Knock-knock joke
Encyclopedia
The knock-knock joke is a type of joke
, probably the best-known format of the pun
, and is a time-honored "call and answer" exercise.
It is a role-play exercise, with a punster and a recipient of wit.
The standard format has five lines:
The joke recreates the situation where someone knocks on a door and identifies themselves to get somebody who is already inside to open the door.
The exact date of the joke formula attaining popularity is unknown. "Knock knock" was the music hall
catchphrase Wee Georgie Wood
from at least 1936, when he is recorded saying it in a radio play, but he simply used the words as a reference to his surname and did not use it as part of a joke formula. The format was well known in the UK and US in the 1950s and early 1960s before falling out of favour. It then enjoyed a renaissance after the jokes became a regular part of the badinage on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
.
In 2010, a letter from a steward (thought to be Jim Richardson) on the Nahlin steam yacht was discovered. The 16-page letter to his mother detailed life on the yacht during a 1936 Mediterranean cruise on which King Edward VII and Wallis Simpson were passengers. The steward repeated a popular joke of the time: "Knock knock. Who's there? Edward Rex. Edward Rex who? Edward wrecks the Coronation."
In France, the punchline is sometimes a pun on the title of a popular song, allowing the last answer to be sung :
In Shakespeare's play Macbeth a comic relief character delivers a 20 line monologue and satire that makes reference to events of that time. It follows the pattern of "knock knock who's there?" but it is done entirely by the character and knocks from off stage. The character is a hung over porter (in most performances drunk, but in the original he was hung over) who pretends he is the porter to the gates of hell welcoming sinners of different professions:
(Macbeth ActII, sciii)
(this is a joke referring to a price drop in crops, as well as a joke about the heat in hell)
(this passage is believed to be a reference to a trial of the Jesuits who were charged with equivocation speaking unclearly or speaking with double meaning)
(the tailor is accused of stealing cloth while making breeches, this is a joke about a fashion trend in Shakespearian times, also a pun for roasting the tailor's iron with the heat of hell)
Joke
A joke is a phrase or a paragraph with a humorous twist. It can be in many different forms, such as a question or short story. To achieve this end, jokes may employ irony, sarcasm, word play and other devices...
, probably the best-known format of the pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
, and is a time-honored "call and answer" exercise.
It is a role-play exercise, with a punster and a recipient of wit.
The standard format has five lines:
- The punster: Knock, knock!
- The recipient: Who's there?
- The punster: a variable response, sometimes involving a name (Doctor)
- The recipient: a repetition of the response followed by who? (Doctor whoDoctor (Doctor Who)The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
?) - The punster: the punch linePunch lineA punch line is the final part of a joke, comedy sketch, or profound statement, usually the word, sentence or exchange of sentences which is intended to be funny or to provoke laughter or thought from listeners...
, which typically involves a pun-based misusage of the word set up during the response (How did you know?!)
The joke recreates the situation where someone knocks on a door and identifies themselves to get somebody who is already inside to open the door.
Distribution and history
Knock-knock jokes are well entrenched in the UK, Ireland, France, Belgium, Australia, the US., Canada, South Africa, and Philippines. In nations such as Brazil, India and Germany they are practically unknown. In French they begin "Toc-Toc" and in Afrikaans and Dutch "Klop-klop." In Spanish, it may be enough for the punchline to rhyme with the response.The exact date of the joke formula attaining popularity is unknown. "Knock knock" was the music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
catchphrase Wee Georgie Wood
Wee Georgie Wood
George Wood, better known as Wee Georgie Wood, was a British actor and comedian who appeared in films, plays and music hall revues. Wood, who was a midget, worked most his professional life in the guise of a child, appearing in comic and sentimental sketches. He also wrote a column in the weekly...
from at least 1936, when he is recorded saying it in a radio play, but he simply used the words as a reference to his surname and did not use it as part of a joke formula. The format was well known in the UK and US in the 1950s and early 1960s before falling out of favour. It then enjoyed a renaissance after the jokes became a regular part of the badinage on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In is an American sketch comedy television program which ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to May 14, 1973. It was hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin and was broadcast over NBC...
.
In 2010, a letter from a steward (thought to be Jim Richardson) on the Nahlin steam yacht was discovered. The 16-page letter to his mother detailed life on the yacht during a 1936 Mediterranean cruise on which King Edward VII and Wallis Simpson were passengers. The steward repeated a popular joke of the time: "Knock knock. Who's there? Edward Rex. Edward Rex who? Edward wrecks the Coronation."
In France, the punchline is sometimes a pun on the title of a popular song, allowing the last answer to be sung :
Toc Toc! (Knock knock!)
Qui est là? (Who's there?)
Sheila.
Sheila qui? (Sheila who?)
Sheila lutte finale... . (a pun on "c'est la lutte finale" (It's the final struggle), the first line of the chorus of The InternationaleThe InternationaleThe Internationale is a famous socialist, communist, social-democratic and anarchist anthem.The Internationale became the anthem of international socialism, and gained particular fame under the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1944, when it was that communist state's de facto central anthem...
)
In Shakespeare's play Macbeth a comic relief character delivers a 20 line monologue and satire that makes reference to events of that time. It follows the pattern of "knock knock who's there?" but it is done entirely by the character and knocks from off stage. The character is a hung over porter (in most performances drunk, but in the original he was hung over) who pretends he is the porter to the gates of hell welcoming sinners of different professions:
(Macbeth ActII, sciii)
Knock, knock, knock! Who's there, i' th' name of Beelzebub? Here's a farmer that hanged himself on the expectation of plenty. Come in time, have napkins enough about you, here you'll sweat for 't.
(this is a joke referring to a price drop in crops, as well as a joke about the heat in hell)
Knock, knock! Who's there, in th' other devil's name? Faith, here's an equivocator that could swear in both the scales against either scale, who committed treason enough for God's sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven. O, come in, equivocator.
(this passage is believed to be a reference to a trial of the Jesuits who were charged with equivocation speaking unclearly or speaking with double meaning)
Knock, knock, knock! Who's there? Faith, here's an English tailor come hither for stealing out of a French hose. Come in, tailor. Here you may roast your goose.
(the tailor is accused of stealing cloth while making breeches, this is a joke about a fashion trend in Shakespearian times, also a pun for roasting the tailor's iron with the heat of hell)
See also
- ¡Camarero!, ¡Camarero!¡Camarero!, ¡Camarero!"¡Camarero, camarero!" Spanish for "Waiter! Waiter!" is the opening line of a very popular joke in Spanish-speaking countries, not unlike a knock-knock joke.The joke goes as the following;*Punster: ¡Camarero, camarero! [Waiter! Waiter!]....
- An Englishman, an Irishman and a ScotsmanAn Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman"An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman" is the opening line of a category of joke popular in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The nationalities involved may vary, though they are most usually restricted to those within the UK and Ireland, and the number of people involved is usually three or...
- Said the actress to the bishopSaid the actress to the bishop"Said the actress to the bishop", sometimes "as the actress said to the bishop", or simply "that's what she said" is an informal exclamation, usually said for humour after an inadvertent use of a double entendre...
- Why did the chicken cross the road?Why did the chicken cross the road?"Why did the chicken cross the road?" is a common riddle or joke in several languages. The answer or punchline is: "To get to the other side". The riddle is an example of anti-humor, in that the curious setup of the joke leads the listener to expect a traditional punchline, but they are instead...
- World's funniest jokeWorld's funniest jokeThe world's funniest joke is a term used by Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire in 2002 to summarize one of the results of his research. For his experiment, named LaughLab, he created a website where people could rate and submit jokes...