care of you we could call you spoiled. “Spoiled brat” is a common phrase is to refer to a child who gets mad because he doesn’t get what he wants.
Knowing that we get milk from cows we can make the joke that pampered cows give us spoiled milk. The joke is funny because spoiled milk is what you get when you leave the milk out of the refrigerator for a long time and it turns sour, it spoils. It doesn’t come from cows who are getting their nails done at the spa. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,777 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What do you call newborn bee? A: A ba-bee! | Explanation: Newborn is a word that refers to a baby who has recently come into the world, yes, a baby. A bee is an insect that gives us honey and pollinates plants.
This joke plays on the word/ work part “Bee.” A baby or a ba-bee. Get it? A newborn bee is a baby or a ba-bee; both words sound the same.
One joke a day from now til New Year’s Eve. That is my goal. Thank you for reading and writing to me!!
The title of this post is from a Buddy Holly Song. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,778 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What do racers eat? A: Fast food! | Explanation: A racer is a person who races, such as a runner or a race car driver. The whole point of a race is to go fast in order to win. “Fast food” is food that you can get at a restaurant like McDonalds: you order the food and they give it to you right away. So if you want to go fast you need to eat food that will give you the energy to go fast, or “fast food.” That’s what makes this joke funny! Of course fast food will not make you fast, fat perhaps, but not fast 🙂 . | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,779 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What do you get when you cross a bear and a ghost? A: Winnie the boo! | Explanation: You already know what a bear is and you already know what a ghost is. But do you know about Winnie the Pooh? Winnie the Pooh is a stuffed bear created by A. A. Milne. Wonderful stories from a long time ago! “Pooh” sounds like “boo.” Ghosts say, “Boo!” Therefore we get Winnie the Boo! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,780 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What’s green and sings? A:Elvis Parsley! | Explanation:This joke is a play on words- “parsley”, a leafy green used as food, sounds a lot like “Presley” the last name of the famous singer, Elvis Presley. Parsley, Presley, Parsley, Presley, Parsley, Presley- try saying that 10 times fast. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,781 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What do you call a scared cow? A: A milk shake! | Explanation: When people get scared, frightened, they sometimes shake because of the fear they feel. A milkshake is a drink that mixes (or shakes) together ice cream and milk (sometimes with fruit or chocolate or …). So, if you shake a cow (which would be really hard to do!) you could get a milk-shake. Or if the cow gets scared it could shake itself and the milk that is inside it thereby making a milkshake. Crazy! It could never happen! That’s why it’s funny! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,782 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: When does a teacher carry birdseed? A: When there is a parrot-teacher conference! | Explanation: Parrots like birdseed; they eat it! Teachers have conferences with parents called parent teacher conferences; it is a time to talk to the parents about how their children are doing in school. “Parrot-teacher” sounds like “parent-teacher” and that is what makes his joke funny! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,783 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What letter is wet? A:The letter C ! | Explanation:You see, the letter “c” sounds just like the word “sea” which is another word for the ocean. So, the “C” is wet. See! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,784 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why would a spider be a good baseball player? A: Because it is good at catching flies! | Explanation: Spiders catch flies in their webs; flies (fly- singular) are small insects with wings. When spiders build spiderwebs the flies get stuck in them and the spiders eat them. When a baseball player hits a baseball and it goes up in the air to the outfield we say, “the baseball player has hit a fly ball,” that is, the player hit the ball and it flew through the air. The outfielders, the players standing far away from the batter, are waiting to catch the fly balls that have been hit. An outfielder who is good at this is good at catching flies… just like a spider.
Thanks “Tree” for the joke! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,785 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Where do football players go before the big game? A: To the Toilet Bowl! | Explanation: If someone says, “I gotta go!” that person means, “I have to go to the bathroom.” Imagine someone saying that while squeezing their legs together. Football championship games are called bowl games, think The Super Bowl, The Rose Bowl, … The part of a toilet where one leaves waste is the toilet bowl, the part you see filled with water. This joke is funny because it combines the ideas of going to the bathroom with a bowl game. 11 year olds might love this joke! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,786 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What do elves learn in school? A: The elf-abet! | Explanation: One elf (singular), two elves (plural). Elves are mythological beings found in stories like The Hobbit or found at the north pole working for Santa Claus. The alphabet is learned by school children in all English speaking schools (and other languages too!). “Elf” sounds like “alf” or “alph,” the first part of the word alphabet. This joke is funny because it plays on the sounds in elf and alph.
