Why the two-syllable pronunciation of "nine" for the telephone? [more inside]
posted by activitystory on Feb 24, 2012 - 12 answers

I'd like to try making a "life goal" out of mastering stereotypical/fake accents... the impeccably snooty Frenchman, the stuck up Brit, redneck American, serious Japanese businessman, and so on. How does one intentionally learn (fake/funny/stereotypical) accents? [more inside]
posted by luciphercolors on Jun 30, 2011 - 34 answers

I'm looking for stories about telling jokes until they are no longer funny. How do people who write comedy tell if the jokes they are writing are still funny after repeating them so many times? I'm interested in hearing more about the short half-life of the joke, and the ways a joke can function after it has lost it's ha-ha-ha. [more inside]
posted by caseyg on Dec 18, 2010 - 11 answers

Is there a name for this style of joking? Set-up: Person A asks a question. Punchline: Person B -- by pretending to misunderstand the question -- gives an unexpected response. The Marx Bros used this style a lot, and I see it over and over on "Flight of the Conchords. " ALSO: Can anyone offer further examples of this? Thank you so much! :-)
posted by coizero on Apr 19, 2008 - 15 answers

Is the phrase 'proof, if proof be need be' a Chris Morris coinage? [more inside]
posted by jack_mo on Nov 3, 2006 - 16 answers