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Meta-joke
Self-referential humor, also known as self-reflexive humor, self-aware humor, or meta humor, is a type of comedic expression that—either directed toward some other subject, or openly directed toward itself—is self-referential in some way, intentionally alluding to the very person who is expressing the humor in a comedic fashion, or to some specific aspect of that same comedic expression. Here, ''meta'' is used to describe that the joke explicitly talks about other jokes, a usage similar to the words metadata (data about data), metatheatrics (a play within a play as in ''Hamlet'') and metafiction. Self-referential humor expressed discreetly and surrealistically is a form of bathos. In general, self-referential humor often uses hypocrisy, oxymoron, or paradox to create a contradictory or otherwise absurd situation that is humorous to the audience. History Old Comedy of Classical Athens is held to be the first—in the extant sources—form of self-referential comedy. Aristopha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bar Joke
A bar joke is a type of joke cycle. The basic syntax is as follows: "A walks into a bar and ". First recorded example The earliest known example of a bar joke is Sumerian, appearing in the form of two slightly different versions of a proverb inscribed alongside many others on two clay tablets excavated at Nippur at the end of the 19th century. The tablets were etched around 1700 BCE, during the Old Babylonian Empire, although Edmund I. Gordon, who published the first translation of most of the proverbs inscribed on these tablets, argued that the proverbs themselves probably date from a considerably earlier period. Scholars differ on how best to translate the proverb from Sumerian. According to Gordon's translation, the proverb reads: "A dog, having entered an inn, did not see anything, (and so he said): 'Shall I open this (door)? The Assyriologist Seraina Nett provides a slightly different translation, suggesting that the proverb be read as "A dog entered into a tavern and sai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meta (prefix)
''Meta'' (from the , ''wikt:meta-, meta'', meaning 'after' or 'beyond') is an adjective meaning 'more comprehensive' or 'transcending'. In modern nomenclature, the prefix meta can also serve as a prefix meaning self-referential, as a field of study or endeavor (metatheory: theory about a theory; metamathematics: mathematical theories about mathematics; meta-axiomatics or meta-axiomaticity: axioms about axiomatic systems; metahumor: joking about the ways humor is expressed; etc.). Original Greek meaning In Ancient Greek, Greek, the prefix ''meta-'' is generally less esoteric than in English language, English; Greek ''meta-'' is equivalent to the Latin language, Latin words ''post-'' or ''ad-''. The use of the prefix in this sense occurs occasionally in English language, scientific English terms derived from Greek (language), Greek. For example, the term ''Metatheria'' (the name for the clade of marsupial mammals) uses the prefix ''meta-'' in the sense that the ''Metatheria'' occur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Expression (language)
An idiom is a phrase or expression that largely or exclusively carries a figurative or non-literal meaning, rather than making any literal sense. Categorized as formulaic language, an idiomatic expression's meaning is different from the literal meanings of each word inside it. Idioms occur frequently in all languages. In English alone there are an estimated twenty-five thousand idiomatic expressions. Some well known idioms in English are "spill the beans" (meaning "reveal secret information"), "it's raining cats and dogs" (meaning "it's raining intensely"), and "break a leg" (meaning "good luck"). Derivations Many idiomatic expressions were meant literally in their original use, but occasionally the attribution of the literal meaning changed and the phrase itself grew away from its original roots—typically leading to a folk etymology. For instance, the phrase "spill the beans" (meaning to reveal a secret) is first attested in 1919, but has been said to originate from an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basic Books
Basic Books is a book publisher founded in 1950 and located in New York City, now an imprint of Hachette Book Group. It publishes books in the fields of psychology, philosophy, economics, science, politics, sociology, current affairs, and history. History Basic Books originated as a small Greenwich Village-based book club marketed to psychoanalysts. Arthur Rosenthal took over the book club in 1950, and under his ownership it soon began producing original books, mostly in the behavioral sciences. Early successes included Ernest Jones's ''The Life and Work of Sigmund Freud'', as well as works by Claude Lévi-Strauss, Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson. Irving Kristol joined Basic Books in 1960, and helped Basic to expand into the social sciences. Harper & Row purchased the company in 1969. In 1997, HarperCollins announced that it would merge Basic Books into its trade publishing program, effectively closing the imprint and ending its publishing of serious academic books. That sam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Self-referential
Self-reference is a concept that involves referring to oneself or one's own attributes, characteristics, or actions. It can occur in language, logic, mathematics, philosophy, and other fields. In natural language, natural or formal languages, self-reference occurs when a Sentence (linguistics), sentence, idea or Well-formed formula, formula refers to itself. The reference may be expressed either directly—through some intermediate sentence or formula—or by means of some Semantics encoding, encoding. In philosophy, self-reference also refers to the ability of a subject to speak of or refer to itself, that is, to have the kind of thought expressed by the first person nominative singular pronoun I (pronoun), "I" in English. Self-reference is studied and has applications in mathematics, philosophy, computer programming, second-order cybernetics, and linguistics, as well as self-referential humor, in humor. Self-referential statements are sometimes paradoxical, and can also be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Non Sequitur (literary Device)