Thanks “Tree” for sending the joke. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,787 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What do you call a wet fruit? A: A watermelon! | Explanation: “Wet” is something that is liquid or has liquid on or in it. For example, a towel gets wet when you use it to soak up water; the street gets wet when it rains. Water is wet because it is a liquid. A watermelon isn’t really wet on the outside (unless it has been rained on or washed) but it does have lots of liquid on the inside. So a wet fruit, is a watermelon. Mmmm!
Soon it will be summer here in the north and the watermelon will start growing again. I can’t wait!
Thanks “Tree” for sending the joke. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,788 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why do we put candles on top of a birthday cake? A: Because it’s too hard to put them on the bottom! | Explanation: Well, this is funny because the listener is expecting a real explanation that has to do with adding candles to a cake, perhaps even explaining why we have cake for birthdays. But that is not the answer that the listener hears. The answer is just an obviously funny one! Candles on the bottom of a cake!
Happy Birthday, Ana Maria! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,789 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why did John jump up and down before drinking his juice? A: The box said, “Shake well before drinking!” | Explanation: Johnny was sooooooo confused! When the box says, “Shake well before drinking” it is talking about the box, not the boy who is drinking the juice! Shake the box, Johnny!
Shake, shake hands, milkshake, shake your head, shake and bake, shake, rattle and roll, … | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,790 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What kind of balls don’t bounce? A:Eye balls! | Explanation:Bounce is the way a ball goes up and down when thrown to the floor. Tennis balls bounce. Basketballs bounce. Eyeballs… don’t bounce. It would hurt too much if they did!
My break is over… more jokes to come. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,791 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Who keeps the ocean clean? A:The mermaid! | Explanation:A mermaid is a mythological creature who is part woman, part fish. A “maid” is a person who cleans a house or a hotel. This joke plays on the meaning of the word “maid.” Does a mer-maid do windows? | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,792 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: How did the farmer mend his pants? A: With cabbage patches! | Explanation: To mend a pair of pants, such as jeans, is to fix them. If there is a hole in the knee you will need to patch the hole with a patch. Yes, “patch” can be used as a verb and a noun. “Patch” also means a small area of land that is planted with a the same type of vegetable such as cabbage: a cabbage patch. This joke plays on the multiple meanings of the word “patch.” | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,793 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why was the king only a foot tall? A: Because he was a ruler! | Explanation: A ruler is one who rules, that is, one who is in charge like a king or a president. A ruler is also a stick used for measuring items. In this case a ruler is 12 inches long, a foot long. This joke plays on the double meaning of the work ruler. This joke really measures up! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,794 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why did the lettuce win the race? A:He was a head! | Explanation:Lettuce is a green, leafy vegetable like in the picture. When you buy lettuce you buy “a head” of lettuce. The person who wins a race finishes first, that is, the person is ahead of the other. This joke plays on the difference between “ahead” and “a head.” | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,795 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What did the mommy rope say to the baby rope? A: “Don’t be knotty!” | Explanation: When you tie a rope you make a knot. To behave badly is to be naughty (naw- tee); it is a word that is used with small children. “Knotty” sounds like “naughty” and “naughty” is a word that a mommy might use with her child, like in the joke! Be good; don’t be naughty! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,796 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What is a whale’s favorite game? A: Swallow the leader! | Explanation: Whales are known for eating lots and lots of fish and krill; that is, they swallow them. “Follow the Leader” is a well known children’s game where one personis the leader and the other children have to follow the leader, doing and going where the leader goes. This joke plays on the rhyming words follow and swallow. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,797 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: How is a baseball team similar to a pancake? A: They both need a good batter! | Explanation: The word “batter” can refer to the person on a baseball team who has the bat and is hitting the ball. The word “batter” can also mean the thick liquid that a cook uses to make pancakes. The batter is poured onto the griddle; the cooked batter is called a pancake. This joke plays on the double meaning of the word “batter.” | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,798 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What goes up and down but does not move? A: Stairs! | Explanation: You walk up the stairs and down the stairs. We say “the stairs go up to the next floor” or “the stairs go down to the basement.” That is, the stairs “go” but they do not move! Ha! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,799 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why do bicycles fall over? A: Because they are two-tired! | Explanation: Bicycles have two tires, that is, they have two wheels. If a car is four-tired (has 4 tires) then you could say a bike is two-tired (has two tires), although no one would actually say that- except in a joke. This joke plays on the words “too tired.” If you are very tired, too tired, you have no energy. Maybe you would fall over like the two-tired (too tired) bike!
Get some rest! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,800 | Explain the following joke?\nKnock, knock. Who’s there? | Luke.
Luke who?
You look like you want to hear another knock knock joke!
