One-liner joke
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A one-liner is a joke that takes to its heart the principle that brevity is the soul of wit. A one-liner, in the strictest sense, is a joke that is delivered in a single line. One famous type of one-liner is the "yo mama" joke, such as "Yo mama's so fat, after she got off the carousel, the horse limped for a week." One-liners can be independent, such as the "yo mama" jokes, or situational.
One-liners are known for eliciting cheap, quick laughs, but they can become tiresome to audiences when used excessively by a performer. For example, Freddy Krueger became known for one-liners, particularly those related to the manner in which his victims died, in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series of slasher films. This was seen as a sign of the series' degradation, and indeed the trend was most prevalent towards the end of the series. Humor derived from one-liners nonetheless has the benefit of alleviating awkward situations in many cases.
[edit] Examples
- "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies."
- "If all the girls who attended the Yale prom were laid end to end, I wouldn't be a bit surprised."
- "I have nothing to declare except my genius."
- Oscar Wilde, upon arriving at US customs 1882.nl:Oneliner
