as he tried to sneak on board his ship at about 3 am. The chief petty officer spied him and ordered the sailor to stop. Upon hearing the sailor's lame explanation for his tardiness, the officer shouted an ordered to the sailor, saying,“You get a broom and sweep every link on this anchor chain by morning, or it's the brig for you!”The sailor picked up a broom and commenced performing his charge. As he began to sweep, a Tern landed on the broom handle. The lad picked the Tern off the broom handle, giving the bird a toss.The Tern left, only to return and land once again on the broom handle. The sailor went through the same routine over and over again. He couldn't get any cleaning done because he could only sweep at the chain once or twice before the blasted bird returned. In the morning, the chief petty officer came to check the sailor and his work.“What in the heck have you been doing all night? This chain is no cleaner than when you started! What have you to say for yourself, sailor?” barked the chief.The sailor replied, “Honest, chief, I tossed a Tern all night and couldn't sweep a link!”
Joke Poo: The Plumber’s Predicament
A plumber was called to fix a clogged drain in a particularly…fragrant bathroom at about 3 am. The homeowner, a gruff old man, caught him trying to sneak a peek at the source of the clog. Upon hearing the plumber’s lame explanation for his curiosity, the homeowner shouted an order, saying, "You get a plunger and clear every… thing in that toilet bowl by morning, or it’s no pay for you!"
The plumber picked up the plunger and commenced performing his duty. As he began to plunge, a Turd landed on the plunger head. The plumber flicked the Turd off the plunger head, giving it a toss. The Turd left, only to return and land once again on the plunger head. The plumber went through the same routine over and over again. He couldn’t get any unclogging done because he could only plunge once or twice before the blasted turd returned.
In the morning, the homeowner came to check the plumber and his work. "What in the heck have you been doing all night? That toilet is no clearer than when you started! What have you to say for yourself, plumber?" barked the old man.
The plumber replied, "Honest, sir, I tossed a Turd all night and couldn’t plunge a thing!"
Alright, let’s dive into this nautical nugget of humor.
Joke Dissection:
- Core Setup: A sailor gets caught AWOL and is given a ridiculous punishment: sweeping an anchor chain. This sets up the inherent absurdity.
- Central Pun: The punchline hinges on the double meaning of "Tern" (a seabird) and "turn" (an attempt). The sailor claims he couldn’t "sweep a link" because he was endlessly tossing a "Tern" (the bird).
- Humor Source: The humor derives from the play on words, the sailor’s clever (if ultimately unsuccessful) excuse, and the Chief Petty Officer’s frustration at the blatant avoidance of duty. It relies on a bit of naval knowledge, and the understanding that cleaning anchor chain is a pointless task.
Key Elements:
- Sailor: Represents resourcefulness, but here, also laziness.
- Anchor Chain: Symbolizes a heavy, tedious, and never-ending task.
- Chief Petty Officer: Authority figure, enforcer of discipline.
- Tern: The unexpected element that allows the pun to work.
- Pun (Tern/Turn): The engine of the joke.
Comedic Enrichment: "Did You Know" Edition
Given the ‘Tern’ element, let’s play on the absurdity of the situation with some real Tern facts:
"Did you know that Arctic Terns have the longest migration of any bird, flying from pole to pole each year? That’s like your excuse, sailor! Only instead of a few hours AWOL, they’re dodging responsibility across the entire planet! So next time you’re ‘too busy tossing Terns’ to sweep an anchor chain, remember, even the most dedicated traveler in the world actually gets somewhere!"
Explanation of the Enrichment:
- Connects to the Joke: The "Did You Know" directly refers to the bird (Tern) featured in the original joke.
- Amplifies the Absurdity: By juxtaposing the Tern’s incredible journey with the sailor’s absurd excuse, we highlight the laziness and absurdity of the situation.
- Adds a Layer of Irony: The irony is that the sailor thinks he’s being clever, while his actions are rendered even more ridiculous when compared to the tireless journey of the bird he’s claiming to be preoccupied with.
- Maintains Naval Context: It fits within the naval context of the joke by addressing the sailor directly, and alluding to the original scenario.
Bonus – A New Joke Setup:
"A Chief Petty Officer walks into a bird sanctuary…" (This sets up a premise to leverage the knowledge that birds can get in the way.)