International Joke Telling
Published Oct 26, 2002
It is said that when you tell an Englishman a joke, he will laugh three times. First - when you tell it, to be polite. Second - when you explain it, to be polite. And third - in the middle of the night when he wakes up and finally gets it.
When you tell a German the same joke, he will laugh twice. First - when you tell it, to be polite. And second - when you explain it, to be polite. He won't laugh a third time because he will never get it.
When you tell an American the same joke he won't laugh at all. Instead he will say, "It's an old joke and besides, you tell it all wrong!"
Originally published November 14, 2002.
