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Explain this joke
Q: What does a computer do when it is tired? A: It crashes! | Explanation: Did your computer ever stop working (freeze) or turn itself off when you wanted to use it? If it did, you can say your computer crashed. Computer crashes are frustrating because you cannot get your work done, and sometimes you lose the work you finished most recently, unless you saved it. Thankfully, they ... |
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Q: Where can you go to practice math on New Year’s Eve? A: Times Square! | Explanation: Happy New Year! It’s 2023 which means that Explain the Joke is celebrating 10 years of explaining jokes in English.
To get better at math, people often people often practice addition (+) or subtraction (-) problems; then they work on multiplication (x) and division (÷), and all the way through calculus and... |
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Q: When does it rain money? A: When there is change in the weather! | Explanation: “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain,” according to the song from My Fair Lady. In Peru, they just wish it would rain! But nowhere does it rain money. Rain is water that falls from the sky as part of the evaporation/water cycle. When it is sunny outside, and then the weather changes to cloudy or ra... |
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Q: What happens when winter arrives? A: Autumn leaves! | Explanation: In the northern hemisphere winter officially starts on December 21 (winter solstice, astronomical winter), but for many places in the north, it is already cold. Did you know that there is more than one way to mark the start of winter? Meteorologists, people who study the weather, talk about meteorological ... |
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Q: Where do roses sleep? A: In a flower bed! | Explanation: According to many surveys, roses are one of the most popular flowers. Although they have thorns, some people say that they are not that hard to grow.
When you have a garden with flowers (as opposed to a garden with fruits and vegetables), we can call that area a flower bed. If you prepare the flower bed we... |
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Q: Why did the turkey cross the road? A: So people would think he was a chicken! | Explanation: Happy Thanksgiving!
In many countries throughout the world people celebrate a day of thanks. In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November; that will be November 24 in 2022. One of the traditional foods for that celebration is turkey.
This joke is funny because it plays w... |
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Q: Why was the Incredible Hulk so good at gardening? A: Because he had a green thumb! | Explanation: Dr. David/Robert Bruce Banner becomes the superhero known as the Hulk, or the Incredible Hulk, when he becomes angry. In that process of becoming the Hulk, his body transforms, becoming larger with lots of muscles, and his skin turns green. When his skin turns green, his whole body turns green, including h... |
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Q: What’s it like being kissed by a vampire? A: It’s a pain in the neck! | Explanation: Happy Halloween to those of you who celebrate! Many countries around the world celebrate Halloween, or another somewhat-related holiday around this time of year. A Mexican student of mine once commented that Halloween is a lot like Day of the Dead, but several others disagreed. I also disagreed, but can se... |
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Q: Why was the jelly so stressed out? A: Because it was spread too thin! | Explanation: Jelly is a food made by boiling fruit juice with sugar until it becomes thick and sort of transparent. Jelly is similar to jam, marmalade, and preserves. This link can explain more about the differences between those different spreads.
They are called spreads (noun) because you can use a knife and spread (... |
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Q: Why didn’t the girl trust the ocean? A: Because there was something fishy about it! | Explanation: While there are five named oceans, Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Southern, there is really only one world ocean. I would recommend having much respect for the ocean both because of its power to give life to the earth, and its dangerous power to take life through storms. As you already know the ocea... |
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Q: When is an apple grouchy? A: When it is a crab apple! | Explanation: In the north it is apple-picking season, and time for pumpkin spice everything!
Apples are fruit, so of course they are never grouchy. A person who is grouchy thinks that everything is bad, nothing is right; they are irritable and complain a lot. The best example of a grouch is Oscar the Grouch from Sesame... |
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Q: Why did the kids fire their squirt guns into the air on that windy day? A: They were just shooting the breeze! | Explanation: A squirt gun shoots a stream of water, much like a spray bottle, but in the form of a gun. Many people like to play by squirting water at their friends on a warm day outside. Some people train their pets by squirting water at them (others say that squirting animals does not work or is mean).
