One camper says “I saw them. They came ranning through here about ten minutes ago.”
The cop says “Ranning? Do you mean running?”
“No, this is a campsite, it’s past tents.”
Okay, here’s my attempt at a “Joke Poo” version of that joke, titled “Grammar Guardian”:
Joke Poo: Grammar Guardian
A proofreader is reviewing a fantasy novel manuscript.
One elf character says, “The goblins attacked swiftly. They cameth hither with great alacrity only moments ago!”
The proofreader sighs and says, “Cameth? Do you mean came?”
The elf retorts, “Nay, this is high fantasy, it’s past tense!”
Alright, let’s break down this joke and then cook up some comedic augmentation.
Joke Dissection:
- Setup: A police officer is investigating a crime at a campsite and is interviewing witnesses.
- Punchline Trigger: The witness uses the invented word “ranning” instead of “running.”
- Humor Mechanism: The humor relies on a pun/wordplay using homophones (sounding similar) in an unexpected context. The witness justifies the incorrect word by creating a new, situational definition based on a campsite pun: ‘past tents’ rhymes with ‘past tense’, and therefore, ‘running’ becomes ‘ranning’. This forces the listener to mentally connect the word, its meaning, and the campsite context. It is unexpected and thus amusing.
Key Elements:
- Wordplay: The core of the joke is the deliberate misinterpretation and redefinition of a word.
- Camping/Recreation: The campsite setting is crucial for the punchline to land.
- Police Officer: This character serves as the straight man, providing a grounded point of reference.
Comedic Enrichment:
Here are a few options, playing off different aspects:
Option 1: A ‘Did You Know?’ Fact with a Comedic Twist:
Did you know: In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt went on a legendary camping trip to Yosemite with naturalist John Muir? They ditched the Secret Service and slept under the stars. However, historical documents suggest that Roosevelt’s persistent attempts to introduce the phrase “Camp-tastic!” into everyday vernacular were less successful. He kept trying to get Muir to say things like, “That sequoia is Camp-tastic, John!” and Muir just sighed a lot. So many unpresidented rannings away from the secret service.
Why this works: Uses a real historical fact (Roosevelt’s camping trip), then adds an absurd detail about Roosevelt’s (imagined) linguistic foibles, linking it back to the original joke’s wordplay. The word “ranning” then is used again at the end, reinforcing the humor.
Option 2: A New, Related Joke:
A linguist is giving a lecture on the evolution of language at, of course, a campsite. He is explaining the different tenses, and how they have changed throughout history. A camper raises his hand and asks, “So, if this campsite is the present, and those tents over there represent the past… what do the picnic tables represent?”
The linguist, slightly perplexed, replies, “Well, I suppose they’d represent… the future perfect?”
The camper nods sagely. “Nope. Table tents.”
Why this works: This is a structure that mirrors the original joke. A character, an ‘expert’ is set up to be serious and the pun unexpectedly deconstructs the set-up for a comedic pay-off.
Option 3: Observational Humor:
You know, the real tragedy is not the invention of “ranning.” It’s the utter lack of creativity in portmanteaus for camping gear. We have “glamping” (glamorous camping), but where’s “cramping” for when you try to fit your whole family into a two-person tent? Or “damp-ing” for when everything, including your spirit, is perpetually moist? We need to do better, people. Let’s make sure our tents aren’t just past!
Why this works: A sardonic rant that uses the humor of the original joke as a jumping-off point to poke fun at the often underwhelming reality of camping.
I think Options 1 and 2 are the strongest as they directly incorporate the joke’s key elements and play off of them in unexpected ways. Option 3 is more tangential but provides an alternative approach to enhancing the comedic value.