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Jokes that go completely over your head or have never understood?

TheEchosOfTheCyborg

TheEchosOfTheCyborg

Member
Feb 24, 2018
5,332
This has happened to all of us at some point, you on the net, or with friends, reading a book, watching a movie etc and they say a joke, but you don't get the joke or what's actually supposed to be funny (or in some cases you completely don't realise a joke was said at all). It happens to me from time to time.

Recently I was watching old episode of The Simpsons on TV and they made a joke how the Grammys are a joke/worthless, it's a joke I've seen a ton in US media but I've never understood what the joke is supposed to be? Like why is a Grammy awards considered more or less a joke then say the Oscars, Golden Globe or Emmys etc which don't get this treatment? They jokes never explain other than "Grammy is a joke" with no other context so I've never understood what's supposed to be funny other then "Here is thing that exists, laugh".

What are these for you?
 
Jaded Alyx

Jaded Alyx

Member
Oct 25, 2017
35,591
This reminds me of the time I watched Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II on DVD way back. It was the first time I'd seen the films since I was a kid, when I would watch them all the time on VHS.

It was amazing to me how many jokes I just never understood as a child (plus the fact that the audio was a million times clearer).
 
ElectricBlanketFire

ElectricBlanketFire

What year is this?
Member
Oct 25, 2017
31,944
Plenty of examples of this from when I grew up watching MST3K.

For example, I never got the Twin Peaks references in Pod People until like 20 years later when I finally watched it for the first time.
 
Volimar

Volimar

volunteer forum janitor
Member
Oct 25, 2017
38,981
When I was a kid it was this joke in Airplane.

"I think that was when I developed my drinking problem."

<spills drink on their face>
 
Lucky Forward

Lucky Forward

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,519
I still don't get the "Bengal Lancer" joke in Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood. So Luke Perry's character served in the Bengal Lancer unit in India, and his last name is Lancer. Why is that so funny it makes not only Caleb but also the little girl, Mirabella, crack up in the middle of a tense hostage situation?
 
Dali

Dali

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,184
Simpsons pokes fun at a lot of things that the writers don't like. Yeah the joke is saying a Grammy is worthless. They also take shots at Arby's. Is Arby's any worse than a number of other fast food places? I'd say no. Are the Grammy's any more or less valid than other awards? I'd say no.
 
dennett316

dennett316

Member
Nov 2, 2017
2,990
Blackpool, UK
This made me remember a line from Lethal Weapon 3, where Riggs says he got "this close" to catching a guy, and Rene Russo's Detective Cole says "Close is a lingerie shop without a front window". I never got it. Just looked it up, and it was a nonsense line that didn't actually mean anything, according to the screenwriter.
ew.com

We examine a strange line from ''Lethal Weapon 3''

We examine a strange line from <em>Lethal Weapon 3</em>—Screenwriter Jeffrey Boam explains Rene Russo's confusing retort
ew.com ew.com
So it wasn't a weird joke I missed, it was just nonsense.
 
Steak

Steak

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,327
One of the discworld books has the repeats the line "Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana" a few times and I just thought it was some weird nonsense phrase. I don't think I read 'fruit flies' as a noun phrase until many years later at which point my mind was blown.
 
CaptainNuevo

CaptainNuevo

Mascot Maniac
Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,986
Lucky Forward said:
I still don't get the "Bengal Lancer" joke in Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood. So Luke Perry's character served in the Bengal Lancer unit in India, and his last name is Lancer. Why is that so funny it makes not only Caleb but also the little girl, Mirabella, crack up in the middle of a tense hostage situation?
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Having never seen the movie this just sounds like something that's absurd enough that a high stress environment would make funny. I either don't get it as well, or it's nervous hysterics bringing that out.

MickeyShaban said:
dril tweets

I feel really dumb when those are posted and barely getting it
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I'm 99% sure there's no actual humor in a lot of dril stuff. Just absurdism and people pretending it's comedic gold.
 
Rassilon

Rassilon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,606
UK
I didn't get the phrase 'In the barrel' / 'turn in the barrel' / 'time in the barrel' due to not hearing the full joke until a few years back.
It's quite an obscure reference but it pops up occasionally.
 
Poppy

Poppy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,291
richmond, va
ElectricBlanketFire said:
Plenty of examples of this from when I grew up watching MST3K.

For example, I never got the Twin Peaks references in Pod People until like 20 years later when I finally watched it for the first time.
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yeah theres like a certain willingness to believe that the crew is funny that i always had because i legit didnt understand at least half the jokes in any given episode until i was in like my late 20s

it's a testament to a good performance that it just feels funny regardless of understanding all their references to old commercials and movie junk
 
ascii42

ascii42

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,804
Steak said:
One of the discworld books has the repeats the line "Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana" a few times and I just thought it was some weird nonsense phrase. I don't think I read 'fruit flies' as a noun phrase until many years later at which point my mind was blown.
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This style of word play is known as a Paraprosdokian. Another classic example is "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
 
PCfromNYC

PCfromNYC

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,362
When I was younger, I didn't get the joke of "What do you call a 2,000 pound Gorilla? Sir."