A breeze is wi... |
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Q: What lies on the bottom of the ocean and twitches? A: A nervous wreck! | Explanation: Did you hear that Shakleton’s ship, Endurance, was found back in March? It sank to the bottom of the Antarctic ocean in 1915, and has been lying there since then. Don’t worry, it was not twitching. To twitch means to make small, jerking movements. You may have experienced an eye twitch, or felt a leg twitc... |
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Q: Why are false teeth like stars? A: Because they come out at night! | Explanation: When I was a kid, my dad had this neat trick that would always make us laugh: While driving, he would loosen his lower front teeth (dentures) and wiggle them in front of his lips, below his nose. We of course would giggle. These teeth were false teeth that replaced his original teeth. Every night he remove... |
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Q: Why did the farmer win the Nobel Prize? A: Because he was outstanding in his field! | Explanation: The Nobel Prize is awarded to people who “have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind.” That is, they have done something really, really important because it is something that is good for a lot of people. Outstanding means exceptionally good. People who win the Nobel Prize are outstanding in their field... |
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Q: Why are elevator jokes the best? A: Because they work on so many levels! | Explanation: What goes up, must come down, says the old adage. (Blood, Sweat and Tears sang about that, too.) The same is true for elevators: Elevators (called a lift in England) go up and down to bring people to different floors in a building. The floors in a building are sometimes called levels. Just like in a video ... |
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Q: What kind of candy can you get an an airport? A: Plane M&Ms! | Explanation: Even though there are lots of studies that talk about sugar being bad for you, well, a little bit still tastes good. Every place in the world has candy, and candy can even make for a good joke too!
You know what candy is, so I won’t explain that. And you know all about airports, especially that airports ha... |
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Q: How is a good baseball game like good pancakes? A: They both need a good batter! | Explanation: And…we’re back with a rerun!
The baseball season in the United States and Canada is half done, so a baseball joke seemed appropriate. In baseball, the person who has the bat and is ready to hit the baseball is called the batter (in the sport of cricket, too). A good batter is able to hit the ball that is p... |
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Q: Why did the composer only compose while lying in bed? A: Because he was composing sheet music! | Explanation: A composer is someone who writes music. Two of the most famous composers are Mozart and Beethoven.
Years ago, when composers wrote music, they would write the music on sheets of paper that the musicians could read and perform. This music written on sheets of paper is called sheet music. Lots of music is wr... |
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Q: What did the angry lumberjack say to the tree? A: I have an axe to grind with you! | Explanation: Lumberjacks are people who work cutting down trees so that people can use wood to make things. Many years ago, lumberjacks would use a saw and/or an axe to cut down trees. (Hopefully they planted two new trees for each one cut down!) Before working with an axe, it is important to sharpen the axe. One way t... |
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Q: What do you call a fossil that never does any work? A: A lazy bones! | Explanation: Fossils are parts of a living thing that has been preserved, or left an impression from a very long time ago, perhaps 10,000 years ago or more. The human skull that was recently found in Minnesota was not called a fossil, maybe because it was only 8,000 years old. Bones are a very common type of fossil bec... |
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Q: What kind of flowers are great friends? A: Rose buds! | Explanation: Roses are one of the best known flowers. As a rose grows, in the spring you will notice buds. Rose buds are little bumps on the stem of a rose from which the flowers will appear. Yes, roses are beautiful! (Be careful of the thorns, though.)
Friends are, well, you know what friends are. There are many synon... |
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Q: Why did the two 4s decide to skip dinner? A: Because they already 8. | Explanation: Told to me by a 6th grader, this one made me laugh! It is rather absurd and it really makes no sense…so let me try to explain it.
If someone invites you to eat, you might say, “No, thank you,” if you have just eaten. Or you might say, “I’ll go with you, but I am not hungry. I already ate.” I already ate so... |
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Q: What’s the best season for jumping on a trampoline? A: Spring time! | Explanation: The northern hemisphere is about a third of the way through the season of spring. Of course summer will come after spring, and then fall and winter. Spring is a beautiful time of year as the trees bud and bloom, the flowers are reborn, and the days get longer. (Actually, days do not really get longer than ... |
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Q: Why are cats good at video games? A: Because they have nine lives! | Explanation: Many video games let you have another chance to keep going if you make a really bad mistake, maybe even getting your character killed. (Other games do not give you another life in the same game, and you have to start over.) I am reminded of the classic video game Pac-Man where you would get three lives. It... |
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Q: Did you hear about the cross-eyed teacher? A: He couldn’t control his pupils! | Explanation: Someone whose eyes do not line up with each other, whose eyes do not look in the same direction, suffers from a medical condition called strabismus. In that situation, people cannot make their eyes look in the same direction. In non-medical terms, people whose eyes look in different directions may be calle... |
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Q: What is the difference between a cat that got xeroxed and a cat that imitates its owner? A: One is a cat copy and the other is a copycat! | Explanation: Sometimes in English, brand names become verbs or nouns. For most people, all facial tissue is Kleenex, all internet searches are Googling, and all bandages are Band-Aids. (The term for this is anthimeria.) So, when you xerox something, you make a copy, a photocopy, because Xerox is a brand name of copiers... |
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Q: Why did the computer get new glasses? A: To improve his web sight! | Explanation: Every few years, it seems, I need to get new reading glasses that are just a bit stronger. The 20-20 vision of my youth has become more like the impressionist works of Monet. When people want to improver their vision, their eyesight, they often get new glasses.