A ''non sequitur'' ( , ; "[it] does not follow") is a conversational List of narrative techniques, literary device, often used for Comedy, comedic purposes. It is something said that, because of its apparent lack of meaning relative to what preceded it, seems Absurdity, absurd to the point of being humorous or confusing. This use of the term is distinct from the ''Formal fallacy, non sequitur'' in logic, where it is a fallacy. Etymology The expression is Latin for "[it] does not follow". It comes from the words ''non'' meaning "not" and the verb ''sequi'' meaning "to follow". Usage A ''non sequitur'' can denote an abrupt, illogical, or unexpected turn in plot or dialogue by including a relatively inappropriate change in manner. A ''non sequitur'' joke sincerely has no explanation, but it reflects the idiosyncrasies, mental frames and alternative world of the particular comic persona. Comic artist Gary Larson's ''The Far Side'' cartoons are known for what Larson calls "absurd, al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Passive Voice
A passive voice construction is a grammatical voice construction that is found in many languages. In a clause with passive voice, the grammatical subject expresses the ''theme'' or ''patient'' of the main verb – that is, the person or thing that undergoes the action or has its state changed. This contrasts with active voice, in which the subject has the agent role. For example, in the passive sentence "The tree was pulled down", the subject (''the tree'') denotes the patient rather than the agent of the action. In contrast, the sentences "Someone pulled down the tree" and "The tree is down" are active sentences. Typically, in passive clauses, what is usually expressed by the object (or sometimes another argument) of the verb is now expressed by the subject, while what is usually expressed by the subject is either omitted or is indicated by some adjunct of the clause. Thus, turning an active sense of a verb into a passive sense is a valence-decreasing process ("detransiti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dyslexia
Dyslexia (), previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, writing words, "sounding out" words in the head, pronouncing words when reading aloud and understanding what one reads. Often these difficulties are first noticed at school. The difficulties are involuntary, and people with this disorder have a normal desire to learn. People with dyslexia have higher rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental language disorders, and difficulties with numbers. Dyslexia is believed to be caused by the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Some cases run in families. Dyslexia that develops due to a traumatic brain injury, stroke, or dementia is sometimes called "acquired dyslexia" or alexia. The underlying mechanisms of dyslexia result from differences within the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joke
A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with dialogue, and ends in a punch line, whereby the humorous element of the story is revealed; this can be done using a pun or other type of word play, irony or sarcasm, logical incompatibility, hyperbole, or other means. Linguist Robert Hetzron offers the definition: It is generally held that jokes benefit from brevity, containing no more detail than is needed to set the scene for the punchline at the end. In the case of riddle jokes or one-liners, the setting is implicitly understood, leaving only the dialogue and punchline to be verbalised. However, subverting these and other common guidelines can also be a source of humour—the shaggy dog story is an example of an anti-joke; although presented as a joke, it contains a long drawn-out narr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lightbulb Joke
A lightbulb joke is a joke cycle that asks how many people of a certain group are needed to change, replace, or screw in a light bulb. Generally, the punch line answer highlights a stereotype of the target group. There are numerous versions of the lightbulb joke satirizing a wide range of cultures, beliefs, and occupations. Early versions of the joke, popular in the late 1960s and the 1970s, were used to insult the intelligence of people, especially Poles (" Polish jokes"). Such jokes generally take the form of: Although lightbulb jokes tend to be derogatory in tone (''e.g.'', "How many drunkards..." / "Four: one to hold the light bulb and three to drink until the room spins"), the people targeted by them may take pride in the stereotypes expressed and are often themselves the jokes' originators. An example where the joke itself becomes a statement of ethnic pride is: Lightbulb jokes applied to subgroups can be used to ease tensions between them. Variations Some versions o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Bailey
Mark Robert Bailey (born 13 January 1965), known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian, actor and television presenter. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom '' Black Books'' (2000–2004), and for his regular appearances on the panel shows ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'', '' Have I Got News for You'', and '' QI'', as well as for his stand-up comedy work. He plays a variety of musical instruments and incorporates music into his performances. Bailey was listed by ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in 2003. In 2007, and again in 2010, he was voted the seventh greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's ''100 Greatest Stand-Ups''. He made an appearance in the film ''Hot Fuzz''. In 2020, he won the 18th series of the televised BBC dancing competition ''Strictly Come Dancing'' with his professional partner Oti Mabuse. At 55, he is the oldest winner in the show's history . He is a cancer fundraiser and has walked 100 miles ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Utah State University Press
The University Press of Colorado is a nonprofit publisher that was established in 1965. It is currently a member of the Association of University Presses and has been since 1982. Initially associated with Colorado public universities, the University Press of Colorado is currently a multi-state consortium supported by certain Colorado-based public universities (viz., Adams State University, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, Metropolitan State University of Denver, the University of Colorado System, the University of Northern Colorado, and Western Colorado University), a Colorado-based private university (viz., Regis University), and three non-Colorado-based universities (viz. the University of Alaska System, Utah State University, and the University of Wyoming). This makes it one of the few university presses in the United States to have more than one affiliate university. Imprints University of Alaska Press The University of Alaska Press (also known as the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
