A joke is something spoken, written, or done with humorous intention. Jokes may have many different forms, e.g., a single word or a gesture (considered in a particular context), a question-answer, or a whole short story. The word "joke" has a number of synonyms, including wisecrack, gag, prank, quip, jape and jest.
To achieve their end, jokes may employ irony, sarcasm, word play and other devices. Jokes may have a punch line, i.e. an ending to make it humorous.
A practical joke or prank differs from a spoken joke in that the major component of the humour is physical rather than verbal (for example placing salt in the sugar bowl).
Read more about Joke: Purpose, Antiquity of Jokes, Psychology of Jokes, Jokes in Organizations, Rules, Cycles, Types of Jokes
Other articles related to "jokes, joke":
... Home viewers mailed their jokes to the program, during which they were read by a panel of four celebrities – two of them Laugh-In regulars ... Each joke was rated on a scale of zero to 100 ... The highest-rated joke that day won the home viewer a prize (such as a trip to Hawaii), while the lowest-rated joke won a trip to "beautiful downtown Burbank" ...
... bass guitar Paul Ferguson - drums Reza Udhin - keyboards Killing Joke Jaz Coleman Kevin "Geordie" Walker Martin "Youth" Glover Paul Ferguson Paul Raven ... The Damage Manual Transmission BookKilling Joke CategoryKilling Joke ...
... The question/answer joke, sometimes posed as a common riddle, has a supposedly straight question and an answer which is twisted for humorous effect puns are often employed ... Of this type are knock-knock joke, light bulb joke, the many variations on "why did the chicken cross the road?", and the class of "What's the difference ... Some jokes require a double act, where one respondent (usually the straight man) can be relied on to give the correct response to the person telling the joke ...
... Change is an song by Killing Joke, that first appeared on the US release of their debut album, Killing Joke (1980) ... The B-side was Tomorrow's World, also off Killing Joke's debut album ...
... Flatulence humor refers to any type of joke, practical joke device, or other off-color humor related to flatulence ...
Famous quotes containing the word joke:
“The old idea that the joke was not good enough for the company has been superseded by the new aristocratic idea that the company was not worthy of the joke. They have introduced an almost insane individualism into that one form of intercourse which is specially and uproariously communal. They have made even levities into secrets. They have made laughter lonelier than tears.”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)
“Suppose the world were only one of God’s jokes, would you work any the less to make it a good joke instead of a bad one?”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“A man assumes that a woman’s refusal is just part of a game. Or, at any rate, a lot of men assume that. When a man says no, it’s no. When a woman says no, it’s yes, or at least maybe. There is even a joke to that effect. And little by little, women begin to believe in this view of themselves.”
—Erica Jong (b. 1942)