jokes

The music teacher in our elementary school is a notorious teller of bad jokes. We knew we were in for it when Terzo announced he had attended a concert with Mr. S. today. Terzo still has a bit of a tough time with jokes, for several reasons, so we have learned to take it with a grain of salt when he starts in with one. Like tonight.

He asked us: "How do you get off an elephant?"

(insert obvious answers, all obviously wrong)

His answer: "You don't get off an elephant, you get off a duck."

(insert complete puzzlement here)

His explanation: "Because the elephant is too high! So the duck flies you to the ground."

I knew there was something I wasn't getting, but I could not figure it out without the help of the innernets. Perhaps you are cleverer than I, so you might have worked out that the joke is missing one critical word (which in the way of such things, makes all the difference):

Actual Joke Question: "How do you get down off an elephant?"

Actual Joke Answer: "You don't get down off an elephant, you get down off a duck."

And now you understand the challenges of Terzo's joke telling.

While I was looking up why in fact this was a joke, I came across a page of jokes that I started telling at the dinner table, to much hilarity (when we weren't explaining them to Terzo). Some prime examples:

Q: What do you call a fish with no eyes?

A: A fsh.

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Q: Where did Napoleon keep his armies?

A: In his sleevies.

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Q: What's orange and sounds like a parrot?

A: A carrot.

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Q: Why was the sand wet?

A: The seaweed. (A particular boy favorite, once deconstructed.)

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Q: What did the fish say when it hit a wall?

A: Dam.

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By far my favorite however—I am not ashamed to admit that I laughed until I cried—

Q: What is brown and sticky?

A: A stick.

And now you understand the challenges of my sense of humor.