A bunch of us at work often distribute jokes and such via e-mail (who doesn’t?)
Our team is composed of many people who have recently come to Canada from India, China, Russia, Afghanistan, other places. It’s easy to forget that some turns of phrase are not self-evident to the uninitiate.
I sent out this link a while back.
Funny? Marginally.
One intelligent member of our team, replies to all, “I know this should be funny, but I don’t get it. I’ve been spanking the monkey all day.”
Guffaws galore, needless to say.
One sitting next to him tried to explain: “Spank the monkey… you know, as in choke the chicken… whack the tack… beat the bishop…?” Each attempt at euphemism failed. Finally… “You know… masturbation!”
I’ve never seen human skin turn that particular shade of red before (I mean from embarassment, not friction burns!)