One-line joke

A one-liner is a joke that is delivered in a single line. A good one-liner is said to be pithy.^[1] Comedians and actors use this comedic method as part of their act, e.g. Rodney Dangerfield, Bruce Campbell, Groucho Marx, Jay London, Steven Wright, Emo Philips, Tommy Cooper, Mark Linn-Baker, Henny Youngman, Mitch Hedberg, Dan Mintz, Zach Galifianakis, Demetri Martin, Jimmy Carr, Anthony Jeselnik, Tim Vine, Milton Jones, Shmuel Breban, Stewart Francis etc. Many fictional characters are also known to deliver one-liners, including James Bond, who usually includes short and witty quips after disposing of a villain.

Examples

• "A baby seal walks into a club."
• "A dyslexic man walks into a bra." (George Carlin)
• "I have nothing to declare except my genius." (Oscar Wilde, upon arriving at US customs, 1882^[2])
• "Race is just a pigment of the imagination" (Glen Highland)
• "Venison's dear isn't it?" (Jimmy Carr)

See also

• Greguería
• Paraprosdokian
• Throwaway line

References