Had to choose between a punny punchline or a groaner at the family BBQ last Sunday

So I was standing by the grill flipping burgers and my wife tossed me two options for a dad joke. One was a real clever pun about a steak that goes medium rare, and the other was a total groaner about a spatula that left. I went with the groaner, honestly because I wanted to see my brother-in-law roll his eyes so hard. He actually laughed a bit after the groan, so it worked out better than I thought. My kids gave me a 6 out of 10 on the chuckle scale, which is higher than my usual 4. Ever pick the lame joke on purpose just to get a reaction from someone specific?

2 comments

2 Comments

averymartin13d ago

Oh man, I gotta disagree with you a little bit there. I mean, yeah the groaner gets a reaction but sometimes the punny ones can catch people off guard in a totally different way. I remember at my own BBQ last summer I went with a clever pun about burgers and it actually got more genuine laughs than the groaner I was saving for later. The kids might grade harsher on puns but they remember them way longer, at least in my experience. So I think picking the groaner on purpose is fun in the moment but you might be missing out on that one perfect pun that could have made everyone actually chuckle instead of just rolling their eyes.

williamb2913d ago

Actually I think that 6 out of 10 is pretty good for a groaner joke at a family BBQ. You gotta remember the chuckle scale is different for kids compared to adults, they grade harder on the punny ones and easier on the groaners because they actually appreciate the effort. My oldest nephew gives me a solid 2 every time no matter what I say, so I feel your pain on the low scores. But here's the thing about picking the lame joke on purpose, it works way better for getting a reaction from specific people like your brother in law. When you hit them with the groaner they can't help but react, even if its just an eye roll or a little laugh. I think you made the right call going with the spatula one, sometimes the bad jokes have more staying power than the clever ones.