Computers, of course, do not use glasses. The... |
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Q: How did the orange get into the crowded restaurant? A: He squeezed his way in! | Explanation: As COVID cases wane, more and more people are heading out to restaurants. In the case of this joke, even the orange goes into a restaurant.
If a restaurant is crowded, that means that there are many, many people and, most likely, no empty tables. To fit into a crowded space you may need to squeeze yourself... |
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Explanation: While I truly believe that learning can always continue, I also believe that reflection is vital in the learning process. This week I am reflecting on ideas of war and peace, and praying for an end to all aggression, especially in Ukraine. And Ukraine is not the only place in the world ex... | |
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Q: Can listening to the radio be an addiction? A: Depends on the frequency! | Explanation: Today is World Radio Day, so a radio joke seemed appropriate!
An addiction is an activity that you do over and over because something about it feels good to your brain. Most addictions are bad for your health, such as an addiction to smoking, or alcoholism. When you do something many times you do it freque... |
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Q: What is the smartest animal? A: A snake, because no one can pull its leg! | Explanation: There are a lot of smart animals! (My cat was not one of them, but I loved him anyway.) Snakes are not generally included in lists of the smartest animals. In this joke, though, they are the smartest.
To pull someone’s leg is an idiom that means to fool a person, usually in a fun or harmless way (in Spanis... |
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Q: Why was the rope so stressed out? A: It was getting itself all tied up in knots! | Explanation: Last week an upset wire, this week a stressed out rope! Such is the pandemic life.
When you tie the ends of two strings together, or maybe both ends of the same string, you are tying a knot. There are lots of different types of knots that you can learn to tie. Here are 10 of them. Sailors have their own se... |
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Q: Why was the metal wire so upset? A: It was getting bent out of shape over nothing! | Explanation: Metal wire comes in all sorts of sizes, measured by how thick it is. Electrical wire also comes in different thicknesses. Metal wire can be bent into many shapes so it is useful for art, for wiring a house, making motors, … When you bend a wire, you can make it into almost any shape
To get bent out of shap... |
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Q: What happened to the mouse when he fell into the bathtub? A: He came out squeaky clean! | Explanation: Just as a cow says “moo” and a pig says “oink,” mice squeak. If you are interested in hearing an hour of mice squeaking you can listen here (although I am not sure why you would want to).
Squeaky clean is an informal phrase meaning that something is really, really clean. A window that you just washed could... |
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Q: What did the orange say to the banana when they were looking for the apple? A: Keep your eyes peeled! | Explanation: It’s summer where I am (not -20º like the other place I call home) and it’s a great time to eat some ice cream. Have you ever tried a banana split? When I was younger, I liked to split a banana split with a friend because that dessert was (and is) too big for me to eat alone; I don’t eat them much anymore.... |
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Q: Why did the past year seem to go by in a blur? A: Your resolution must have been too low! | Explanation: Happy New Year! I wish you the very best in 2022!!
Do you make new year’s resolutions? A new year’s resolution is a decision to do something (or stop doing something) so that your life will be better in the new year. Many people make a resolution to exercise more or read more; many people do not keep their... |
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Q: Why didn’t the aliens on the UFO land on Christmas morning? A: They were selfish, and did not want to share their presence! | Explanation: UFOs are unidentified flying objects, often seen as flying saucers. Flying saucers (if they exist) come from other galaxies and may have alien life on board. Wouldn’t it be fun to have proof of life from other parts of the universe! While there are many stories and pictures of UFOs, the existence of space ... |
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Q: What is the nosiest game you can play? A: Racket-ball! | Explanation: Some people like some noise in their lives while others prefer a quiet environment. Some of us are in between–sometimes I like a little music or background noise but mostly I prefer quiet conversation.