Explanation: You see, “Luke” sounds like “look.” So, youlooklike you want to hear another knock knock joke! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,801 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What language does a billboard speak? A: Sign language! | Explanation: A billboard is one of those really big advertisements found along roads and on top of buildings; a billboard is a type of sign. This joke plays on the word “sign” which can mean a public, printed announcement that is usually large (like a street sign, a stop sign, a road sign, the name of a store on its facade, …) or it can be the first part of “sign language.” Sign language is a language used by hearing impaired people to communicate. So a billboard (a sign) speaks sign language because it is a sign!
As you work on learning English or learning jokes take some time to learn sign language! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,802 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What would we get if we threw all the books in the ocean? A: A title wave! | Explanation: A tidal wave is produced by the daily tides, which are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun (officially, it is not a tsunami). Books have titles. The words “title wave” sound very much like “tidal wave.” Read all about it! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,803 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What do you call a sleeping bull? A: A bull-dozer. | Explanation: “To doze” is to sleep, but just for a little bit of time. A bulldozer is a machine that moves dirt. So, a sleeping bull is a bull that dozes or a bull-dozer which sounds like bulldozer! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,804 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: How do you make a hot dog stand? A: Take away its chair! | Explanation:You know what a hot dog is, right? A “hot dog stand” is a small place that sells hot dogs (see picture). This joke plays on the word stand which is also the opposite of sit. If you take away someone’s chair that person has to stand… just like the hot dog in this joke! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,805 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What do you call a fish with no eye? A: Fsh! | Explanation:When you hear this joke you are thinking about a fish with no eye, perhaps a blind fish. What makes this joke funny is that the answer is the sound “fsh” because there is no longer an “i” in the word fish. Ha!! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,806 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why did the girl spread peanut butter on the road? A: To go with the traffic jam! | Explanation: Peanut butter and jelly is a common type of sandwich in the United States. Jam and jelly are synonyms (they are not identical but very much the same). A traffic jam is when there are so many cars in one place that the cars are stopped (or moving very slowly). This joke plays with the word jam- the kind that goes with peanut butter and the kind that stops traffic. Ha ha ha! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,807 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What do you call cheese that isn’t yours? A: Nacho cheese! | Explanation: Nacho cheese is a form of processed cheese sauce mixed with peppers and other spices. It is used to make Nachos, a snack made with tortilla chips and there are many ways to make them. When you say “Nacho” it sounds like “not your.” So, if it’s “Nacho cheese,” that sounds like “not your cheese;” cheese which isn’t yours! Try some nachos; they’re great! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,808 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Where do generals keep their armies? A: In their sleevies! | Explanation: A general is the leader of an army (singular), so, generals are the leaders of armies (plural). When you put on a shirt your arm goes into the sleeve of the shirt. Often times in English, to make something small you put the “ee” sound on the end- cute becomes cutie, bird become birdie. In this joke arm becomes arm-ee so it goes into your sleeve-ee. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,809 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why did the invisible man turn down a job offer? A: He just couldn’t see himself doing it! | Explanation: The invisible man is a book by H. G. Wells and also a movie. If you are invisible no one can see you. This joke plays on the phrase, “I can’t see myself doing…” which means you can’t imagine doing something, such as taking a job. What is something you can’t see yourself doing? | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,810 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why did the computer keep sneezing? A: It had a virus! | Explanation: When someone is sick that person may sneeze. A virus is a really small thing, smaller than a cell in your body, that can make you sick. So, a virus can make you sneeze. A virus is also the name of a computer program that does something bad to your computer (or uses your computer in a way that you do not want it to). This joke is funny because it uses the word “virus” in two different ways. Wash your hands! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,811 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What do you get when you plant kisses? A: Two lips. | Explanation: You use your lips to kiss someone, that is, you use two lips: your upper lip (the one below your nose) and your lower lip (the one above your chin). The expression “plant a kiss” means to kiss someone deliberately. There is a flower called a tulip (sounds the same as two lip) which is typically planted in the fall and blooms in the spring. This joke plays on the sounds of “two lips” and “tulips.” Happy almost Valentine’s Day! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,812 | Explain the following joke?\nA roundhog What’s green, has four legs, and jumps out of its hole on February 2? | The ground frog!
What would you get if you crossed February 2 with a puppy?
Ground-dog Day!
Explanation: All three of these jokes play with sounds: “roundhog” sounds like groundhog; “ground frog” sounds like groundhog; “ground- Dog” sounds like groundhog. And a puppy is a baby dog.
