# What Brits and Yanks would like to play "Straight Face?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 18, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195 "2005-03-18T20:02:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/1 "2005-03-18T20:02:19Z")
I was just looking around for the Lyrics to the flash animation “kenya”, when I found the following links: > **[Inherently funny word](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inherently_funny_word)** > > Certain words have been suggested to be inherently funny. Vaudeville tradition holds that words with the letter k are funny. A 2015 study at the University of Alberta suggested that the humor of certain nonsense words can be explained by whether they seem rude, and by the property of entropy – the improbability of certain letters being used together in a word. The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer posited that humor is a product of one's expectations being violated. (Realisation). > Vaudeville words... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight\_Face](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_Face) Here, just to make it easier, I’ll quote it. “The radio panel game [I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Sorry_I_Haven%27t_a_Clue) includes an occasional round called [“Straight Face”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_Face) , in which the panelists take turns to say a single word each. A player is eliminated from the game if anyone in the audience laughs at their word (“even the merest titter”). The winner is the last player standing. The fact that this game works, and that it is possible to predict more or less accurately which words are safe to use and which are unsafe, can be construed as evidence that the phenomenon is real. (The word titter in the instructions for the game achieves a comic effect: it may have a claim to be itself an inherently funny word.” Well, anyone want to have a go? I’ll start: **Blu-ber** ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/2 "2005-03-18T23:09:38Z")
**Squelch** ---
**Author:** ![akira5822](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@akira5822](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akira5822)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/3 "2005-03-18T23:14:46Z")
Buttermilk ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/4 "2005-03-18T23:18:13Z")
Jabberwocky ---
**Author:** ![Coin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Coin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coin)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/5 "2005-03-19T00:31:42Z")
boobies ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/6 "2005-03-19T11:20:38Z")
Aristotle ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/7 "2005-03-19T14:34:57Z")
“Boobies” got me. :o ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/8 "2005-03-19T19:08:18Z")
quiver ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/9 "2005-03-19T19:12:20Z")
**Wankle** [sub]I don’t get it[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/10 "2005-03-19T22:50:45Z")
Der Vienerschnitzel! ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/11 "2005-03-19T23:10:04Z")
Formatting text is surely not acceptable in such a gentlemanly game? Trunk ---
**Author:** ![Rock\_n\_Roach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Rock\_n\_Roach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rock_n_Roach)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/12 "2005-03-19T23:25:34Z")
tickle ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/13 "2005-03-19T23:34:54Z")
Sprinkler ---
**Author:** ![Rock\_n\_Roach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Rock\_n\_Roach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rock_n_Roach)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/14 "2005-03-20T01:37:39Z")
dingleberry can we laugh at our own words ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/15 "2005-03-20T05:02:16Z")
😃 I’m out. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/16 "2005-03-20T09:17:10Z")
o\_0 Yeah, it’s not a word, but _I_ can’t look at it without laughing. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/17 "2005-03-20T09:20:44Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > quiver I’m out. I actually snorted. Oh, the shame. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/18 "2005-03-20T09:46:39Z")
I nearly lost it on dingleberry… Kumquat ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/19 "2005-03-20T10:22:43Z")
dingleberry ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2005, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195/20 "2005-03-20T10:23:55Z")
:smack: Don’t just skim the thread, dammit! Spork [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brits-and-yanks-would-like-to-play-straight-face/295195.md?page=2)