A yacht salesman was trying to figure out his commission.

Joke Poo: The Magician’s Apprentice

A stage magician’s apprentice was trying to calculate the necessary ingredient ratios for a particularly complex illusion. He was terrible with measurements, his spellbook’s instructions were smudged with ectoplasm, and to make matters worse, his enchanted abacus had run out of pixie dust.

Frustrated by his inability to determine the quantities, he asked his master, “Grand Magus, if I were to offer the audience 78% of a fully corporeal dragon during the levitation trick, what would disappear?”

“The theatre, and quite possibly the neighboring town,” the Grand Magus sighed.

Alright, let’s break down this joke and then see if we can squeeze some comedic gold out of it.

Joke Dissection:

• Setup: A yacht salesman is bad at math and technologically challenged. This establishes the core problem.
• Punchline Delivery: He asks his secretary a math question disguised as a hypothetical offer.
• Punchline: The secretary misinterprets “what would take off?” as a question about disrobing for money, resulting in a risqué and unexpected response.
• Humor Source: The humor derives from the double entendre, the unexpectedness of the secretary’s response, and the juxtaposition of the salesman’s business problem with the secretary’s interpretation.

Key Elements:

1. Yacht Sales: Represents wealth, commission-based income, and a world of high-stakes transactions.
2. Math Ineptitude: The salesman’s lack of mathematical skills in a profession where calculation is key.
3. Misunderstanding/Double Entendre: The pivotal misunderstanding hinges on the phrase “take off,” interpreted literally vs. financially.
4. The Secretary: A classic office trope, potentially assumed to be more subservient or professionally reserved than her response suggests.

Comedic Enrichment & New Joke Generation:

Now, let’s leverage these elements for some new humor.

Option 1: Playing on Yacht Sales & Math:

• Did you know: Yacht sales are often structured with tiered commission plans. The more you sell, the lower your percentage commission can be (after reaching certain milestones). It’s like the yacht industry’s version of a confusing tax bracket! No wonder that salesman was struggling with the numbers. He was probably calculating the optimal amount not to sell, just to stay in a higher bracket!

Option 2: A New Joke with a Technological Twist

A high-powered hedge fund manager’s computer crashes right before a crucial trade. He’s panicking, sweating bullets, and can’t access the algorithm that makes him millions. He rushes to his admin assistant. “Brenda! If I offer you 0.0000000001% of the potential profit from this trade, what will you do?”
Brenda sighs, looks at him deadpan and says, “I’d tell IT to try turning it off and on again.”

Option 3: A Witty Observation on Misunderstandings

Isn’t it funny how “a clean slate” means starting over fresh in business, but in relationships, it often means starting over awkward? Like that yacht salesman, we all have moments where our definitions are completely off-course.

Option 4: The Secretary’s Perspective (New Joke)

A secretary, tired of her boss’s constant reliance on her for basic calculations, decided to play a trick. The next time he asked for a percentage calculation, she replied, “Just picture it! The bigger the number, the less you’ll need to wear tomorrow! Think of the money, think of the freedom, think of… well, you’ll get the picture.”
The boss, completely flustered, muttered, “I just needed to know 17% of 8 million…”

I tried to incorporate the elements from the original joke and take them into different directions, creating new avenues for laughter. These examples hopefully demonstrate ways to extend the humor of a joke by exploring its underlying elements and adding related interesting or absurd twists.