Racket is another word for noise. You might hear people ask, “What’s all that racket?” when they want to ... |
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Q: Why did the Christmas tree go to the barber? A: Because it needed to be trimmed! | Explanation: Now that it is December, ’tis the season when many people prepare to celebrate Christmas. For those who celebrate, buying and decorating a Christmas tree is often very important. Decorating the tree is also called trimming the tree.
When you go to the barber to get your hair cut, you might say to the barbe... |
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Q: Why did the ice cream cone become a news reporter? A: Because he wanted to get the scoop! | Explanation: Do you watch the evening news? Listen to news on the radio or a podcast? Perhaps you read a newspaper? News reporters are always looking to provide their watchers, listeners, and readers with information about what is happening. Sometimes they are able to report on a big, important story, or one that no on... |
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“It’s time for recess,” Tom said playfully. “I can turn on the lights,” Tom said powerfully. | Tom Swifties are a type of humor from a series of old books. I have not read the books but I love the odd humor in Tom Swifties.
A Tom Swiftie has Tom saying something in a way that relates humorously to the words that he spoke. Typically the sentences end with Tom said [adverb]. For example… “This coffee needs more su... |
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Q: Why don’t scientists trust the atoms they work with? A: Because they make up everything! | Explanation: Everything is made of atoms. Yes, those atoms, the ones that are found on the periodic table of the elements. It is still hard for me to believe that those little atoms make up the air we breathe, the trees that grow, the metal in my fork and knife. In this case, to make up something means that it is a par... |
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Q: Why don’t mummies take vacations from their work? A: Because they are afraid to unwind! | Explanation: Most people enjoy taking a few days off from school or work to rest and relax, to unwind. In this sense, to unwind means to relax after work, after school, or after a stressful time.
To unwind also means to undo or open up something that has been wound up. Think of a ball of string– when you pull the loose... |
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Q: Why can’t you play hide and seek with mountains? A: Because they are always peaking! | Explanation: Hide and seek is a game that children play. In this game, one or more child finds a place to hide while another child closes his or her eyes and counts to 10. When the person counting gets to 10, that person goes to look for the ones who are hiding The person who is counting has to close his or her eyes in... |
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Q: What is the best way to talk to a giant? A: Use big words! | Explanation: When I think of giants, I think of characters like those from Roald Dahl’s The BFG, Jack and the Beanstalk, and A Monster Calls. They are larger than life beings that can be good or evil, or a bit of both. Giants, though, are generally considered to be the antagonists in a story, the bad guys.
As for the i... |
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Q: Why did the thief wash his clothes after the robbery? A: He wanted to make a clean getaway! | Explanation: A thief is a robber, someone who steals things. Washing your clothes, well, you already know, will make your clothes clean. A robbery is the moment when something was stolen. If you want to get technical, the law in the United States differentiates between burglary, robbery, and theft, but people do not us... |
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Q: Why didn’t the zombie go to work? A: Because he felt rotten! | Explanation: When you are sick, it is very important that you don’t go to work or school, especially now with COVID still making people sick. If you feel really sick you might say that you feel rotten; to feel rotten is an idiom meaning to feel sick.
A zombie is a dead body (corpse) that has come back to life. (By the ... |
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Q: Why do birds fly south for the winter? A: Because it is too far to walk! | Explanation: Where I grew up, in Minnesota, it was very common to see birds fly south for the winter. When all of the lakes freeze, the trees lose their leaves, and ground is covered with snow, most birds cannot find food. It’s also just too cold for them to survive. So, they migrate to an area where they will be able ... |
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Q: What time is it when your clock strikes 13? A: Time to get a new clock! | Explanation: When a clock “strikes the hour” it means that it is exactly on the hour, 8:00 or 11:00 for example (not 8:17 or 11:36) and the bells will chime. Here is Big Ben striking the hour.
On a clock or a watch, the only numbers you see are the numbers 1-12; there is no 13. So if the clock strikes 13, there is a bi... |
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Q: Why did the dentist and the manicurist decide not to be friends? A: Because they were always fighting tooth and nail! | Explanation: A dentist is a doctor that improves the health of your teeth. A manicurist is a specialist who improves the health and appearance of your fingernails.
