Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2023 April 12

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April 12

Jokes

I dimley recall an interview with a stand-up comic that claimed there are only "n" jokes. I think n was about 7. I can't find the list but obviously some jokes use are more complex combinations of the 7. Some I remember in no particular order.

1. Puns 2. Comedy 3. Tradgedy 4. Shaggy dog And so on. He also asserted that any joke can be adapted to suit local conditions. Like the "what do you get if you cross an octopus with..." Ring any bells? 41.246.130.33 (talk) 18:32, 12 April 2023 (UTC)

Not a standup comic, but maybe try Christopher Booker's take? MinorProphet (talk) 19:21, 12 April 2023 (UTC)

Wikipedia lists 67 types of joke if I've counted correctly. Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:15, 13 April 2023 (UTC)

Scott Dikkers claims there are 11 types of joke in this article]. As the founder and long-time editor of The Onion, he probably understands the concept of the joke pretty well. --Jayron32 11:54, 13 April 2023 (UTC)