Sorry about being two days late for Groundhog’s Day… or is it Groundhog day? What a silly holiday! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,813 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What’s a tornado’s favorite game? A: Twister! | Explanation: “Twister” is a synonym of tornado; they mean the same thing. Twister is also a game that has been around for a long time. This joke plays on the double meaning of the word Twister: another name for a tornado and a game. Click on the link to see people playing Twister. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,814 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: The turtle took two chocolates to Texas to teach Thomas to tie his boots. How many Ts in that? A: There are 2 Ts in “That“! | Explanation: The question confuses the listener by having a sentence with so many of the letter “T”. While you are distracted trying to count Ts, the real question comes- How many Ts in “That”? Well, in the word “that” there are only 2 Ts: one at the beginning and one at the end. Got ya! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,815 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why did the music teacher need a ladder? A: To reach the high notes. | Explanation: Ahh, yes! The high notes! When one goes up, like in an airplane or up a ladder, one is going up higher. The child cannot reach the cookies because they are up high. High notes are the ones more to the right on a piano; in science the larger the Hz the higher the note. But high notes are not up high; that’s why this joke is funny! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,816 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What gets wetter the more it dries? A: A towel! | Explanation: A towel is used to dry something like a plate or your hands. As the towel dries your hands the towel, which was dry, becomes wet. It is not the towel that is becoming dry, it is your hands that are becoming dry. This joke is funny because it plays on the opposites of wet and dry. How could something get wet as it dries? | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,817 | Explain the following joke?\nKnock, knock! Who’s There? | Ash.
Ash who?
Bless you!
Explanation: Ash who? Sounds like “Achoo!” “Achoo” is how the sound of a sneeze is written in English in the United States. So when the asker asks “Ash who?” it sounds like Achoo! And if someone sneezes you say “Bless you!” | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,818 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why did Cinderella get kicked off the soccer team? A: Because she ran away from the ball! | Explanation: Cinderella went to that fancy dance party in her fancy dress. That fancy dance party is called “a ball.” So is the sphere that soccer players kick- a ball. This joke plays on the word “ball.” And soccer players can’t run away from the ball! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,819 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What did the 0 say to the 8? A: Nice belt! | Explanation: The number zero sees an eight and thinks it is just like me, a zero, so it must have a belt. Numbers thinking crazy thoughts! That’s funny!
HIlarious my children loved it and they laughed SO HARD!!!!
dis is a stupid joke. i still don’t get it.
Me parece una absoluta tontería, carece de todo sentido matemático, no veo la relación del cero y el ocho , que el ocho ¿puede ser dos ceros unidos,? si, pero lo del cinturón es puro desvarío mental.
Funniest joke in Ohio | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,820 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why was 6 afraid of 7? A: Because 7, 8, 9! | Explanation:If you read the numbers is sounds like seven-eight (ate)-nine. And if I were 6, I, too, would be afraid of seven if it is eating other numbers, such as nine! Seven ate the nine! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,821 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why did the child study in the airplane? A: He wanted a higher education! | Explanation:Higher education: that means studies beyond high school such as going to the university. Higher education does not refer to altitude, like studying while high in the sky; that’s why it’s funny. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,822 | Explain the following joke?\nQ. What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? A. Frostbite. | Explanation: This is a common type of joke that is funny because you cross (combine) one thing with another (usually two things that do not go together). In this case a snowman (like Frosty the Snowman?) with a vampire (that bites people). Funny! Click this link to learn more about Frostbite. Frost is the ice that is formed on the ground when the temperature goes below freezing. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,823 | Explain the following joke?\nQ. What did the grape do when it got stepped on? A. It let out a little wine! | Explanation: Wine is made from grapes. Traditionally (that is, a long time ago), grapes were “pressed” by stepping them ( did you see the scene in A Walk in the Clouds?) to get the juice out. “Whine,” which sounds the same as “wine,” means to complain a little bit about something. A child might whine about having to eat something he or she doesn’t like; you might whine if someone stepped on you, kind of like the grapes in the joke. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,824 | Explain the following joke?\nQ. Why don’t skeletons fight each other? A. They don’t have the guts. | Explanation: To “have guts” is to be brave. If you “don’t have the guts” to do something it means you are scared to do it. “Guts” are your innards, your internal organs (heart, lung, liver, …). This joke plays on the idea that skeletons don’t have guts (they are nothing but bones so they have no internal organs), or are they scared. The double meaning of the word “guts” makes this joke funny. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,825 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What did the water say to the boat? A: Nothing, it just waved. | Explanation: “Wave” is what you do when you move your hand as if saying hello. “Wave” is also the name for a way the top of the water moves: the raised part of the water that moves toward the shore is a wave. This joke plays on the word “wave” and is funny because the water waves (as if saying hello) while the water has waves (the raised part of the water). | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,826 | Explain the following joke?