And googled and landed at this Online Anglo-Saxon dictionary
hleahtor-smiþ, es; m. One who causes laughter, mirth, joy:-Wóp wæs wíde worulddreáma lyt wǽron hleahtorsmiþum handa belocne widespread was the wailing and little of this world's joys, the hands of those who wrought laughter were closed
A laughter-smith is a nice compound.
Also half etymology, half genealogy:History of the Laughter name
Laughter was a word used when speaking of a 'full clutch of eggs laid by a fowl', as in – 'The hen is sitting on her laughter (full clutch) of eggs'.
Comments: hleahtor-smiþ
So that's why people "crack" jokes, and if they misfire because of a thin-shelled audience, are said to have laid an egg and end up with egg on their faces.
Yes folks, the yolks are on us.
This also explains the mysterious appeal of the rubber chicken in visual comedy.
And one thing funnier than the look on a cat's face while it's having a crap, is a chicken's expression while extruding henfruit.
Posted by Nabakov at March 1, 2005 07:50 PM
Think I need to poach a jolk from somewhere.
Never seen a chook concentrating, but a cat I knew used to look extremely earnest (po-faced?) in that context.
Posted by boynton at March 1, 2005 10:07 PM
Nabakov's jokes were eggscruciating.
Posted by Tone The Knowledgeable at March 1, 2005 11:05 PM
Yes, I have an albumen's worth of fowl punnets.
Posted by Nabakov at March 1, 2005 11:37 PM
Don't pullet my leg.
Posted by Tony.T at March 1, 2005 11:51 PM
I can see we're gonna egg eachother into a whole battery o' cocked up puns.
Yeah, a chicken laying an egg has this hysterical yet vagued out look in its eyes, which I find as funny as a cat staring keenly and earnestly into the middle distance while basically just downloading preloved kangaroo.
Which reminds of one of the funniest screen moments I've ever seen.
T'was in an episode of Red Dwarf where time plotwise, and key moments like a barfight, all run backwards - and towards the end (or beginning), they're all charging into the ship to get away (or arrive) but realise a member of their company is missing (or hasn't arrived yet).
Then The Cat emerges from behind a nearby bush, adjusting (or readjusting) his clothing and says, "Now that was definitely unpleasant."
What can I say. The clocal makes me vocal.
Posted by Nabakov at March 2, 2005 12:32 AM
While watching Mary cracking eggs this morning,I noticed that the eggs had been stamped with a weight logo. This reminding me of the little lion logo stamped on pommie eggs,indicating, due to this extra processing,they would be less fresh than the eggs getting to the consumer quicker without the logo.The Egg Board slogan "GO TO WORK ON A EGG" produced quite a few Yolke jokes, one in particular; "Why are you late for work young man". "Sir, I was coming to work on my egg when all of a sudden it stopped. after a while, I pulled The Yoke out and it went all white. (Choke on that) you are old if you remember chokes in cars.
Posted by John Leonard Spencer at March 2, 2005 09:16 AM
Presumably were we blogging just a tad over 1,000 years ago, all of these wags would have been known as hleahtor-smiþs. Or not, of course...
Posted by Dick at March 2, 2005 09:33 AM
Nabakov = Clocal Hero.
Posted by Tony.T at March 2, 2005 10:33 AM
I think "hleahtor-smiþs" would be a good blog name. Maybe over 1,000 years .smiþs becomes .com.
Posted by boynton at March 2, 2005 12:07 PM
So is this why bad jokes (which includes just about any joke I make, just ask my frequently pained adolescent son) are always 'cheesy' & 'corny' - like egg-yolk?
Posted by wen at March 2, 2005 02:19 PM
I like a good runny/running joke though.
Just noticed the auto link with clutch and choke.
Posted by boynton at March 2, 2005 02:30 PM
The sinful halcyon days, clutching the clucky chick in the Roller
With gear lever rampant
Alas, now todays automatic old boiler.
But Mary! I still love you, John.
Posted by John Leonard Spencer at March 2, 2005 03:51 PM
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