Today, I don't see the humor in "He turned himself into a pickle. Funniest shit I've ever seen."
 
bananab

bananab

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,878
Poppy said:
yeah theres like a certain willingness to believe that the crew is funny that i always had because i legit didnt understand at least half the jokes in any given episode until i was in like my late 20s

it's a testament to a good performance that it just feels funny regardless of understanding all their references to old commercials and movie junk
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This is so right, so many times they will crack me up and whoever I'm watching with tells me they don't get it, and I have to admit I didn't either. Just something about the delivery makes me laugh anyway.
 
Sobriquet

Sobriquet

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
10,001
Wilmington, NC
TheEchosOfTheCyborg said:
Recently I was watching old episode of The Simpsons on TV and they made a joke how the Grammys are a joke/worthless, it's a joke I've seen a ton in US media but I've never understood what the joke is supposed to be? Like why is a Grammy awards considered more or less a joke then say the Oscars, Golden Globe or Emmys etc which don't get this treatment? They jokes never explain other than "Grammy is a joke" with no other context so I've never understood what's supposed to be funny other then "Here is thing that exists, laugh".
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Typically, Grammys are based more on popularity than artistic merit. Equivalent would be something like Venom winning the best picture Oscar.
 
El Bombastico

El Bombastico

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
36,110
25+ years later and I still no idea what Homer meant when he said he was the first "Non-Brazilian" to travel backwards through time.

Actually, he was the second.
 
Lord Error

Lord Error

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,400
Vyse24 said:
Today, I don't see the humor in "He turned himself into a pickle. Funniest shit I've ever seen."
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Are you familiar with the phrase of "getting yourself into a pickle"? It means getting yourself into a really tricky situation. The joke in R&M is that he turns himself into a pickle to get out of the pickle (going to a family therapy that he doesn't want to attend).

Stiltzkin said:
Anytime anyone says "based" followed by something.
I don't get it.
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It's a reference to a Lil' B, the Based God. An absurdist rapper who coined the phrase, or turned the previously negative phrase by giving it a meaning of basically "Amazing".
 
Post Reply

Post Reply

Member
Aug 1, 2018
4,538
EXve_bJWoAA_ckb.jpg


I had to ask for help in understanding it. I feel so ashamed...
 
Archduke Kong

Archduke Kong

Member
Feb 2, 2019
2,323
Jaded Alyx said:
This reminds me of the time I watched Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II on DVD way back. It was the first time I'd seen the films since I was a kid, when I would watch them all the time on VHS.

It was amazing to me how many jokes I just never understood as a child (plus the fact that the audio was a million times clearer).
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I remember seeing an article recently that brought up the scene where Dan Akyroyd gets head from a ghost. I've watched that movie a dozen times as a kid and refused to believe there was a scene where Dan Akyroyd gets head from a ghost.

I rewatched the scene and uh.... yeah, I don't know how I didn't realize that was what was going on, but that was definitely a scene where Dan Akyroyd gets head from a ghost.
 
Chixdiggit

Chixdiggit

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
1,447
When I was a little kid I grew up in a bar around a bunch of drunks. I overheard the following joke being told:

"A man goes to see an old Kung Fu master to be trained to fight. The Kung Fu master is ancient, has a cane, and appears blind. The man says "Surely you do not have the skills to train me". The Kung Fu Master hears a fly buzzing around and says "If I can karate chop the fly will you believe me?" Man says "Your on".
The Kung Fu Master sits still for a bit and suddenly chops at the fly buzzing around while yelling "Hiya". The fly buzzes away. The Man laughs "The fly flew away!" The Kung Fu Master says "Ah yes, but that fly will never have sex again".

So I was like maybe 5 and did not get the joke. I observed it got a big laugh and I was absolutely obsessed with Martial Arts and Kung Fu movies so I remembered the joke word for word. I would then tell that joke to anyone at the bar for years that had not heard it. It would always get howling laughter because a little kid was telling it.
 
Jaded Alyx

Jaded Alyx

Member
Oct 25, 2017
35,591
Archduke Kong said:
I remember seeing an article recently that brought up the scene where Dan Akyroyd gets head from a ghost. I've watched that movie a dozen times as a kid and refused to believe there was a scene where Dan Akyroyd gets head from a ghost.

