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Richard Walker

'The Phrase that Launched a Thousand Quips'

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Edited by Richard Walker, Monday, 15 Jan 2018, 01:16

This joke popped into my head last night. In an oblique way, it is what it says it is.

But when I googled - to see if it was original - I found the late humorist Mikes Kington (author of 'The Franglais Lieutenant's Woman', etc., etc.) had beaten me to it, in his The Independent column.

Disaster! Because, he mentioned Partridge's Dictionary of Catchphrases, and explained it was a serious distraction ('I took down it from my references shelf and at once found catchphrases I did not know existed').

Naturally I was at once seduced and immediately bought the book. I turned straightaway to 'Knock-knock' and found this beautiful gem*; a KK joke but with a lot of Mondegreen in it too.

Knock-knock!

Who's there?

Mayonnaise.**

Mayonnaise who?

Mayonnaise have seen the Glory of the Coming of the Lord.

In the same vein I offer my own humble attempt.

        Knock-knock!

        Who's there?

        Manacled.

        Manacled who?

        Manacled, but Few are Chosen.

Notes

* One editor of the dictionary referred to describes this joke as 'exemplary for the extravange of its awfulness'.

** Mayonnaise is probably named for Port Mahon in Minorca, which is named after a Carthaginian general who was a close relation of Hannibal. So someone, related to a general who took elephants over the Alps, from Iberia to Italia, to wage war on Rome, gave his name to an island, where a salad dressing was invented, that turned up 2,500 years later, in a knock-knock joke.









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Richard Walker

All For One?

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I was over at d'Artagnan's place, I says to him, "Dude, can you look after my long-barreled gun for a coupla days?" He's like, "Non, mon ami, you can't leave your musket here."

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Richard Walker

Get Rich Quick

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I read there's a “Get Rich Quick” scheme. I was like, “Whoa, what have they got against me?”


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Richard Walker

Speaking in Tongues

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Edited by Richard Walker, Saturday, 13 Jan 2018, 00:07

I answered in silvery tones

"I was not being steely

I merely spoke with irony."

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Richard Walker

Memorable Nights Out

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Complete these stories:

1 Went out drinking with some onion-sellers. Well! We got ....ed!

2 Went out drinking with some gun-sellers. Well! We got ....ed! And then we got ....ed!

3 Went out drinking with some people that work with ancient monuments. Well! We got ....ed!

5 Went out drinking with some people who smoke fish. Well! We got ....ed!

6 Went out drinking with some drunken sailors, *on their boat*. Well! We got ....ed!

7 Went out drinking with some experts on fish buoyancy. Well! We got ....ed!

8 Went out drinking with some vets. Well! We got ....ed!




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Richard Walker

Start-up

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I started a new tailoring company. Business is so-so.

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Richard Walker

Who is this man?

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Richard Walker

Playground Joke

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Q. Why did Offsky say "Moscow"?

A. Because he was Russian off!!

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Richard Walker

Clerihew

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Sophocles

Wrote plays in threes.

But he kept things under control.

There was sex and violence, but no rock n roll.

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Richard Walker

Spooktistics

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Richard Walker

Cool Miles

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Richard Walker

Damocles

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Richard Walker

Uncle Ebenezer

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As Uncle Ebenezer used to say, “I don't mind being pitied. If you've got the time, that is. But don't put yourself out. Not on my account”.

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Richard Walker

“The Court was hushed"

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Richard Walker

Apologies from the Elfen Team

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Oats the last few maize critics of our Xmas cracker jokes have described them as "corny" and "barley funny".

Regular customers can thesh assured wheat always rye to do our best.

Happy New Ear!

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Richard Walker

On Reading Obituary Columns

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Many who were famous when I was a youth

Are no longer famous; nor I young, in truth.

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Richard Walker

"Suddenly the Flying Pan put down its Tractor Beam"

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Edited by Richard Walker, Monday, 1 Jan 2018, 17:09


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Richard Walker

New blog post

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Edited by Richard Walker, Saturday, 30 Dec 2017, 22:38

A couple of days ago Simon Reid reminded me about Ivor Cutler. A cross between poet, songster, philosopher, and humourist, but always with a touch of surrealism.

Here we have 'Get Away From The Wall'.


When you have digested it, hear that it actually happened to me. Lingering on a Summer's afternoon, and taliking to someone, I rested on a wall.

The owner of the wall appeared quickly and told me it was his wall, and I had no right to sit on it. I could not say his accents were small; I would say they were brusque, perhaps discourteous.

I will not hurt your wall, I said, and left.


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Richard Walker

What Do You Call A Woman...

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Edited by Richard Walker, Saturday, 30 Dec 2017, 22:20

...with a boat tied to her head?

Maureen!

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Richard Walker

One Liner

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I met a beautiful woman who shared my love of flat shoes. I immediately realised we were sole mates.

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Richard Walker

Epitaph for a Post-Truther

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Edited by Richard Walker, Thursday, 28 Dec 2017, 00:39
Life Lies goes go on
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Richard Walker

What Do You Call A Man...

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... with trees growing out of his head?

Woody!

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Richard Walker

Epitaph for a Sinner

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Hearse and worse

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Richard Walker

Blague

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If you start counting at “trois”, do you miss the numbers under?

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Richard Walker

Anti jokes

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Edited by Richard Walker, Tuesday, 26 Dec 2017, 22:09

An anti joke is a kind a joke that's funny because it's not.

For example, in Germany they have Antiwitze. Here's ein Antiwitz.

Zwei Männer gehen über eine Brücke. Der eine fällt ins Wasser, der andere heißt Helmut.

Two men were crossing a bridge. One fell in the water. The other's name was Helmut."

Get the idea? They begin as a plausible mini-narrative but then suddently veer off on a wild and inconsequental trajectory.

Here's one I read years ago (I don't any longer know its source).

A man goes to the doctor.

'How can I help?', the doctor asks.

'I've got a bite on my neck', the man replies.

'Let me see' says the doctor. 'Oh that's nasty! Where did you get it?'

'I did it myself', the man says with a slight blush.

The doctor is lost for words at first, then asks, wonderingly: 'How could you bite your own neck?'

The man replies: 'I was standing on a chair at the time.'

(Ed. I hope the doctor had an antidote available.)




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