\nQ. Why do sea-gulls fly over the sea? A. Because if they flew over the bay they would be bagels! | Explanation:This joke plays on the words seagull (a bird) and bagel (a round bread shaped like a donut). There is no such thing as a bay gull but there is a bagel and both sound the same- that’s why it is funny! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,827 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: What is black and white and red all over? A: A newspaper! | Explanation: This joke plays on the word red/ read. “Red” is a color, like black and white. “Read”(pronounced “red”) is the past tense of read (every day I read, yesterday I read). When your brain hears red after hearing black and white it assumes that the speaker is talking about colors. In this case the speaker is talking about the past tense verb read. A newspaper is black because of the ink and white because of the paper. It is read all over because you can read it anywhere in the world. Funny! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,828 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Why was the broom late? A: It over swept! | Explanation: Brooms are for sweeping; one reason that people are late is because they over sleep. “Sleep” in the past tense is “slept” (everyday I sleep, yesterday I slept). “Slept” rhymes with swept (swept is sweep in the past tense- everyday I sweep, yesterday I swept). This joke is funny because the expected answer is “It over slept” not its rhyme, “It over swept.” | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,829 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: How does a Snowman get to work? A: By icicle. | Explanation: Take a look at the answer- by icicle. If you say the two words quickly you get the word bicycle. An icicle is ice that is formed by dripping water, like ice that hangs off a roof in the winter. Again, here the funny part is playing with the words “by icicle” and “bicycle.” | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,830 | Explain the following joke?\nQ: Where does a snowman keep his money? A: In a snow bank. | Explanation: This joke plays on the word “bank”. A bank is a place where people keep their money; a snowbank is a pile of snow (which is not a good place to keep money!).
Snowbank
-
- Bank | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,831 | Explain the following joke?\nCathy from Minnesota offers this joke… Knock, knock | Who’s there?
Turnip
Turnip, who?
Turnip the heat, it’s cold in here!
Explanation: This joke plays on words turnip/ turn up. A turnip is a vegetable; “turn up” is what you do to the heat when it is too low (you can also turn up the radio, …). | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,832 | Explain the following joke?\nQ.What runs around a soccer field but doesn’t move? A:A fence | Explanation: This joke plays on the word “runs”: A person runs; a fence runs around, that is, goes around, an area like a soccer field. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,833 | Explain the following joke?\nKnock, knock. Who’s there? | Lettuce.
Lettuce who?
Lettuce in and you’ll find out!
Explanation: Knock-knock jokes play with words: words that sound the same but are different or words that have more than one meaning. In this joke the jokester is playing with the words “let us” and “lettuce.” It is funny because the listener assumes the word is lettuce. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,834 | Explain the following joke?\nQ:Why did the chicken cross the road? A:To get to the other side. | Explanation:The answer to this joke (“To get to the other side”) is so obvious, something everyone knows, that it is funny because it is silly, perhaps even stupid. Why else would you cross a road except to get to the other side? | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 2 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,835 | Q: What does a computer do when it is tired? A: It crashes!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: Did your computer ever stop working (freeze) or turn itself off when you wanted to use it? If it did, you can say your computer crashed. Computer crashes are frustrating because you cannot get your work done, and sometimes you lose the work you finished most recently, unless you saved it. Thankfully, they do not happen too often.
The word crash has other meanings. If someone is tired, a person might say, “I’m going to go crash.” This means that the person will go to bed and sleep. Or you could say, “I crashed lat night at 8:30 because I was so tired.”
This joke is funny because it plays with two meanings of the word crash: A computer not working, and someone going to bed.
Here are two songs about another meaning of the word crash: | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,836 | Q: Where can you go to practice math on New Year’s Eve? A: Times Square!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: Happy New Year! It’s 2023 which means that Explain the Joke is celebrating 10 years of explaining jokes in English.
To get better at math, people often people often practice addition (+) or subtraction (-) problems; then they work on multiplication (x) and division (÷), and all the way through calculus and beyond. Practicing multiplication is also known as practicing your times tables. You can say what is seven times nine (7 x 9), or you can can say what is seven multiplied by nine. They mean the same thing, times or multiplied by.
Times Square is an area in New York City. One of the things Times Square is known for is its party on New Year’s Eve. During that party, many people gather in Times Square and watch on TV to see the ball drop; when the ball gets to the bottom, the new year starts. (By the way, to drop the ball is an idiom that means to make a mistake.)
This joke is funny because it plays with the ideas of times (multiplication) and Times Square.
If you would like to see the ball drop to mark the beginning of 2023, take a look here: | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,837 | Q: When does it rain money? A: When there is change in the weather!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain,” according to the song from My Fair Lady. In Peru, they just wish it would rain! But nowhere does it rain money. Rain is water that falls from the sky as part of the evaporation/water cycle. When it is sunny outside, and then the weather changes to cloudy or rainy, we say that there is a change in the weather.
