Is it not funny
or could our grasp of the ancient languages be lacking in cultural depth? Try translating any joke, good or bad into another language and it generally dies a death. (except Monty Python, of course)
Sumerians cracked world's oldest joke
UKTV has published what it claims to be the world's oldest joke - a Sumerian rib-tickler dating back to 1,900 BC which goes: "Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap." Yup, they were a laugh a minute, those cheeky Sumerians, and no messing. In second spot we …
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Friday 1st August 2008 10:21 GMT Darkside
A farmer bought a slave...
...and next morning he sent the slave to market. On his way home the slave fell down and died. The farmer went to the dealer and complained: you told me this slave was healthy but already he has fallen down and died! Quickly the dealer replied: but he never did that when he was with me!
That's from ancient Greece, but some linguists researching accents for Reading University recorded the same joke (though about a horse) in Berkshire in the 1950s.
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Friday 1st August 2008 13:40 GMT Boz
another old joke.
A man is walking past a Bedlam when he hears a voice yelling out, "Thirteen! Thirteen!".
The man thinks nothing of it and continues walking. After taking not more than two steps, he hears the same voice again yell out, "Thirteen! Thirteen!". This gets him curious. He starts looking around, but sadly the Bedlam is surrounded by a tall wall and he can't see anything!
As he is looking around the wall, trying to find a way to see in, the voice continues to yell out "Thirteen! Thirteen!".
Finally, by a stroke of luck, the man finds a whole in the wall for him to peek through! He gets close, bends down a little and presses his eye tight against the whole to see whats going on. But no sooner than he presses his face against the wall to see, a stick comes through the hole and pokes him in the eye!
The man falls over into the street, holding his eye in pain as the voice on the other side of wall calls out, "Fourteen! Fourteen!"
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Friday 1st August 2008 14:42 GMT Anonymous Coward
Hmmm...
Two farm-hands are walking down the road when suddenly a motorcycle passes them - and the motorcyclist is headless! They stare after him, amazed, then walk on.
A few minutes later, another headless motorcyclist whizzes by.
One farmhand says to the other, "Hey, Fred, could you put the scythe on your other shoulder for a bit?"
Paris, because the head is not missing...
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Friday 1st August 2008 14:54 GMT Samson David
Three blondes women are stuck on an island, and find a lamp.
They rub it, out pops a genie who gives them a wish each.
The first one says, "I want to be smart". *POOF* she turns brunette and swims to the mainland.
The second says "I want to be smarter than that..". *POOF* her hair turns black, she cuts some trees, builds a boat and sails to the mainland.
The third says "I want to be even smarter than THAT.." *POOF* she turns into a man and walks across the bridge..
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Biting the hand that feeds IT