To “fight tooth and nail” is an idiom that means to fight hard with all of your resources to achieve a goal. You might fight tooth and nail against an injus... |
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Q: Is collecting shells on the beach easy to learn? A: Yes, you’ll pick it up right away! | Explanation: Picking up shells on a beach is easy because, if the beach has shells, you just bend over and lift them up with your hands.
To pick something up is also an idiom meaning to learn something. If I say that my nephew picked up guitar really quickly it means that he learned to play guitar easily. A few more ex... |
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Q: Why was the pirate sad when his parrot left? A: It gave him the cold shoulder! | Explanation: Yes, the last parrot joke for a while.
Have you seen those pictures of a pirate with a parrot sitting on his shoulder? Take a look at this one, if you haven’t. (That link will also explain about the history of parrots and pirates.) I have never had a parrot sit on my shoulder, but I would expect the parrot... |
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Q: What is bright orange and sounds like a parrot? A: A carrot! | Explanation: Yes! A second parrot joke!
As you can hear when you read the joke aloud, parrot rhymes with carrot.
This joke is funny because the question has a second meaning. When you read the question, it seems to ask for the name of another bird, or maybe an animal, that makes the same sounds as a parrot. Maybe there... |
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Q: What creature is smarter than a talking parrot? A: A spelling bee! | Explanation: And we’re back!
Perhaps you have seen or heard parrots that talk. Well, they actually mimic (copy) the sounds that they hear. It is quite amazing. In English the typical phrase that a talking parrot says is, “Polly want a cracker.”
A spelling bee is a competition to see who is the best speller, that is, th... |
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Q: Where do ghosts like to go sailing? A: Lake Eerie! | Explanation: If you ever get the chance to go sailing, I would highly recommend it. It is a beautiful experience to let the wind move your boat without using a motor.
Ghosts, of course, like places that are scary or frightening. The word eerie means strange or frightening. An eerie experience might be sitting alone in ... |
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Q: Why didn’t the girl trust the trees near her home? A: They seemed a little shady! | Explanation: Shade is the darker, cooler area under a tree when the sun is shining on the tree. If you want to get out of the sun, you might stand under a tree in the shade. You might stand in the shady area.
Shady also means something that doesn’t seem quite right, not honest, not trustworthy maybe illegal. If someone... |
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Q: Why couldn’t the pony talk? A: He was a little horse! | Explanation: For most people, a pony is a small horse. There is actually a difference between a horse and a pony. In common conversation, though, most people do not make the distinction. A baby horse is called a foal, colt, or filly depending on age and gender.
If you are hoarse, your voice sounds scratchy. This can ha... |
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Q: Why aren’t dogs good dancers? A: They have two left feet! | Explanation: Dogs have four feet called paws: two front feet and two back feet. You could also say that they have two right feet and two left feet. Sounds simple.
When you say that someone has “two left feet” it means that they do not dance well, that they are awkward when they dance.
This joke is funny because it play... |
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Q: Why did the baker go to the bank? A: He need some dough! | Explanation: There is nothing better than fresh baked bread! The smell is amazing and, if you can eat bread, the taste is divine.
A person who puts bread or cookies into an oven is called a baker. Before you can bake some bread you need to mix it up. That mix is called dough; it can be cookie dough, or bread dough, or ... |
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Q: Did you hear about the new corduroy pillow? A: No, but I bet they’re making headlines! | Explanation: I love my pillow! I have had it for, well, too long, and I should probably get a new one. Pillows are those soft cushions that you put under your head when you sleep. Pillows can also be found on sofas. Many people use pillows to support their back when they are sitting.
Corduroy is a type of fabric that h... |
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Q: How does a cucumber become a pickle? A: It goes through a jarring experience! | Explanation: Do you love pickles? I do!
Pickles are little cucumbers that are left in vinegar or brine for a period of time. This is usually done in jars. An interesting note: the process of making pickles is called canning (like, putting in a can) and not jarring.
Jarring is a word used to describe an experience that ... |
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Q: What do you call a carrot that insults a rabbit? A: A fresh vegetable! | Explanation: It is springtime in the northern hemisphere and it is time to plant the vegetable garden. That way, you can eat fresh vegetables when they are ripe and ready to be picked. Fresh vegetables are vegetables that have been recently harvested, recently picked.
The word ‘fresh‘ also has a different meaning. ‘Fre... |
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Q: What does a dog do that a person steps into? A: Pants! | Explanation: Thank you to a friend from India for sending another joke about pants!