Change is also the word used for money in the form of coins. In the United States, change includes pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and half dollars. There are also dollar coins.
This joke is funny because it plays with two meanings of the word change: coin money, or when one thing becomes different, like the weather changes. If there were change, coins, in the weather, well, there might be coins falling from the sky, but we all know that doesn’t happen.
John Fogerty sang about change in the weather- | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,838 | Q: What happens when winter arrives? A: Autumn leaves!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: In the northern hemisphere winter officially starts on December 21 (winter solstice, astronomical winter), but for many places in the north, it is already cold. Did you know that there is more than one way to mark the start of winter? Meteorologists, people who study the weather, talk about meteorological winter which starts on December 1. When talking about seasons, winter comes after fall; fall is also known as autumn.
In the autumn, leaves change colors and fall to the ground as the trees get ready for the winter, and the following spring. Autumn leaves are beautiful!
Leaves, though, has another meaning. When something leaves, it goes away. For example, the teacher leaves home to go to work, and the student leaves school to go home.
This joke is funny because it plays with two meanings of the word leaves: The tree has leaves that change colors in the autumn (autumn leaves), and autumn leaves, or goes away, so that winter can come.
Eric Clapton has a song called Autumn Leaves– | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,839 | Q: Where do roses sleep? A: In a flower bed!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: According to many surveys, roses are one of the most popular flowers. Although they have thorns, some people say that they are not that hard to grow.
When you have a garden with flowers (as opposed to a garden with fruits and vegetables), we can call that area a flower bed. If you prepare the flower bed well, the flowers will grow well. I have never heard anyone call a vegetable garden a vegetable bed.
A bed, without flower, is a piece of furniture where people sleep, but you kew that.
This joke is funny because it plays with the word bed and flower bed. Yes, it makes sense that roses would sleep, if they sleep, in a flower bed. (Thank you, Trevor for the joke!)
Here is a motivational speech titled, Make Your Bed: | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,840 | Q: Why did the turkey cross the road? A: So people would think he was a chicken!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: Happy Thanksgiving!
In many countries throughout the world people celebrate a day of thanks. In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November; that will be November 24 in 2022. One of the traditional foods for that celebration is turkey.
This joke is funny because it plays with another, well-known joke: Why did the chicken cross the road? (There are many cross the road jokes.) Of course, the turkey does not want to become someone’s dinner. So, if it pretends to be a chicken as it crosses the road, it will have a better chance of staying alive, and not ending up on someone’s plate.
There is a lot of research about the benefits of being thankful, of feeling and showing gratitude. Here is a TED talk about being grateful:
Thank you for reading this blog! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,841 | Q: Why was the Incredible Hulk so good at gardening? A: Because he had a green thumb!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: Dr. David/Robert Bruce Banner becomes the superhero known as the Hulk, or the Incredible Hulk, when he becomes angry. In that process of becoming the Hulk, his body transforms, becoming larger with lots of muscles, and his skin turns green. When his skin turns green, his whole body turns green, including his thumb.
To have a green thumb is an idiom that means to be really good at taking care of plants and gardens. My wife has a green thumb, which you can see when you admire the succulents, bonsai, orchid, and geraniums in the window garden. OK, you don’t really need a green thumb to grow geraniums, but you get the idea.
This joke is funny because it plays with the literal and the figurative meanings of green thumb.
Watch here to see a transformation of Dr. Banner into the Hulk. Better yet, watch this video to learn how to grow geraniums: | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,842 | Q: What’s it like being kissed by a vampire? A: It’s a pain in the neck!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: Happy Halloween to those of you who celebrate! Many countries around the world celebrate Halloween, or another somewhat-related holiday around this time of year. A Mexican student of mine once commented that Halloween is a lot like Day of the Dead, but several others disagreed. I also disagreed, but can see some connections.
In the United States, Halloween for children is about dressing up in costumes and trick-or treating, asking for candy. One of the most popular costumes continues to be a vampire. Vampires are well known for biting the neck of their victims and drinking their blood. If someone were to bite your neck, it would really hurt; it would cause a pain in your neck.
A pain in the neck is an idiom that means something that is bothersome, difficult, or annoying to deal with. A neighbor’s dog that won’t stop barking might be a pain in the neck; someone who complains all the time might be a pain in the neck.
This joke is funny because it plays with different meanings of pain in the neck: A literal pain that hurts you, and the idiom that means something that is annoying.
