Rob says, "Hey, look at that! That woman is blowing kisses at me!"
Dave replies, "Just ignore her. Don't pay her any mind."
The woman then gestures for one of them to come up to her apartment.
Excitedly, Rob says, "Did you see that? She's calling for me!"
Dave insists, "Man, don't go up there!"
"Why not? Why don't you want me to go see her?" Rob asks.
Pleading, Dave says, "Dude, just listen to me. Don't go!"
Rob ignores his buddy and runs into the building. The woman comes down to meet him, and they go up to her apartment. Just as they are about to get into bed, they hear a car horn outside.
The woman looks out the window and says, "Oh no, that's my husband!"
"Crap!" Rob exclaims.
"Don't worry," she says, pointing to a large pile of clothes, "I'll just tell him you're the new housekeeper. Here, start ironing these clothes."
After that the husband stays home, so Rob spends the entire day ironing.
The next day, he goes to Dave's house and tells him the story.
"You won't believe what happened. Her husband came home, and to avoid suspicion, she had me iron a huge pile of clothes. I was stuck there ironing all day!"
"I told you not to go." sighs Dave, "All those clothes you spent the day ironing? I washed them the day before."
Joke Poo: The Knitting Circle
Agnes and Mildred were knitting in the park when a handsome young man jogged past, winked, and flexed at them.
Agnes gasped, “Oh my! He winked at me!”
Mildred sniffed, “Don’t be ridiculous, dear. Pay him no mind.”
The young man then did a little dance, pointing at one of them to come over.
Agnes squealed, “Did you see that? He wants me to join him!”
Mildred insisted, “Agnes, don’t go! You’ll regret it!”
“Why not? What’s wrong with a little fun?” Agnes asked.
Pleadingly, Mildred replied, “Just trust me on this one, Agnes. Don’t go.”
Agnes ignored her and skipped over to the young man. He led her behind a large oak tree, where they… well, let’s just say Agnes returned a little flustered but grinning ear to ear several hours later.
She went straight to Mildred’s house the next day. “You won’t believe what happened! We, well, we had a lovely afternoon. But then this other young man showed up! And I had to pretend I was knitting him a sweater! I was stuck behind that tree knitting all afternoon!”
Mildred sighed, “I told you not to go. That yarn you were using to knit that sweater all day?”
She paused dramatically, and then with a wink, said. “It’s full of moths.”
Okay, let’s dissect this joke.
Joke Analysis:
- Setup: Two friends, Rob and Dave, encounter a woman who appears interested in Rob.
- Misdirection: The audience expects a romantic or sexual encounter. Dave’s warnings create suspense, implying potential danger.
- Twist/Punchline: The actual danger is not physical harm, but the humiliation and tedium of being forced to iron because of the unexpected arrival of the woman’s husband. The real twist is that Dave was responsible for the laundry, and knew that Rob was essentially redoing his work.
- Humor Type: Situational irony, cuckoldry (implied, but not explicit), and a bit of schadenfreude (we laugh at Rob’s misfortune). There’s also a subtle element of unexpected role reversal – the alpha male figure of the affair is emasculated by domestic chores.
Key Elements:
- Ironing: The unexpected, tedious task at the heart of the punchline.
- Friendship/Betrayal: Dave’s warning and the underlying reason for it highlights a complex, and somewhat selfish, friendship.
- Deception: The entire scenario revolves around deception, with the woman deceiving her husband, and arguably Dave deceiving his friend.
- Laundry: The mundane act of laundry ties into the ironing gag.
Humorous Enrichment:
Let’s use the “ironing” element and add some interesting trivia:
New Joke/Observation:
Why did the laundromat go out of business? Because it was full of ironies!
Amusing ‘Did You Know’ Fact:
Did you know that ironing was once considered such a crucial skill that “ironing men” were employed in wealthy households? It was also seen as a skill for women, that said something about being marriageable. Imagine Rob, a 21st-century “ironing man,” tricked into resurrecting a long-dead profession by a married woman and his shady friend! It’s almost romantic… almost.
Alternative joke:
Rob asks Dave in despair: “Why didn’t you tell me then you did the laundry!”
Dave looks nonchalant, and replies “Hey, you didn’t tell me then you were sleeping with her, either…”