Comments on: Origins of the lamppost joke http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/ Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:33:20 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: John Emerson http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/comment-page-1/#comment-196553 John Emerson Tue, 15 May 2007 15:36:36 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/#comment-196553 "So the dentist said, 'No, I can't charge less than $50 to pull your tooth. But I'll tell you what -- if you think $50 is too much for one tooth, I'll pull an extra tooth." from "The Laughable Stories" [ca. 1300 A.D.] by Bishop John Gregory Abu Faraj Bar Hebraeus, translated from the Syriac by E. A. Wallis Budge, Luzac, 1897. More at my URL. I'm pretty sure the lamppost joke is in there too. All the smutty jokes are translated into Latin. A freind of mine says that many of these jokes are current in Iran. “So the dentist said, ‘No, I can’t charge less than $50 to pull your tooth. But I’ll tell you what—if you think $50 is too much for one tooth, I’ll pull an extra tooth.”

from “The Laughable Stories” [ca. 1300 A.D.] by Bishop John Gregory Abu Faraj Bar Hebraeus, translated from the Syriac by E. A. Wallis Budge, Luzac, 1897. More at my URL.

I’m pretty sure the lamppost joke is in there too. All the smutty jokes are translated into Latin. A freind of mine says that many of these jokes are current in Iran.

]]> By: Doctor Slack http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/comment-page-1/#comment-196547 Doctor Slack Tue, 15 May 2007 14:44:15 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/#comment-196547 <i>Hodja Nasruddin has an equivalent in almost every local culture.</i> Exactly. The parallel that first came to mind for me was Anansi or Brer Rabbit. My personal favourite is the "You're thinking of a different Alexander the Great; I'm talking about the one named Mohammed" story. Hodja Nasruddin has an equivalent in almost every local culture.

Exactly. The parallel that first came to mind for me was Anansi or Brer Rabbit.

My personal favourite is the “You’re thinking of a different Alexander the Great; I’m talking about the one named Mohammed” story.

]]> By: garymar http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/comment-page-1/#comment-196546 garymar Tue, 15 May 2007 14:33:50 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/#comment-196546 Every culture indeed. I've read that feed-the-cloak-at-the-feast story in Japan, where Ikkyu the famous Zen priest goes to a Buddhist banquet dressed in frayed monk's clothes, is rejected, comes back in fine brocade, etc. So obviously these stories have been spreading around for centuries. Every culture indeed. I’ve read that feed-the-cloak-at-the-feast story in Japan, where Ikkyu the famous Zen priest goes to a Buddhist banquet dressed in frayed monk’s clothes, is rejected, comes back in fine brocade, etc.

So obviously these stories have been spreading around for centuries.

]]> By: Rich B. http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/comment-page-1/#comment-196541 Rich B. Tue, 15 May 2007 14:01:02 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/#comment-196541 Hodja Nasruddin has an equivalent in almost every local culture. The sephardic Jews, for example, had Joha (Djoha) the Trickster. Joha's story's, oddly enough, sound least like Henny Youngman routines. Hodja Nasruddin has an equivalent in almost every local culture.

The sephardic Jews, for example, had Joha (Djoha) the Trickster. Joha’s story’s, oddly enough, sound least like Henny Youngman routines.

]]> By: bad Jim http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/comment-page-1/#comment-196536 bad Jim Tue, 15 May 2007 10:12:00 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/#comment-196536 Your bald head is as smooth as my wife's ass! So you noticed it finally? Your bald head is as smooth as my wife’s ass!

So you noticed it finally?

]]> By: dsquared http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/comment-page-1/#comment-196529 dsquared Tue, 15 May 2007 08:05:34 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/#comment-196529 <i>scroll down or search for basement</i> I decided to look at the top of the page instead because it was easier. scroll down or search for basement

I decided to look at the top of the page instead because it was easier.

]]> By: Jasper Milvain http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/comment-page-1/#comment-196527 Jasper Milvain Tue, 15 May 2007 07:47:28 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/#comment-196527 <em>Dear, I'm worried that the child will look like you.</em> So it's not only time-travelling liberals we have to worry about, then. There's also a time-travelling <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E5D71039F93BA35752C1A962948260" rel="nofollow">George Bernard Shaw</a>. Dear, I’m worried that the child will look like you. So it’s not only time-travelling liberals we have to worry about, then. There’s also a time-travelling George Bernard Shaw.

]]> By: Chris Bertram http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/comment-page-1/#comment-196526 Chris Bertram Tue, 15 May 2007 07:07:43 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/#comment-196526 There are quite a few jokes there that I've seen in other, Western, guises. There's a version of the lawyer joke: "I'd like to ask you three questions, what's your fee?" "$100, now what are the other two?" There are quite a few jokes there that I’ve seen in other, Western, guises. There’s a version of the lawyer joke: “I’d like to ask you three questions, what’s your fee?” “$100, now what are the other two?”

]]> By: abb1 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/comment-page-1/#comment-196525 abb1 Tue, 15 May 2007 06:57:48 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/#comment-196525 Hodja Nasreddin (the Central-Asian/Soviet version) had an ugly face. Once his pregnant wife says: "dear, I'm worried that the child will look like you. That would be a tragedy." Hodja replies: "yes, but that would only be a half-tragedy; what you should really worry about is that the child <i>won't</i> look like me." Hodja Nasreddin (the Central-Asian/Soviet version) had an ugly face. Once his pregnant wife says: “dear, I’m worried that the child will look like you. That would be a tragedy.” Hodja replies: “yes, but that would only be a half-tragedy; what you should really worry about is that the child won’t look like me.”

]]> By: s.e. http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/comment-page-1/#comment-196510 s.e. Tue, 15 May 2007 00:19:56 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/14/origins-of-the-lamppost-joke/#comment-196510 Nasreddin sat on a river bank when someone shouted to him from the opposite side: - "Hey! how do I get across?" - "You are across!" Nasreddin shouted back. I've always associated him with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasreddin" rel="nofollow">Sufism</a>. Nasreddin sat on a river bank when someone shouted to him from the opposite side: – “Hey! how do I get across?” – “You are across!” Nasreddin shouted back.

I’ve always associated him with Sufism.

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