Here is how National Geographic explains the history of Halloween: | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,843 | Q: Why was the jelly so stressed out? A: Because it was spread too thin!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: Jelly is a food made by boiling fruit juice with sugar until it becomes thick and sort of transparent. Jelly is similar to jam, marmalade, and preserves. This link can explain more about the differences between those different spreads.
They are called spreads (noun) because you can use a knife and spread (verb) them on bread (or something else). Other spreads include hummus and chutney. If you want a lot of jelly on your bread you can spread it really thick, that is, put a lot of jelly on the bread. Or you can spread it really thin by just using a little bit.
Spread too thin is an idiom that means that you have too much to do and not enough time to do it all. If that is you, you might tell someone, “I’m sorry I can’t help you. I am spread too thin right now.” Having too much to do can be very stressful.
This joke is funny because it plays with the idea of spread too thin: Literally spread too thin like jelly, or figuratively spread too thin, like when you have too much to do.
If you are spread too thin, you might take a break from it all and learn how to make jelly- | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,844 | Q: Why didn’t the girl trust the ocean? A: Because there was something fishy about it!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: While there are five named oceans, Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Southern, there is really only one world ocean. I would recommend having much respect for the ocean both because of its power to give life to the earth, and its dangerous power to take life through storms. As you already know the ocean has many fish in it. To trust someone means to have confidence that the person will treat you fairly, be kind, not hurt you.
If something is fishy, that means that there is something suspicious about it. To be fishy is an idiom. (That reminds me of the old saying, “If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”) Someone offering you $1,000 sounds fishy. Someone offering to sell you something really cheap sounds fishy, it might be stolen or maybe it doesn’t work.
This joke is funny because it brings together the idea of an ocean full of fish and someone who is fishy.
Back in the 1970s John Denver wrote a song in tribute to Jacques Cousteau who studied the oceans. I hope you like it. | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,845 | Q: What does a computer do when it is tired? A: It crashes!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: Did your computer ever stop working (freeze) or turn itself off when you wanted to use it? If it did, you can say your computer crashed. Computer crashes are frustrating because you cannot get your work done, and sometimes you lose the work you finished most recently, unless you saved it. Thankfully, they do not happen too often.
The word crash has other meanings. If someone is tired, a person might say, “I’m going to go crash.” This means that the person will go to bed and sleep. Or you could say, “I crashed lat night at 8:30 because I was so tired.”
This joke is funny because it plays with two meanings of the word crash: A computer not working, and someone going to bed.
Here are two songs about another meaning of the word crash: | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,846 | Q: Where can you go to practice math on New Year’s Eve? A: Times Square!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: Happy New Year! It’s 2023 which means that Explain the Joke is celebrating 10 years of explaining jokes in English.
To get better at math, people often people often practice addition (+) or subtraction (-) problems; then they work on multiplication (x) and division (÷), and all the way through calculus and beyond. Practicing multiplication is also known as practicing your times tables. You can say what is seven times nine (7 x 9), or you can can say what is seven multiplied by nine. They mean the same thing, times or multiplied by.
Times Square is an area in New York City. One of the things Times Square is known for is its party on New Year’s Eve. During that party, many people gather in Times Square and watch on TV to see the ball drop; when the ball gets to the bottom, the new year starts. (By the way, to drop the ball is an idiom that means to make a mistake.)
This joke is funny because it plays with the ideas of times (multiplication) and Times Square.
If you would like to see the ball drop to mark the beginning of 2023, take a look here: | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,847 | Q: When does it rain money? A: When there is change in the weather!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain,” according to the song from My Fair Lady. In Peru, they just wish it would rain! But nowhere does it rain money. Rain is water that falls from the sky as part of the evaporation/water cycle. When it is sunny outside, and then the weather changes to cloudy or rainy, we say that there is a change in the weather.
Change is also the word used for money in the form of coins. In the United States, change includes pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and half dollars. There are also dollar coins.
This joke is funny because it plays with two meanings of the word change: coin money, or when one thing becomes different, like the weather changes. If there were change, coins, in the weather, well, there might be coins falling from the sky, but we all know that doesn’t happen.
John Fogerty sang about change in the weather- | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,848 | Q: What happens when winter arrives? A: Autumn leaves!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: In the northern hemisphere winter officially starts on December 21 (winter solstice, astronomical winter), but for many places in the north, it is already cold. Did you know that there is more than one way to mark the start of winter? Meteorologists, people who study the weather, talk about meteorological winter which starts on December 1. When talking about seasons, winter comes after fall; fall is also known as autumn.
In the autumn, leaves change colors and fall to the ground as the trees get ready for the winter, and the following spring. Autumn leaves are beautiful!
