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Saturday, April 16, 2016

"That's not funny"

If you make a lame joke, and you're among friends, chances are that one of them will point that out. Maybe they'll say "ha ha" sarcastically. Or maybe they'll note the lack of laughter following it, by saying, "That went over like a lead balloon," or any of a number of other common sayings used to put down an attempt at humor.

When someone says, admonishingly, "That's not funny" in a stern tone of voice -- or with a touch of hysteria -- that usually means that your joke was in fact funny, but that it hit a sore point in a particularly biting way, which is the essence of humor.

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