Chuckle-Worthy Words

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What makes you laugh? Is it the same thing that will make me laugh? Laughter is one of the greatest gifts bestowed on mankind, but what's funny can differ greatly from person to person. Some people are funny - everybody says so, but that doesn't mean said jokester will me make laugh , or you. Looney Tunes crack me up, but they may do nothing for you. The Three Stooges have been keeping people in tears for decades, but for me, not so much - yeah I know, that's sacrilege. Get over it.. Does Jim Carrey keep your sides aching? Maybe, maybe not. I've known people who were always funny, but it wasn't what they said so much as the way they said it.

Humor in prose may be one of the most difficult aspects of humor. Anyone who's tried to be funny in an email knows that it doesn't always translate well. To write funny is a tricky gift. Do you write what you think your audience will find funny, or do you write what gives you a laugh... and hope it carries over?

Hub Pages has a wellspring of funny, smart ass writers - y'all know who you are. We love 'em! Because we love to laugh. It's therapeutic, and medical science has shown, in many studies, that laughter has numerous healing benefits.

So, what makes us laugh? Is it "Frasier" or Larry the Cable Guy?. What kind of humor floats your boat, tickles your fancy, wiggles your funny bone? Is it intellectual, silly, ironic, smart-ass, slapstick, dry? Sometimes, just a single word is funny. And sometimes, not laughing at what is clearly funny,... is funny.

Here's some words which may or may not make you chuckle. I'm gonna start the list with one of my favorites. Used in the right context, at the right moment, it's almost guaranteed to get you a laugh:

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DONNYBROOK: A free-for-all. "Donnybrook Fair" is an annual Irish event known for its brawls.

HUCKLE MY BUFF: A brandy drink.

NUDUM PACTUM (Nude Contract): Any verbal or written agreement that is non-binding and may be avoided.

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"Humor is reason gone mad." -Groucho Marx

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MUCKENDER: A kind of napkin or bib.

PIS ALLER: Last resort, plan B. Something done or accepted for lack of anything better.

QUEER BUNG: 18th Century term meaning an empty purse.

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"When humor goes, there goes civilization." -Erma Bombeck

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STINKING HELLEBORE: Perennial frost-resistant flowering European plant, also known for its medicinal properties.

TITIVIL: A knave or a tattler.

WENIS: The rough patch of skin on the outside of the elbow.

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If you could choose one characteristic that would get you through life, choose a sense of humor." -Jennifer Jones

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AMUCK (or Amok): Wildly, or lack of self-control.

KERFUFFLE: Disorderly outburst or tumult.

CAHOOTS: A partnership, or league.

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"Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious." -Peter Ustinov

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BEFUDDLED: Stupefied, as if by alcoholic drink.

OAF: Boob, clumsy, slow-witted.

SHPADOINKLE: Great-sounding, nonsensical word made up by Trey Parker, which can be used as a substitute for another adjective or expletive.

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A sense of humor... is needed armor. Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life. -Hugh Sidey

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DAFT: Silly, foolish, mad, insane.

CRAPULOUS: Suffering from gross excess in eating or drinking.

ADDLEPATED: Confused

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"A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life." -William A. Ward

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FLUMMERY: Meaningless chatter.

MUNDUNGUS: Stinky Tobacco (or a Harry Potter character!)

PENNY-FARTHING: An old-fashioned bicycle with a huge front wheel.

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"Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it." -E. B. White

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DIPSOMANIACAL:  One with a craving for alcoholic liquors.

INFARCT:  To stuff (play amongst yourselves with this one!)

POOP:  An enclosed superstructure at the stern of a ship above the main deck.

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Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is. -Francis Bacon

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