I think we’ve had a thread like this before but why not start it again. I had a good joke opportunity today that was sadly wasted on people that didn’t get it so I wanted to share.
We were in a physics lab, using force gauges for an experiment. The instructor was explaining how the devices are sensitive and if you apply to much force to the apparatus the display screen reads “HELP”. I immediately said (such that my table mates could hear):
“Help, help, I’m being pressed!”
Just drew blank stares. I explained it to them later, but you know about jokes and explaining.
Wasn’t that a while back? Hey, I got it! And we were in Salem at the time!
Last week I was trying to cross the street, but a trolley was stopped right across the crosswalk so the driver could change tracks. It forced pedestrians to walk way around it in sort of a dangerous way. I mentioned to a woman behind me “Someone should give this guy a ticket.” She just looked at me, really confused, and said “Really?” Okaaaaay… “Well look at this horrible parking job!” THAT made her laugh.
That was long after I made the shirt. I came up with it shortly after the movie, so I figured it would be fresh in everyone’s minds. Of course people will get it!
I told my friends all about my new Venus Flytraps: “I’ve named them Botticelli and De Milo. <expectant pause> De Milo is the one that is missing some of its leaves.”
Only three people got it, and one of them was an art professor.
I don’t know that it’s such a clever one liner, but my new married surname is a verb.
Let’s says it’s Mrs. Acquire. So when I give my name now, I say ‘Acquire’ like ‘to get something’. Then I pause, wink and say, “I treat it as a license.”
Out of the roughly 100 times I’ve said that, only 3 people have laughed. It’s not worth explaining it to those who don’t get it . . . and maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s funny.
You know, like a license to acquire things . . . so I have to acq. . . ah never mind.
When I did phone support for a major software company, I would often tell people to type in “$p$g.” “Dollar sign P, dollar sign G. That’s P as in psychology, G as in gnome.” I think only one person paused to think about what I’d said.
Back when the kids were in the crawling and toddling stages, there was an iron-on t-shirt booth in every mall. So I got them all baseball shirts with the letters: ENTROPY ELF pressed on the front.
Only once did someone look at it and laugh. We were at Picnic Day at UC Davis. One of the guys running the liquid nitrogen dip for the Chem Department got a chuckle out of it. One. It was worth it.
I explained it to them later, but you know about jokes and explaining.