A one-liner is a

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, ...

that is delivered in a single line. A good one-liner is said to be pithy – concise and meaningful. Comedians and actors use this comedic method as part of their performance, and many fictional characters are also known to deliver one-liners, including

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

, who often makes pithy and laconic quips after disposing of a villain.

Examples

* "Never read a pop-up book about giraffes." ( Sean Lock) * "Throwing acid is wrong. In some people's eyes." ( Jimmy Carr) * "My girlfriend makes me want to be a better person - so I can get a better girlfriend." ( Anthony Jeselnik) * "Cricket. No matter who wins, both teams, and all the fans, are losers." ( Frankie Boyle) * "An escalator cannot break, it can only become stairs." ( Mitch Hedberg) * "My movies were the kind they show in prisons and airplanes, because nobody can leave." (

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

) * "I'm on a whiskey diet… I've lost three days already." ( Tommy Cooper) * "I have nothing to declare except my genius." (

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, upon arriving at US customs, 1882) * "Take my wife ... please." (

Henny Youngman Henry "Henny" Youngman (March 16, 1906 – February 24, 1998) was an English-born American comedian and musician famous for his mastery of the "one-line joke, one-liner", his best known being "Take my wife... please". In a time when many ...

) * "They hired a 3-piece band that was so lousy, every time the waiter dropped a tray, we all got up and danced!" ( Les Dawson) * "What a magnificent show this is going to be when it starts!" ( Ken Dodd) * "I have a girlfriend! I've been going out with my girlfriend for… sex!" ( Stewart Francis) * "I have an L-shaped sofa… Lowercase." ( Demetri Martin) * "Crime in multi-story car parks is wrong on so many different levels." ( Tim Vine) * "My wife – it's difficult to say what she does. She sells seashells on the seashore." ( Milton Jones) * "In Scotland the forbidden fruit is fruit." ( Gary Delaney) * "Life is like a box of chocolates. It doesn’t last long if you’re fat." ( Joe Lycett) * "I was so ugly; my mother had morning sickness after I was born" (

Rodney Dangerfield Jack Roy (born Jacob Cohen; November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004), better known by the stage name Rodney Dangerfield, was an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-liner humor, ...

)

References

{{Authority control Jokes Stand-up comedy

Examples

See also

References