A furniture salesman is telling a mate about an amazing date he’d just been on, where neither he nor the date could speak a word of the other’s language.
He told his mate, that he’d met her while at a conference and despite the language barrier, they had seemed to hit it off.
He said that, in an attempt to extend time with her, he had grabbed a piece of paper and drew on it a dinner plate and knife & fork.
He said, she nodded enthusiastically and he took her out for dinner.
He said that after the dinner, he drew a picture of a couple dancing, and that again she nodded and they went off to go dancing.
But then he told his mate, that the most amazing thing happened – he said that toward the end of the evening, she had taken the piece of paper from his hand and had drawn a bed on it.
“What really amazed me” he said to his mate, “Is how the hell did she know that I sell furniture?”
Joke Poo: The Tech Support Guru
A software developer is bragging to a colleague about a remote tech support call he just finished, where the customer seemingly knew nothing about computers, yet understood his complicated explanations.
He explained he’d been working on a particularly nasty bug and had to guide a novice user through some troubleshooting. The user spoke only broken English.
He said that, to get her to navigate to the system preferences, he typed out the letters "Sys Prefs" and underlined them. She immediately understood and found the correct menu.
He continued, saying to show her where the network settings were, he typed “Wi-Fi Icon, clicky clicky.” She found it with no problem.
But then he told his colleague the most incredible thing happened – toward the end of the call, she took control of the text window and typed: “Reboot? Y/N”.
“What really blew my mind,” he said to his colleague, “How the heck did she know I was running a Linux server under my desk?”
Alright, let’s break down this joke and then furnish it with some comedic enhancements!
Joke Dissection:
- Core Concept: Misinterpretation of a drawing in a romantic/sexual context due to a language barrier. The punchline hinges on the salesman’s professional bias; he interprets a bed drawing as a connection to his world (furniture sales) instead of the more obvious (and humorous) implied invitation.
- Humor Type: Irony, situational humor, and a bit of profession-based humor. The irony lies in the salesman’s obliviousness to the intended meaning.
- Key Elements:
- Language barrier
- Drawings as communication
- Progression of date activities (dinner, dancing, bedroom suggestion)
- Salesman’s profession
Comedic Enrichment – Options:
Here are a few ways we can build upon this joke, keeping in mind the core humor:
1. A "Did You Know?" Extension:
"Did you know that the design of the modern bed hasn’t fundamentally changed in centuries? It’s basically still a raised platform for sleeping. So, when the salesman’s date drew that bed, she was tapping into an incredibly primal, universally understood symbol… which, ironically, he interpreted as a signal to discuss mattress firmness levels."
2. A "What Happened Next?" Joke:
"The salesman, thrilled by this apparent shared passion for furnishings, proceeded to give his date a detailed presentation on the ergonomic benefits of memory foam mattresses. She responded by drawing a crossed-out bed followed by a picture of a taxi. Apparently, her universal language was more eloquent than his specialized jargon."
3. A "Meta" Observation:
"It’s fascinating how easily we project our own realities onto ambiguous situations. Imagine if she was an architect! The date could have ended with a discussion on load-bearing walls and optimal window placement… and still, the language barrier would have been the least of their problems."
4. A Short, Punchy Joke Twist:
"He excitedly told his manager about the date and the drawing. The manager sighed, ‘Look, Dave, we appreciate your enthusiasm, but drawing a bed on potential customers is not part of the sales process. We’re not ‘Sleep Number’ that desperate!’"
5. Related Insight – Language Barrier Humor:
"The language barrier is an interesting concept in humor. Many things are lost in translation. Ironically, some jokes become funnier. For instance, one popular translation joke states the following: "Why are French fries better than English fries?" Answer: "Because they are fried in Greece!"
I believe that by adding more context to the humor we can allow the joke to further resonate with audiences.
Choose the option you prefer, or let me know if you want further refinement!