Last week I explained about pants, the ones you wear that are also called trousers or slacks.
Pant is also the way a dog breathes when it is hot, usually a quick breathing with its tongue sticking out. A dog pants. So a person steps int... |
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Q: Why did the golfer wear two pairs of pants? A: In case he got a hole in one! | Explanation: I have never been golfing but this joke made me laugh.
Pants are an item of clothing that you put on one leg at a time. They are also known as slacks and trousers. Jeans are pants. Although some people like to have holes in their pants, most people do not like it when they get a hole in a pair of pants. If... |
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Q: What did the big flower say to the little flower? A: Hi, bud! | Explanation: Spring is in the air in the northern hemisphere and gardens are blooming!
Bud is a word that is used as a synonym for friend, short for buddy. My next-door neighbor was named Buddy when I lived in Minnesota; Buddy was my buddy, my bud, my friend.
Bud is also a word used for the small bump on a plant that d... |
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Q: Why did Humpty Dumpty have a great fall? A: He wanted to make up for a lousy summer! | Explanation: In my neck of the woods, summer has turned to fall.
Humpty Dumpty is a character from Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes. Usually pictured as a very large egg, Humpty Dumpty fell off a wall and broke into many pieces. In the rhyme we hear,
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
It makes sense ... |
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Q: Why did the atoms cross the road? A: It was time to split! | Explanation: Ah, yes, this one reminds me of my first joke on this site.
Atoms are the building blocks of matter, of all things. The element chart lists all the different types of atoms.
To split means to leave. If I were watching a soccer game, at the end I might say, “Game’s over. Let’s split.” And then we would leav... |
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Q: What is Irish and sits outside? A: Patio Furniture! | Explanation: March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day. Being of Irish heritage, I thought this joke appropriate… and it made me laugh.
Patio furniture refers to the chairs and tables that you might see outside on a patio.
Patio furniture sounds a lot like Paddy O’Furniture. Paddy is an Irish name, often a nickname for someone n... |
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Q: Why was Cinderella so lousy at baseball? A: Because she ran away from the ball and had a pumpkin for a coach! | Explanation: In the United States, baseball spring training has started in Florida and Arizona so how about a baseball joke?
There is a lot to explain in this joke. To be lousy at something means to be bad at it. In this joke, Cinderella is bad at playing baseball. Why? Because she runs away from the ball.
Ball, here, ... |
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Q: While in their tank, what did one fish say to the other fish? A: Do you know how to drive this thing?! | Explanation: If you have a fish at home, it is in a tank: a fish tank (also called an aquarium). Normally when you hear about a tank and fish, you think of a fish tank. A fish tank is a glass box that holds water and fish.
The other type of tank is a military tank. If you are in a military tank, someone has to drive it... |
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Q: What did the right eye say to the left eye? A: Hey buddy, just between you and me, something smells! | Explanation: More jokes about your face!
The phrase “something smells” usually means that something is giving off, emitting, a bad smell. In this joke, “something smells” refers to the nose and the action of smelling, of noticing that there is a odor or aroma that the nose can detect.
That’s what makes this joke funny—... |
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Q: Why did the scientist install a knocker on his front door? A: Because he wanted to win the no-bell prize! | Explanation: A knocker is that metal piece on the outside of a door that you use to make noise so that people know that you are there. An alternative to using a door knocker is to use a doorbell. A doorbell is a button, typically found next to the door, that you push to make noise inside the house so that people know t... |
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Q: What did the fish say when he swam into the concrete wall? A: Dam! | Explanation: As a language learner, it is important to know the swear words, the bad words, the words you probably shouldn’t say.
Dam is not a swear word, but it sounds like one. A dam is a structure built on a river to keep the water from flowing. Beavers make dams (see the video on that link to learn more about beave... |
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Q: Why can’t a woman ask her brother for help? A: Because he can’t be a brother and assist her too! | Explanation: Of course a woman can ask her brother for help! Just not in this joke.
The words in this joke are rather well known. To assist means to help. You already know brother, sister, and woman. Regarding relationships, you can be either a brother or a sister, but not both.
This joke is funny because, if you liste... |
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Q: How do you keep a bagel from getting away? A: Put lox on it! | Explanation: Bagels are a type of bread that look like a donut. They are round and have a hole in the middle, but they are not sweet. To eat a bagel, you usually cut it in half and put something on it like cream cheese.
