punch line


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punch line

n.
The climactic phrase or statement of a joke, producing a sudden humorous effect.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

punch line

n
1. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) the culminating part of a joke, funny story, etc, that gives it its humorous or dramatic point
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

punch′ line`


n.
the climactic phrase or sentence in a joke, speech, or humorous story that produces the desired effect.
[1920–25, Amer.]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.punch line - the point of a joke or humorous story
gag line, tag line, laugh line
gag, jape, jest, joke, laugh - a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter; "he told a very funny joke"; "he knows a million gags"; "thanks for the laugh"; "he laughed unpleasantly at his own jest"; "even a schoolboy's jape is supposed to have some ascertainable point"
line - text consisting of a row of words written across a page or computer screen; "the letter consisted of three short lines"; "there are six lines in every stanza"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
pointa
pointe
csattanópoén
lokasetning í skrÿtlu
clou
can alıcı son cümleesprili nokta

punch line

n (of joke) → battuta finale; (of story) → finale m
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

punch2

(pantʃ) verb
to hit with the fist. He punched him on the nose.
noun
1. a blow with the fist. He gave him a punch.
2. the quality of liveliness in speech, writing etc.
ˈpunch-drunk adjective
(of a boxer) dizzy from being continually hit.
ˈpunch line
the funny sentence or phrase that ends a joke. He always laughs before he gets to the punch line.
ˈpunch-up noun
a fight (using fists).
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
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References in periodicals archive ?
I built the tension, used the pause to enhance the tension before the punch line, and then used the pause again to let the punch line sink in.
THE USE OF TIMING TO MAKE YOUR HUMOR CONNECT
The Fox network isn't responding to suggestions that it edit the upcoming crossover episode of 'The Simpsons' and 'Family Guy' to remove a joke where the punch line is 'your sister's being raped' (AP Photo/Fox)
Rape joke on Fox cartoons draws attention
The Brand punch line of San Frissco, COMFORT N STYLE in itself implies comfort to walk n style to flaunt.
San frissco offers a new range of sandals for summer of 2011
And when in mid-sentence a word will not come, The punch line is lost when the key word is gone?
Poets' corner
Either mundane opener--which in a joke would set up a punch line, which would achieve humor by creating an unexpected turn in the narrative course--could have articulated an action in the script for Terry Chatkupt's new video short Transferase, 2010.
Terry Chatkupt
THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS Journal actually published a feature that has been a punch line in the Arkansas Business newsroom: "Eight Over 80."
Don't get us started
So how do you warm up your audience without a stellar punch line? Toastmasters International offers these dos and don'ts:
I just for laughs: adding humor to your presentation may make your audience more receptive ... but don't tell a joke
I think you left out the punch line that here was a pledge, notwithstanding a trust deficit, to work very earnestly to improve relations between Pakistan and India, State Department spokesman P J Crowley said Monday.
Overcoming India-Pakistan distrust will take time: US
Charles Schulz, the creator of "Peanuts," was going for more than a punch Line when he made Schroeder a Beethoven-obsessed music nerd.
The joke is in the notes
Often used as a punch line, Reagan's screen career was much more than a Bonzo movie; indeed, he was one of the highest-paid actors in the studio system.
The Bonzo years
Sometimes I think the strip is incomplete and wonder if the punch line will appear in the next day's paper but it's been years and I'm tired of waiting for the punch line.
Not at all amused!!

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