“Behind every successful man is a woman, behind her is his wife.”
-A clever parody of the axiom that there is a strong woman supporting every successful man. By pointing out that the successful man’s wife is, in fact, the woman in charge, something that is obvious but frequently left unsaid, it gives the story an ironic twist.
“One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I’ll never know.”
-An amusing mental picture of Groucho Marx killing an elephant while wearing pajamas and then expressing astonishment about how the elephant wound up in his pajamas is produced by this excellent play on words and ridiculousness. It displays Groucho Marx’s sharp wit and distinct sense of humor.
“I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.”
-A lighthearted look at marriage and the notion of having a jury preside over the wedding ceremony rather than a judge. The traditional idea of marriage is given a humorous twist, and humor is infused into the idea.
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”
-A clever remark that plays with the notion that a book is a man’s best friend but adds a twist. It implies that reading a book inside a dog would be ludicrous because the environment would be too gloomy. It displays the witty wordplay and humor of Groucho Marx.
“No man goes before his time – unless the boss leaves early.”
-No one can leave before their time, unless their boss departs early, according to a hilarious take on the idea of time and punctuality. The concept of time management and workplace interactions is given a fun twist by this.
“I remember the first time I had sex – I kept the receipt.”
-A crude joke about having sex that plays with the idea that sex is a transactional affair by exaggerating and manipulating words to create the absurd image of someone retaining a receipt for their first sexual encounter.