“Correct!” say his colleagues. “That must have been luck!” They give him a second board, he smells it again and says: “Beech!” Again correct, as well as with the third and the fourth board.
The apprentices can’t believe it and want to test him a fifth time. One of them sneaks off and steals the master’s wife’s panties from the dirty laundry.
They hold it under the apprentice’s nose, he sniffs, makes a face and says: “Bah! You won’t trick me that easily! This is an old toilet door from a fishing boat!”
Joke Poo: The Wine Sommelier’s Dilemma
In a prestigious wine cellar, a young sommelier brags that he can identify any wine by its bouquet alone. The other sommeliers scoff, but agree to a test. They blindfold him and present the first glass. He swirls, sniffs deeply, and declares, “Ah, a 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, with hints of cedar and black cherry.”
“Correct!” his colleagues marvel. “Beginner’s luck, perhaps!” They give him a second, then a third, and a fourth, each time identifying the vintage, varietal, and even subtle tasting notes with uncanny accuracy.
The other sommeliers, increasingly frustrated, conspire to break his winning streak. One sneaks into the cellar master’s private stock and finds a dusty, unlabeled bottle. It looks ancient and smells…peculiar.
They present the bottle to the blindfolded sommelier. He takes a tentative sniff, his face contorts, and he cries, “Good heavens! You won’t fool me with that swill! This is a diaper from a toddler fed exclusively on asparagus!”
Alright, let’s get this joke under the microscope!
Joke Dissection:
- Setup: A carpenter’s apprentice claims exceptional wood-smelling skills, proven by correctly identifying oak and beech. This creates expectation.
- Twist/Punchline: The apprentice, faced with a far more complex (and suggestive) odor, confidently misidentifies the object as an old toilet door from a fishing boat.
- Humor Source: The humor comes from the unexpected and inappropriate comparison. The clash between the apprentice’s supposed expertise and the absurdity of the conclusion is key. Also, the subtle innuendo that the master’s wife’s underwear smells like a toilet door adds an additional layer of dark humor. The audience is left to imagine the circumstances.
Key Elements:
- Wood Identification: The core skill being tested.
- Unexpected Object: The “dirty laundry” item, subverting expectations.
- Misidentification: The hilarious and specific, yet utterly wrong, answer.
- Implied Scenario: The suggestive nature of the misidentification and its implications about the master’s wife.
Comedic Enrichment & New Joke:
Tidbit: Did you know some woods do have distinctive smells even when not freshly cut? Sandalwood, for instance, is prized for its aromatic oils, while cedar’s natural oils are used to repel moths.
New Joke:
A sommelier, renowned for his ability to identify wines from a single sniff, was challenged by a group of rowdy lumberjacks. They presented him with a block of wood.
He swirled, he sniffed, he pondered, and declared, “Ah, yes… a subtle oaky nose, with hints of… damp earth… and a disturbing undercurrent of desperation.”
The lumberjacks exchanged confused glances. “Correct!” said the foreman, “It’s the only block of wood we could find large enough to barricade the restroom door after someone had that batch of gas station chili.”