# Does this joke work for you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840 "2012-06-21T14:27:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/1 "2012-06-21T14:27:24Z")
Recently I was watching an episode of The Golden Girls and was shocked at how everybody in the room (about six people) understood this somewhat raunchy joke. I’d have thought you’d have to have had the experience yourself at some point in your life in order to understand the punchline. Here’s the joke: Dorothy and a male neighbor have been arguing over something and eventually come to an agreement. The neighbor makes the following conciliatory gesture: > [@](#): > > Neighbor: Listen ladies, if there’s anything that I can do for you to improve our relationship, I’d be happy to oblige. > > Dorothy: There is one, small thing. In the morning when you go out in your robe to pick up the newspaper, wear your shorts. > > [Embarrassed neighbor quickly exits.] For the record, this exact thing happened to me when I was younger (I was at a friend’s house and some male bathrobe-wearing resident did a reverse-bend-over in my line of site), so I immediately got the joke. I’m wondering if I would have gotten it if I had never had that experience. The video is on [you tube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-72V6mmAk2g). If you want to watch the exchange, fast-forward to 18:35. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/2 "2012-06-21T14:31:23Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > The video is on [you tube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-72V6mmAk2g). If you want to watch the exchange, fast-forward to 18:35. [Or you could just watch this link embedded to the time.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-72V6mmAk2g&feature=player_detailpage#t=1116s) The joke is that his robe sometimes comes open and they get a peek at him, right? I guess the joke works, but it isn’t even subtle to me and this has NEVER occurred in my life. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/3 "2012-06-21T14:38:37Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > The joke is that his robe sometimes comes open and they get a peek at him, right? That’s not _quite_ what happens… so I might be right in that it’s hard to visualize the set-up without having had the experience yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/4 "2012-06-21T14:42:53Z")
How short is his robe? Is something falling out of his shorts? Or maybe there’s just a tear in it? Why don’t you just tell us what happens instead of being vague? Put it in a spoiler box if you must. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/5 "2012-06-21T14:45:46Z")
Too late to edit: [This is what happens](http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/07/article-2046320-0E44E02200000578-917_468x629.jpg) (risqué pic but should be SFW in most places). Just imagine a guy instead of a girl. A bathrobe would be lower, but you would still get a good shot of the boys. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/6 "2012-06-21T14:55:39Z")
I assumed that was what they were going for, but I can’t think of any bathrobe I have that would do that–they’re all too long. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/7 "2012-06-21T14:56:04Z")
I’m not sure I understand why the Original Post even exists. The joke is obvious to anyone who speaks English. Joe ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/8 "2012-06-21T14:56:15Z")
It took me a second, but I finally got it. At first, I though she (being a horny old woman) was asking him to wear _shorts_ instead of _trousers_ so she could get a good peek at his business. Now I realize she meant just the opposite. Maybe he’s an exhibitionist, or maybe he just has **this** problem: [- YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvDzE6oDWM8)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/9 "2012-06-21T14:57:55Z")
> [@](#): > > How short is his robe? This got me thinking. Maybe the joke doesn’t work any more because it’s too dated. Bathrobes in the 80’s were a lot shorter (circa mid-thigh) in the 80’s than they are these days. The ones I see on Amazon now appear to come down to mid-calf. People must be afraid to show their knees in their own houses. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/10 "2012-06-21T15:05:32Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _shorts_ instead of _trousers_ Not trousers, **pajamas**. There! That makes a lot more sense! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/11 "2012-06-21T15:08:29Z")
Of course there is another implication in the joke: There is one, **small thing** … Dick jokes never go out of style. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/12 "2012-06-21T15:17:58Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Too late to edit: > > [This is what happens](http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/07/article-2046320-0E44E02200000578-917_468x629.jpg) (risqué pic but should be SFW in most places). Just imagine a guy instead of a girl. A bathrobe would be lower, but you would still get a good shot of the boys. And how is that different than ‘the robe comes up and they get a peek at him’? Aside from the fact it’s a woman who’s actually wearing underwear in that picture. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/13 "2012-06-21T15:28:22Z")
I haven’t had the exact situation happen (e.g. with a bathrobe, etc.), but I had an overweight roommate who wore the most raggedy-ass gitch while wandering through the house, and we all agreed that it would be a wonderful favour if he started wearing something else. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/14 "2012-06-21T15:29:13Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > This got me thinking. Maybe the joke doesn’t work any more because it’s too dated. Bathrobes in the 80’s were a lot shorter (circa mid-thigh) in the 80’s than they are these days. The ones I see on Amazon now appear to come down to mid-calf. > > People must be afraid to show their knees in their own houses. Also, keep in mind this happens in Miami? not Minnesota. Long robes in the deep south are a little more rare down here. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/15 "2012-06-21T15:35:49Z")
I assume it has nothing to do with the length of the robe, but rather whether or not it’s tied shut properly or not - which can often be an issue. If he’s not wearing shorts (boxers) and the front of his robe pops open, they’re getting an eyeful. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/16 "2012-06-21T15:39:56Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > People must be afraid to show their knees in their own houses. Or the longer ones are more cozy/warmer. I only wear a bathrobe in the winter, and then it’s almost down to my ankles because I’m cold! I never saw robes that short… but yes, obviously I figured out what the joke is supposed to mean. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/17 "2012-06-21T15:56:31Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > I’m not sure I understand why the Original Post even exists. The joke is obvious to anyone who speaks English. > > Joe It’s so obvious I’m not even sure you need to speak English. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/18 "2012-06-21T16:04:43Z")
It doesn’t work for me in the sense that it’s not funny. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/19 "2012-06-21T16:34:28Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > And how is that different than ‘the robe comes up and they get a peek at him’? Aside from the fact it’s a woman who’s actually wearing underwear in that picture. Are you referring to post #2? It’s different in that the post said "the robe comes _open_, not up. Picture this: Old man walks out on his front lawn, bends over to pick up the newspaper, causing the boys to drop down below the hem of the robe. Think of Miss Mann in Scary Movie 2, if you’ve seen that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840/20 "2012-06-21T16:36:50Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Of course there is another implication in the joke: > > There is one, **small thing** … > > Dick jokes never go out of style. Yeah I thought the butt of the joke was she was saying he had a small dick. > [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > It doesn’t work for me in the sense that it’s not funny. It wasn’t to me either but I didn’t watch the video so maybe there was some context lost. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-work-for-you/625840.md?page=2)