I rewatched the scene and uh.... yeah, I don't know how I didn't realize that was what was going on, but that was definitely a scene where Dan Akyroyd gets head from a ghost.
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Lol yep. I think I always knew something "wrong" was going on there, but not exactly what.
 
shnurgleton

shnurgleton

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,864
Boston
IDreamOfHime said:
The Aristocrats joke. I understand it, but I don't get why it's "funny".
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It's absurdist humor, the humor comes from the fact that the joke teller is a twisted motherfucker who just wanted to put you through some excruciating shit for no reason

to be honest I'm not a fan of it either but that's because I've heard it before. most of the fun of it is hearing just how far the comedian wants to go in its shockingness. the quality really depends on the delivery
 
Jeffolation

Jeffolation

Shinra Employee
Member
Oct 30, 2017
7,161
I was in my late twenties when it dawned on me as to why they call O.J. Simpson "the Juice".
 
Alavard

Alavard

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
5,374
shnurgleton said:
It's absurdist humor, the humor comes from the fact that the joke teller is a twisted motherfucker who just wanted to put you through some excruciating shit for no reason

to be honest I'm not a fan of it either but that's because I've heard it before. most of the fun of it is hearing just how far the comedian wants to go in its shockingness. the quality really depends on the delivery
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I think there's another lay of humor that you'd expect 'Aristocrats' to be 'high society', but they're being absolutely base and awful here.
 
Lionel Mandrake

Lionel Mandrake

Prophetic Lionel Mandrake
Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,701
scottbeowulf said:
It took me way too long to get the chicken crossing the road one
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I don't know if you're being facetious, but after hearing the alternate take on the punchline, I'm convinced that it was the original intention.

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To get to the other side.

"The other side" having the dual-meaning of both being the literal other side of the road and the life after this one. The answer can be taken as literal or metaphorical and the chicken was hit by a vehicle and died.

I don't know how old the joke was. It's possible it pre-dates crossing the road being ubiquitous with danger, but ever since reading that interpretation, I've always seen it as the true intention. Every time I've brought it up, people have vehemently disagreed, but I think it's legit.
 
scottbeowulf

scottbeowulf

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,492
United States
Admiral Neon Elk said:
I don't know if you're being facetious, but after hearing the alternate take on the punchline, I'm convinced that it was the original intention.

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To get to the other side.

"The other side" having the dual-meaning of both being the literal other side of the road and the life after this one. The answer can be taken as literal or metaphorical and the chicken was hit by a vehicle and died.

I don't know how old the joke was. It's possible it pre-dates crossing the road being ubiquitous with danger, but ever since reading that interpretation, I've always seen it as the true intention. Every time I've brought it up, people have vehemently disagreed, but I think it's legit.
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It was the "get to the other side" part. The double meaning, specifically death as the other side, is what never clicked in my brain.
 
T0M

T0M

Alt-Account
Banned
Aug 13, 2019
900
A woman walks into a bar. She asks the barman for a double entendre. So the barman gave her one.

Still don't get it to this day
 
Volimar

Volimar

volunteer forum janitor
Member
Oct 25, 2017
38,981
Admiral Neon Elk said:
I don't know if you're being facetious, but after hearing the alternate take on the punchline, I'm convinced that it was the original intention.

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To get to the other side.

"The other side" having the dual-meaning of both being the literal other side of the road and the life after this one. The answer can be taken as literal or metaphorical and the chicken was hit by a vehicle and died.

I don't know how old the joke was. It's possible it pre-dates crossing the road being ubiquitous with danger, but ever since reading that interpretation, I've always seen it as the true intention. Every time I've brought it up, people have vehemently disagreed, but I think it's legit.
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I think it was only ever meant to be an unfunny joke and the "other side" as an afterlife bit is basically backsplaining.
 
FloBoJo

FloBoJo

Member
Nov 5, 2017
214
So I saw just about every Mel Brooks/Zucker Bros movie as a 90s kid on VHS and rewatching that stuff in the college years on DVD was an eye-opening time. Also reluctantly gave my parents major cool points: "I bet she gives good helmet." - Rick Moranis, Spaceballs

T0M said:
A woman walks into a bar. She asks the barman for a double entendre. So the barman gave her one.

Still don't get it to this day
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Do you know what a double entendre is?
 
Ralemont

Ralemont

Member
Jan 3, 2018
4,508
Archduke Kong said:
I remember seeing an article recently that brought up the scene where Dan Akyroyd gets head from a ghost. I've watched that movie a dozen times as a kid and refused to believe there was a scene where Dan Akyroyd gets head from a ghost.

I rewatched the scene and uh.... yeah, I don't know how I didn't realize that was what was going on, but that was definitely a scene where Dan Akyroyd gets head from a ghost.
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Same thing but with Ace Ventura 2, used to watch it all the time as a kid. After Ace gets hit on by the woman in the village he's "practicing his mantra" in his tent to maintain celibacy. Watched the movie again a decade later and realized he's jerking off haha.
 
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