2.3 Recognising when a Dad joke has been told

Dad jokes can usually be identified by watching how the joke is received:

  • The other parent (usually, but not only, the Mum (or Mum-to-be) in the family) rolling her eyes.
  • Other Dads are laughing.
  • The lack of genuine laughter by everyone else.

Other signs include

  • The joke is unfunny.
  • The Dad usually smirks, his eyes twinkle, while awaiting a laugh. He may even fake a laugh himself after a short pause.

These are not definitive signs of a Dad joke, but usually sufficient to identify a Dad joke.

Figure 2.3 shows a commonly-seen reaction after telling a Dad joke; other common reactions are shown in Figs. 2.4 and 2.5.

A common face in response to a Dad joke (image from pixabay.com)

Figure 2.3: A common face in response to a Dad joke (image from pixabay.com)

Another common face in response to a Dad joke (image from pixabay.com)

Figure 2.4: Another common face in response to a Dad joke (image from pixabay.com)

Yet another common face in response to a Dad joke (image from pixabay.com)

Figure 2.5: Yet another common face in response to a Dad joke (image from pixabay.com)