Another item you might put on your bagel is lox. Lox is salmon that has been preserved by using brin... |
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Q: What do you call a bear with no ears? A: B! | Explanation: Get it? If you take the word bears and cross off the word ears (b
ears ) you are left with just the letter ‘b.’ Silly, I know. So here is another one…
Q: What do you call a deer with no eyes?
A: No eye-deer!
Explanation: When someone asks you a question, and you do not know the answer, you might say, “I ha... |
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Q: What did the mouse say to the keyboard? A: You are really my type! | Explanation: Computer humor!
A mouse can be a small animal or a device that helps you work with a computer. In this joke, I am talking about the computer mouse, so picture a computer mouse talking to the computer keyboard.
And what do you do with a keyboard? You type on it to enter information into the computer. (Did y... |
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Q: If Mr. and Mrs. Bigger had a baby, who would be the biggest of all three of them? A: The baby because the baby is a little Bigger! | Explanation: Happy New Year! A baby joke for the new year seemed appropriate.
If something is a little bigger than something else, that means it is larger. For example, I might say that, typically, a grapefruit is a little bigger than an orange. Sometimes they are a lot bigger.
If a person’s last name is Bigger, well, ... |
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Q: Where does satisfaction come from? A: A satisfactory! | Explanation: Satisfaction is that feeling you get when things work out. I think of it as a feeling of calm joy because life is good, if only for a moment. There are other meanings of satisfaction, and the Rolling Stones sang about not getting any.)
A factory is a place where things are made. There is also the Cheesecak... |
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Q: What do you call Santa’s helpers? A: Subordinate Clauses! | Explanation: Merry Christmas!
In the telling of the story of Santa Claus, the people who help Santa make the toys are typically called elves (one elf, two elves). They are the helpers; they are not the main attraction. They are subordinate.
The word subordinate means lower in rank or position, perhaps less important, l... |
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Q: Where did the skunk sit when it went to church? A: In its own pew! | Explanation: Skunks are those small, squirrel-like animals that are colored mostly black with a white stripe down the back. Perhaps you remember that famous cartoon skunk, Pepe Le Pew? Skunks are known for protecting themselves by spraying a very bad smell.
Skunks do not go to church (although, maybe Pepe Le Pew did, I... |
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Q: Did you hear about the two antennas who got married? A: The wedding was awful but the reception was great! | Explanation: Antennas are used to receive and send electromagnetic waves so we can communicate (like with radios and TVs). Some antennas are a simple piece of wire while others are huge dishes.
If you have good reception it means that you can hear the radio really well, or see the TV really well. Radio waves are also u... |
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Q: How do you get down from an elephant? A: You don’t get down from an elephant, you get down from a duck! | Explanation: Yes–another duck joke!
In some places in the world, people ride on elephants, sort of like riding on horses. Because elephants are so big, you might wonder, how do you get up onto the elephant and, once you are on the elephant, how do you get down? Good question! I have never ridden on an elephant.
Down is... |
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Q: What did the turkey say to the hunter? A: Quack, quack! | Explanation: Happy Thanksgiving Day to readers who are celebrating Thanksgiving today. I hope you are safe, and healthy. Thank you for reading Explain the Joke!
On Thanksgiving day, many families celebrate with a traditional turkey meal. Of course if you are the turkey, it is not such a good thing.
This joke is funny b... |
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Q: What happened when the ship ran aground while transporting red paint and black paint? A: The crew was marooned! | Explanation: A bit of transportation humor this week. To run aground means that the ship was not floating, but the bottom of the ship was touching the ocean floor (the ground under the water). If a ship runs aground it is like a car hitting something and a big mess can occur. The ship in the joke was carrying red paint... |
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Q: How do you get a squirrel to like you? A: Act like a nut! | Explanation: In English, the word nut can refer to foods such as pistachios, cashews, and walnuts. Squirrels love to eat nuts, especially acorns if there are oak trees nearby.
To act like a nut means to act crazy.
This joke is funny because it plays with two of the meanings of nut: a type of food and to go crazy. |
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Q: Why do skeletons stay so calm? A: Because nothing gets under their skin! | Explanation: Happy Halloween!
To get under one’s skin is an idiom meaning that something bothers you. If something gets under your skin, it nags at you, it irks you, it rubs you the wrong way; it bothers you.
