Before shoes were invented, Jack was a heel. ~ Fred Allen
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A joke plays on the double meaning of heel referring to a shoe part and a bad person.
- In plain terms
- Jack was considered a bad person before shoes existed.
- What can you take from it?
- Puns rely on wordplay to create humor.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does the word heel change meaning?
- Why is this a pun?
Another view
This is a historical joke that requires knowing the idiom heel.
More from Jack Benny
One night I was walking in my sleep and Mr. Benny put a vacuum cleaner in my hand. ~ Eddie Anderson (Rochestor)
Permalink to quote #99 Jack has no more hair than an elbow. ~ Fred Allen
Permalink to quote #101 When Moshe Dayan heard him play (the violin), he took the patch off his eye and put it over his ear. ~ Dean Martin
Permalink to quote #98
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