I don't get the joke

[frankdicer]

In the AYBSA (GaF) episode of the cricket match, the farm workers who are going to fill out the team are introduced.

one of the workers,named Jessie, is asked
" Is Jessie short for anything?" to which the response is,
"No, we've always had a Jessie in my family"

I don't get it.....Anyone know why that is supposed to be funny?

[sonosun]

A Jessie is a shirt lifter. Clear now FD?

I thought not. A Jessie is gay. :)

[Tiddles]

That's what I figured out...it had to be a gay reference...it's AYBS? after all.... :humphries01: :lol: :lol:

[frankdicer]

A Jessie is a shirt lifter. Clear now FD?

I thought not. A Jessie is gay. :)

Still not funny though. The line doesn't make sense, unless there is
a connotation of "short" I'm missing. Even then, it appears to be
a out of context answer to the question.

[minki]

The joke does come off as not that funny to me too...I guess it's just something that doesn't translate well to outsiders (those not up on that slang) O_o

[Clayborn Humphries]

Don't feel bad fankdicer, I didn't get it either. I just took it as Jessie was a moron

[Pamela]

I think they mean is Jessie gay because of missing anatomy...

[Greg WibblyWobbly]

I agree with Pamela but maybe not the "gay" part. Replace "Jessie" with a part of the male anatomy... "There has always been a **** in my family." Maybe it is a gay thing afterall... ?

[Tiddles]

OK....here's what I've found out about "jessie" in terms of Brit slang. It means a weak or feeble person. A sissy. Since "jessie" is the name given to a person who's weak or scared, then it's not "short" for anything. As in not "short for Jessica". If you're a "Jessie" you're a fraidy-cat. You may also be seen as "unmasculine". If you're a "Jessie" you can also be a "Jessica etc." It was a poor joke and didn't translate well no matter what. But maybe that makes a bit more sense. :tiddles:

[Greg WibblyWobbly]

And maybe we can stretch that into "Jessie" means a kind of "poof", a sissy.....

[Sir Humphries]

While we are on this topic, I wanted to ask about the Junior Goblin joke. When the staff are discussing who is going to do what to prepare the Manor House for guests, Mr. Rumbold overloads Miss Brahms with tasks and she bursts out about it.

So Mr. Rumbold asks Mrs. Slocombe if she can do the vacuuming, and she says that she isn't going to lug a great big vacuum up the stairs. He replies that it's not big, just a Junior Goblin. He then asks Mr. Humphries if he can manage a Junior Goblin up the stairs. This gets an incredible amount of laughter from the audience and causes Mr. Humphries to get a really strange look on his face.

What's the joke here that I am missing?

[Tiddles]

He then asks Mr. Humphries if he can manage a Junior Goblin up the stairs. This gets an incredible amount of laughter from the audience and causes Mr. Humphries to get a really strange look on his face.



It's just a silly sexual reference. A "goblin" is a vacuum cleaner. A goblin is also a male elf-like creature. So it's the usual double entendre. Taking a "goblin" upstairs...yadda yadda. Some things are best left for Brits to laugh about. They fall flat here with "translation."

[Greg WibblyWobbly]

Hell, I've never even gotten that one....:shrug:

[Dean]

Yeah a "jessie" is someone who is a bit of a wimp, a cry-baby type, a sissy if you like. It's not the funniest joke in the history of AYBS/GAF but that's the joke - it's just a pun on the word.

[sueschmitt]

Don't feel bad fankdicer, I didn't get it either. I just took it as Jessie was a moron

I thought maybe it was because there were male and female Jessie's???? So don't feel bad.