"Shhhhh! Use your in-voice!"
Okay, here’s my attempt at a “Joke Poo,” riffing on the original:
Joke Poo: The Plumber’s Protest
What did the opera singer say to the plumber, who was bellowing at her about his overdue invoice?
“Darling, please! Control your sewage-rano!”
Okay, let’s break down this librarian joke:
Joke Dissection:
- Setup: A librarian (a figure associated with quiet and order) is confronted by an accountant (a figure associated with numbers, money, and sometimes…well, yelling about money) who is demanding payment.
- Punchline: The librarian tells the accountant to “Shhhhh! Use your in-voice!” – a play on words, subverting “invoice” (the bill the accountant likely provided) with “in-voice” (a quiet voice).
- Humor: The humor comes from the unexpected wordplay and the clash of professions and associated behaviors. We expect the librarian to be upset about being yelled at, but instead, she’s primarily concerned with the noise level and cleverly punishes the accountant’s assertiveness.
Key Elements:
- Librarian: Quiet, order, knowledge, books.
- Accountant: Numbers, invoices, money, possibly stress, potentially louder demeanor.
- Wordplay: The core of the joke.
Comedic Enrichment & New Humor:
Based on this analysis, let’s craft a “Did You Know?” style observation that builds on the accountant/librarian dynamic:
“Did you know that the Dewey Decimal System, used to organize books in libraries, actually predates the modern spreadsheet by almost a century? While librarians were meticulously categorizing knowledge by subject, accountants were still using ledgers. So, technically, the library was calculating information before the accountant. That’s why librarians get so annoyed when accountants get loud. It’s not just about the volume; it’s about the intellectual history!”
Why this works:
- Connects the professions: It highlights the historical context and a surprising “first mover” advantage for librarians in data organization.
- Expands the punchline: It subtly mocks the accountant’s perceived arrogance and provides a justification for the librarian’s annoyance beyond just the noise.
- Interesting tidbit: It presents a genuinely interesting fact about the history of information management.
- Dry humor: The humor is understated and relies on the audience’s understanding of the professions’ stereotypes.
Alternatively, here’s a short joke playing on the same themes:
Why did the accountant start a library? Because he heard he could book a lot of clients.
(This joke uses a simpler pun, connecting the idea of “booking” an appointment with the librarian’s association with books.)