Skeletons are all bone, no skin. If you don’t have skin, nothing can get under you skin.
This joke is funny bec... |
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Q: How does the moon cut his hair? A: Eclipse it! | Explanation: A lunar eclipse happens during a full moon when the earth moves between the sun and the moon so that the full moon can no longer be seen. The moon, of course does not have hair but that is part of what makes this joke funny.
Another way to say that you cut your hair is to say that you clip it. (There is ev... |
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Q: What do you get when you combine a porcupine and a turtle? A: A slowpoke! | Explanation: A porcupine is an animal that has needles which are called quills. The quills are sharp on the end and will hurt if they touch you, if they poke you (like when you get a shot in the arm).
Turtles are animals that usually move slowly.
This joke is funny because it combines the idea of a slow turtle and a po... |
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Q: What’s worse than finding a worm in your apple? A: Finding half a worm! | Explanation: Imagine biting into an apple and finding a worm. Yes, that is a very unpleasant thought because your apple is most likely not in very good condition.
Now, imagine biting into an apple and finding only half of a worm. That means that the other half is in your mouth! Yuck!!
This joke is funny because it sets... |
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Q: Why was the baby strawberry crying? A: Because her parents were in a jam! | Explanation: Jam is a type of food that is typically made of fruit. Jam is usually spread on another food like bread or toast (like the way butter is spread on bread or toast). If you use strawberries to make jam, you have made strawberry jam. Mmmm! I like it.
To be in a jam is an idiom that means to be in a difficult ... |
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Q: What did the baby corn say to the mama corn? A: Where is pop corn? | Explanation: There are many types of families. Some families, like the one in this joke, are made of a mom, dad, and baby. Mom can be called mama; dad can be called pop.
Corn, of course, does not have a family, but there are many types of corn. One type of corn is popcorn. Popcorn is a type of corn that, when heated, e... |
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Q: What runs but never walks, murmurs, but never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, and has a mouth but never eats? A: A river! | Explanation: Thanks the Instagram account of Glacier National Park for this week’s joke.
There are many words in English that have multiple meanings and this joke shows us many of them that are related to a river. The water in a river runs. The river murmurs by making noise as it flows to the sea. The bed of the river ... |
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Q: When does a joke turn into a “dad” joke? A: When the answer is a parent! | Explanation: There is a category of jokes called dad jokes. These are jokes that have really bad answers that will make you groan because they are stupid/silly. Puns fit nicely into this category. I rather like theses jokes. By the way, the answer to a joke is also called a punchline.
The word “apparent” (meaning obvio... |
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Q: What is worse than raining cats and dogs? A: Hailing taxis! | Explanation: Precipitation is water in any form that falls from the sky. This includes rain, snow, sleet and hail. Hail is frozen rain, ice, that falls; it can be very small or quite large.
Hailing a taxi means to get the attention of a taxi driver so that you can get a ride somewhere. Hailing taxis also sounds like ta... |
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Q: How do you stop an astronaut’s baby from crying? A: You rocket! | Explanation: Astronauts are scientists who explore and study space. To get into space they blast off in a rocket. In this case, ‘rocket’ is a noun, a thing.
When babies cry, they can often be calmed, soothed, by rocking them. To rock a baby means to gently move a baby back and forth, maybe by swaying, walking, or sitti... |
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Q: What did the Dalmatian say after eating lunch? A: Wow, that really hit the spot! | Explanation: If you have seen the movie 101 Dalmatians, you know that Dalmatians are a breed of dog known for their spots. While I like dogs, having 101 of them seems like a lot!
That hit the spot is an idiom meaning something that was needed. In this joke the speaker, the Dalmatian, was hungry and lunch hit the spot: ... |
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Q: Why did the child cross the playground? A: To get to the other slide! | Explanation: Back in 2013, the first joke that I explained was, perhaps, the most famous of all jokes–Why did the chicken cross the road? This joke is funny because it plays with that joke.
The answer to the chicken-crossing-the-road joke is “to get to the other side.” This joke plays with that joke by using a differen... |
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Q: Why do you always find something in the last place you look? A: Because when you find it, you stop looking! | Explanation: Perhaps this is more of a logic puzzle than a joke–but it is true! Often times we search long and hard for a missing thing and then find it in the last place we look. Is there a psychological reason it took us so long to find something? I do not know the answer to that. I do know that this joke makes me la... |
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