Knock-knock joke
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The knock-knock joke is a type of joke, probably the best-known format of the pun, and is a time-honoured "call and answer" exercise.
It is a roleplay exercise, with a protagonist (the punster) and an antagonist (not in the negative sense; the antagonist here is the recipient of wit).
The standard format has five lines:
- The punster: Knock, knock! (indicating a door has been struck to gain attention)
- The recipient: Who's there? (an inquiry)
- The punster: a response, sometimes involving a name (to set up the pun)
- The recipient: a repetition of the response followed by who? (a request for clarification)
- The punster: the punch line, which typically involves a punnish misusage of the word set up during the response.
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[edit] Examples
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Luke.
Luke who?
Luke out of the window!
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Doris.
Doris who?
Doris open, I'm going to come in.
[edit] Distribution and history
Knock-knock jokes are well entrenched in certain countries such as the UK, Ireland, France, Australia, the U.S.A., Canada, and South Africa. In other nations, such as Brazil and Germany, they are practically unknown. In French they begin "Toc-Toc" and in Afrikaans "Klop-klop". In Spanish, it may be enough for the punchline to rhyme with the response. Knock-knock jokes were in common usage amongst South African school children in the early 1950s but the exact origin of the format remains uncertain. In India they have recently started off as "Khat-Khat" jokes in Hindi.
The following was in circulation in Cape Town in about 1953:
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Delores.
Delores who?
Delores my shepherd... (A play on "the Lord is my shepherd)
In France, the punchline is almost always 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 opening line of The Internationale)
[edit] References
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[edit] See also
[edit] External links
DeepThought Knock Knock Jokes Collection A collection of Knock Knock Jokes gathered from many sources and rated by the public.ja:ノックノック・ジョーク
