Notes & Queries response: What’s the shortest joke? What’s the smallest ratio of words to laughter possible?
image generated by Craiyon This is my response to a question that appeared on the Notes & Queries page of The Guardian website on 23th October, 2022. I am replying here as The Guardian is apparently no longer happy to host my comments on their site. This blog is obviously not affiliated with The Guardian. Its reference to a question that appeared in Notes & Queries is presented here under the terms of fair use. ~ What’s the shortest joke? What’s the smallest ratio of words to laughter possible? When lining up candidates for the shortest joke, one might well conclude that the answer lies within the realm of slapstick. In the words of Robin Dracup: “There are few things in life that are funnier than a man wearing a top hat walking face-first into a lamp post, evoking a dull chime that broadcasts the shame of his self-inflicted fall from the arms of victory.” The variations upon this common theme are endless: In the aftermath of a prokaryotes infestation that I picked up while in ...