# Jokes that, nowadays, need explaining **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comedian-jokes\ **Created:** [September 25, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466 "2020-09-25T02:53:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 54
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1063 "2021-02-22T17:10:56Z")
I have clear memories of getting back from a vacation and telling friends “It was great.You should be getting a postcard from me in a couple of days, you’ll see!” ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1064 "2021-02-22T22:04:20Z")
My father used to buy a couple of professional strips of slides whenever we went in vacation and shoot one roll to show that we were actually in those places. Damn. I miss slideshows. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1065 "2021-02-23T03:05:33Z")
Here is a joke that often requires explanation to those who would repeat it. “Take a long walk on a short pier”. Replace “on” with “off” and there’s no joke and no sense. Yet I hear it mangled so more often than not. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1066 "2021-02-26T23:02:48Z")
Look up ghosting with an HDR merge program. Still not workable in all situations but it’s a fun thing to play with. ---
**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:** [April 16, 2021, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1067 "2021-04-16T13:05:48Z")
I ran across a [baseball jokes](https://www.baseball-almanac.com/humor3.shtml) page on [baseball-almanac.com](http://baseball-almanac.com) the other day. Even allowing for specific-team jokes that are easily swappable for whoever’s in the bottom of the rankings this week, an astonishing number of them depend upon knowing who was famous for what scandal. E.g.: > Wade Boggs, Steve Garvey and Pete Rose are in a bar. A pretty woman walks by and Boggs says, “I’m going to ask her out.” > Garvey replied, “You can’t do that, she’s carrying my baby.” > To which Rose added, “You wanna bet?” ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1068 "2021-04-21T13:00:54Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Lots of curves, you bet > And even more when you get > To the Junction. > Petticoat…Junction! It’s a sad story, but a familiar one-- the railroad removes their branch from the main line, so the woman who owns the hotel has to pimp out her daughters to attract business and keep food on the table. I remember when I was 5 or 6, the opening credits seemed so naughty-- those ladies in the water tower are _ **naked outdoors!** _ ---
**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:** [April 21, 2021, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1069 "2021-04-21T13:15:54Z")
Ever wonder how one woman could have three daughters who looked so dissimilar? And the blondes kept changing over the years! Daughters, my eye! They were all local girls hoping to snare a husband and get out of the backwater that was “Hooter-ville”! (Talk about a dead giveaway!) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1070 "2021-04-21T14:29:02Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > like MA is not Maine, it’s Massachusetts, MO is Missouri, not Montana, and MS is Mississippi, not MI. And because it uses the same system, Canada’s stuck with MB for Manitoba. Miraculously, there are TWELVE states, provinces or territories that start with N and yet none conflict; they all make intuitive sense. Only Nevada is a little tricky at NV but that’s not too bad at all. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1071 "2021-04-21T16:01:53Z")
The Nebraska-Nevada thing did present an issue. Rather than have one be NE and the other…something else, the original setup was to have Nebraska be NB and Nevada NV (so NObody got the coveted NE designation). But AIUI Canada complained, because NB is the only thing that makes sense for New Brunswick, and I guess after a few years everybody got tired of mail going to Grand Island, New Brunswick and Moncton, Nebraska, and so after a few years the switch was made and Nebraska became officially NE. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1072 "2021-04-21T16:35:06Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Daughters, my eye! They were all local girls hoping to snare a husband and get out of the backwater that was “Hooter-ville”! (Talk about a dead giveaway!) Sorry, I meant \*finger quote\* “daughters”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1073 "2021-04-21T16:42:43Z")
I just heard that on TV the other day, or some other day anyhow, probably a month ago now but @RickJay just woke up the thread. I can’t remember what it was, but it passed by without notice. It’s now in the category of “I could care less”. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2021, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1074 "2021-04-21T17:14:03Z")
You could? 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1075 "2021-04-22T23:51:07Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > MO is Missouri, not Montana Missouri was “Mo.” long before the two-letter codes were adopted. [![](https://7esl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/US-State-Abbreviations.jpg) ](https://7esl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/US-State-Abbreviations.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1076 "2021-04-22T23:59:06Z")
I recall some guy without shoes was from there. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2021, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1077 "2021-04-23T00:01:39Z")
That guy who thought about the game? (the game, the game) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2021, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1078 "2021-04-23T00:16:25Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Missouri was “Mo.” long before the two-letter codes were adopted. Yep, had a friend who taught at “NEMO” ( **N** orth **E** ast **MO** ssouri State Univ.) …what th’hell? I just looked it up to double-check, and they’ve [changed their name!](https://www.truman.edu/about/history/our-namesake/changing-the-name/) ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2021, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1079 "2021-04-23T02:09:13Z")
There’s a town in northern South Dakota named Mobridge. I grew up 200 miles away and didn’t make the connection until I saw the name’s origin in a book: It’s where the railroad bridged the Missouri River. The town’s name is kind of a joke. When the railroad was building the first building in the new town, the surveyor (or was it a postmaster?) asked “What’s the name of this town?” They looked around at the boxes labeled Mo. Bridge, thus the town’s name was formed. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1080 "2021-04-23T02:15:42Z")
Not to mention the guy who was off in Kansas City, Mo. while his girlfriend was kickin up some capers (“No!”) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466.md?page=53)