Leaves, though, has another meaning. When something leaves, it goes away. For example, the teacher leaves home to go to work, and the student leaves school to go home.
This joke is funny because it plays with two meanings of the word leaves: The tree has leaves that change colors in the autumn (autumn leaves), and autumn leaves, or goes away, so that winter can come.
Eric Clapton has a song called Autumn Leaves– | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,849 | Q: Where do roses sleep? A: In a flower bed!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: According to many surveys, roses are one of the most popular flowers. Although they have thorns, some people say that they are not that hard to grow.
When you have a garden with flowers (as opposed to a garden with fruits and vegetables), we can call that area a flower bed. If you prepare the flower bed well, the flowers will grow well. I have never heard anyone call a vegetable garden a vegetable bed.
A bed, without flower, is a piece of furniture where people sleep, but you kew that.
This joke is funny because it plays with the word bed and flower bed. Yes, it makes sense that roses would sleep, if they sleep, in a flower bed. (Thank you, Trevor for the joke!)
Here is a motivational speech titled, Make Your Bed: | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,850 | Q: Why did the turkey cross the road? A: So people would think he was a chicken!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: Happy Thanksgiving!
In many countries throughout the world people celebrate a day of thanks. In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November; that will be November 24 in 2022. One of the traditional foods for that celebration is turkey.
This joke is funny because it plays with another, well-known joke: Why did the chicken cross the road? (There are many cross the road jokes.) Of course, the turkey does not want to become someone’s dinner. So, if it pretends to be a chicken as it crosses the road, it will have a better chance of staying alive, and not ending up on someone’s plate.
There is a lot of research about the benefits of being thankful, of feeling and showing gratitude. Here is a TED talk about being grateful:
Thank you for reading this blog! | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,851 | Q: Why was the Incredible Hulk so good at gardening? A: Because he had a green thumb!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: Dr. David/Robert Bruce Banner becomes the superhero known as the Hulk, or the Incredible Hulk, when he becomes angry. In that process of becoming the Hulk, his body transforms, becoming larger with lots of muscles, and his skin turns green. When his skin turns green, his whole body turns green, including his thumb.
To have a green thumb is an idiom that means to be really good at taking care of plants and gardens. My wife has a green thumb, which you can see when you admire the succulents, bonsai, orchid, and geraniums in the window garden. OK, you don’t really need a green thumb to grow geraniums, but you get the idea.
This joke is funny because it plays with the literal and the figurative meanings of green thumb.
Watch here to see a transformation of Dr. Banner into the Hulk. Better yet, watch this video to learn how to grow geraniums: | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,852 | Q: What’s it like being kissed by a vampire? A: It’s a pain in the neck!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: Happy Halloween to those of you who celebrate! Many countries around the world celebrate Halloween, or another somewhat-related holiday around this time of year. A Mexican student of mine once commented that Halloween is a lot like Day of the Dead, but several others disagreed. I also disagreed, but can see some connections.
In the United States, Halloween for children is about dressing up in costumes and trick-or treating, asking for candy. One of the most popular costumes continues to be a vampire. Vampires are well known for biting the neck of their victims and drinking their blood. If someone were to bite your neck, it would really hurt; it would cause a pain in your neck.
A pain in the neck is an idiom that means something that is bothersome, difficult, or annoying to deal with. A neighbor’s dog that won’t stop barking might be a pain in the neck; someone who complains all the time might be a pain in the neck.
This joke is funny because it plays with different meanings of pain in the neck: A literal pain that hurts you, and the idiom that means something that is annoying.
Here is how National Geographic explains the history of Halloween: | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
13,904,853 | Q: Why was the jelly so stressed out? A: Because it was spread too thin!\nWhat do you think is the punchline of the above joke? | Explanation: Jelly is a food made by boiling fruit juice with sugar until it becomes thick and sort of transparent. Jelly is similar to jam, marmalade, and preserves. This link can explain more about the differences between those different spreads.
They are called spreads (noun) because you can use a knife and spread (verb) them on bread (or something else). Other spreads include hummus and chutney. If you want a lot of jelly on your bread you can spread it really thick, that is, put a lot of jelly on the bread. Or you can spread it really thin by just using a little bit.
Spread too thin is an idiom that means that you have too much to do and not enough time to do it all. If that is you, you might tell someone, “I’m sorry I can’t help you. I am spread too thin right now.” Having too much to do can be very stressful.
This joke is funny because it plays with the idea of spread too thin: Literally spread too thin like jelly, or figuratively spread too thin, like when you have too much to do.
If you are spread too thin, you might take a break from it all and learn how to make jelly- | Joke-explaination-inst | - | natural-language-generation | 1 | eng | Latn | train |
Subsets and Splits