# I don't get today's xkcd. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2009, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959 "2009-01-19T06:34:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/1 "2009-01-19T06:34:27Z")
Is there some pun on a grand piano that I’m missing? [I don’t get it.](http://xkcd.com/532/) ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/2 "2009-01-19T06:36:31Z")
It’s a reference to an old joke about a hard-of-hearing genie. The punchline is, “you didn’t think I asked for a 12-inch pianist, did you?” In this case, the exact opposite situation has happened- hence the woman’s remark. ---
**Author:** ![Aguecheek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Aguecheek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aguecheek)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/3 "2009-01-19T06:38:16Z")
What **mobo85** said. ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/4 "2009-01-19T07:00:03Z")
And the tagline—it wouldn’t have been so good for him if he’d asked for a three-inch pianist. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Hellestal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hellestal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hellestal)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/5 "2009-01-19T10:55:09Z")
You know, a part of me expected that the man would stick to his principles, take the comedic high road, and resist the [siren song](http://www.xkcd.com/194/) of our culture. But no, he learned what all great comedians have known. When a great dick joke swings your way, you just gotta take it. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/6 "2009-01-19T10:56:20Z")
That comic is pure comedy gold I tells ya. GOLD! ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/7 "2009-01-19T12:19:50Z")
I would like to thank Tabby\_Cat for asking the question and the others for answering it. I’m not sure what I thought the joke was about, but clearly I was wrong ---
**Author:** ![Mojo\_Pin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mojo\_Pin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo_Pin)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/8 "2009-01-19T13:17:10Z")
> [@Vox\_Imperatoris](#): > > And the tagline—it wouldn’t have been so good for him if he’d asked for a three-inch pianist. > > Valete, > Vox Imperatoris Or just a small one. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/9 "2009-01-19T14:43:06Z")
> [@Vox\_Imperatoris](#): > > And the tagline—it wouldn’t have been so good for him if he’d asked for a three-inch pianist. > > Valete, > Vox Imperatoris The tag line shows, in my opinion, how badly done the “joke” is. Anytime you need an explanation for your joke, you’ve blown the thing. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/10 "2009-01-19T14:57:51Z")
Here I was thinking he asked for a _tiny_ pianist. I kept wondering why the girl was asking him out. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/11 "2009-01-19T14:59:46Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > …you’ve blown the thing. :smack: That’s what SHE said. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/12 "2009-01-19T15:10:28Z")
I prefer to think of it not as a bad joke but rather as an experiment in reverse engineering a bad joke. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/13 "2009-01-19T15:10:28Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > The tag line shows, in my opinion, how badly done the “joke” is. Anytime you need an explanation for your joke, you’ve blown the thing. :smack: The mouseover text doesn’t look like an explanation to me, just carrying the joke a little further. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/14 "2009-01-19T15:21:48Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > The tag line shows, in my opinion, how badly done the “joke” is. Anytime you need an explanation for your joke, you’ve blown the thing. :smack: In my, granted, limited experience in these matters, having to explain a joke says more about the audience than the joke. ---
**Author:** ![Strassia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@Strassia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strassia)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/15 "2009-01-19T15:44:22Z")
I find the mouse over text to be more of secondary punchline than an explanation. Some times the joke makes more sense after I read the mouse over, and sometimes it is just a second laugh. Which is the way it should be. If done correctly, a mouse over should let those that missed it in on the main joke while providing another little laugh for those that got it. Jonathan ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/16 "2009-01-19T15:53:38Z")
I never knew there was a secondary ‘mouse-over’ gag in XKCD before this thread. Many thanks! ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/17 "2009-01-19T17:19:02Z")
It’s funny cuz it’s sexual! ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/18 "2009-01-19T17:32:00Z")
There should be an ongoing “WTF is that stick figure talking about now?” thread because this topic seems to come up with surprising frequency. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/19 "2009-01-19T17:34:35Z")
The joke relies on you associating it with a “12 inch pianist” joke, otherwise the natural conclusion you lean towards is that he asked for a “tiny pianist” and it doesn’t make much sense. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959/20 "2009-01-19T17:40:38Z")
> [@Hellestal](#): > > When a great dick joke swings your way, you just gotta take it. If you take the word “joke” out of that sentence, the meaning gets changed entirely. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-todays-xkcd/481959.md?page=2)