A punch line is the final part of a joke

Joke

A joke is a phrase or a paragraph with a humorous twist. It can be in many different forms, such as a question or short story. To achieve this end, jokes may employ irony, sarcasm, word play and other devices...

, comedy sketch, or profound statement, usually the word, sentence or exchange of sentences which is intended to be funny or to provoke laughter or thought from listeners. Few punchlines are inherently funny out of context, but when a comedian sets up the premise and builds up the audience's expectations, the punch line can function as the climactic part of the act.

Punch lines generally derive their humor from being unexpected. The classic stand-up

Stand-up comedy

Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...

 punch line sound is a sting

Sting (percussion)

A sting, often incorrectly referred to as a rimshot, is a short sequence played by a drummer to punctuate a joke, especially an obvious one. A sting is often used as accompaniment during cabaret- and circus-style shows. The sound of the sting is sometimes written ba dum tsh, ba-dum ching,...

 (erroneously called a rimshot

Rimshot

A rimshot is the sound produced by hitting the rim and the head of a drum simultaneously, with a drum stick. Rimshots are usually played to produce a more accented note, and are typically played loudly. However, soft rim shots are possible....

) on drum

Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...

s.

Etymology

The origin of the term punchline is actually a mystery to etymologists. Some sources suggest the first published use of "punchline" or "punch line" to describe the pay-off line of a joke didn't appear until the 1920s or 1930s. Comedians had been using the classic "set-up, premise, punchline" format for many years before that time, however.

One theory is that the word punchline refers to the practice of emphasizing or "punching up" certain lines during a speech or monologue. Actors and broadcast journalists are trained to read their scripts with an ear towards high points and low points of audience interest. It is possible that the final line of a joke is called a punchline because the performer is expected to place stronger emphasis on it, or "punch it up" vocally.

Some believe the term is derived from one half of the medieval puppet team Punch and Judy

Punch and Judy

Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular puppet show featuring the characters of Mr. Punch and his wife, Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character...

. The modern punchline of a joke would be delivered in the same way that Punch delivered his slapstick blows on Judy. There is little convincing evidence to make such a connection, however, and the Punch and Judy plays did not rely on the same style of wordplay as traditional modern jokes.

In previous centuries, a joke was sometimes a "bite" or a "hit", in Italian it is still called a "battuta" (a "beating").

Avoiding the punch line

Not all jokes have a punchline in a classic sense. Some comedic sketches simply end abruptly, or fade to black without a conclusion. Shaggy dog stories are long-winded anti-jokes where the punchline is deliberately anticlimactic, and are not intended to elicit laughter. Slapstick humor often relies more on an action and comical reaction instead of an actual punchline, but a pie in the face or pratfall can still work as a comical conclusion to a premise.

Monty Python

Monty Python

Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...

 moved away from punch lines as they found it increasingly hard to find good ways of rounding up humorous sketches. Terry Gilliam's

Terry Gilliam

Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...

 animations and The Lumberjack Song

The Lumberjack Song

"The Lumberjack Song" is a song by the Monty Python comedy troupe. The song was written by Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Fred Tomlinson.It first appeared on the ninth episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus, "The Ant: An Introduction" on BBC1 on 14 December 1969...

were two of the many methods used to conclude sketches without punch lines.