punch line

Dictionary: punch line

n.
The climactic phrase or statement of a joke, producing a sudden humorous effect.

Search unanswered questions...

Browse: Unanswered questions | Most-recent questions | Reference library

WordNet: punch line

Top

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: the point of a joke or humorous story
Synonyms: laugh line, gag line, tag line

Wikipedia: Punch line

Top

This is about a feature of jokes. For other uses, see Punch line (disambiguation).

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009)

This article may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (January 2009)

A punch line is the final part of a joke or comedy sketch, usually the word, sentence or exchange of sentences which is intended to be funny and to provoke laughter from listeners.

For instance, in the following well-known joke:

A man walks into a bar with a duck under his arm.

The bartender asks: "Say, where did you find the pig?"

"It's not a pig, it's a duck," the man answers.

To which the barman replies: "I was talking to the duck."

Punch lines generally derive their humor from being unexpected. "Punch line" is probably an Americanism, but the "punch" could be related to biting lines delivered by the "Punch" character in Punch and Judy shows. In previous centuries, a joke was sometimes a "bite" or a "hit.", in Italian it is still called a "battuta" (= blow).

The classic stand-up punch line sound is a sting (erroneously called a rimshot) on drums.

Not all jokes rely on their punchlines for laughs. Shaggy dog stories are long-winded jokes where the punchline is deliberately anticlimactic, and are not intended to elicit laughter.

This comedy or humor related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Donate to Wikimedia

Translations: Punchline

Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - pointe

Français (French)
n. - chute (d'une histoire drôle)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Pointe

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - κατακλείδα, εντυπωσιακή τελική φράση, φράση κλειδί

Italiano (Italian)
battuta finale

Português (Portuguese)
n. - parte final de uma piada (f)

Русский (Russian)
кульминационный момент

Español (Spanish)
n. - culminación ingeniosa, gracia de un chiste

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - slutkläm, slutpoäng

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
结尾警语, 点睛之笔

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 結尾警語, 點睛之筆

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 급소를 찌르는 문구

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 殺し文句, 落ち, 急所, 聞かせどころ

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮העוקץ של סיפור או בדיחה, שורת מחץ‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.

Learn More

	Python, Monty (Quotes By)
	unit record device (computer science)
	shaggy-dog story

	What is the punch line of motorola? Read answer...
	Punch line of airtel? Read answer...
	What is a Nokia punch line? Read answer...

Help us answer these

	What is the punch line of andra bank?
	Punch line of adidas?
	Air Deccan punch line?

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

Copyrights:

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Punch line". Read more
		Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more