Things that seem to be punchlines in US comedy...

[NurseNugent]

Succotash, saltine crackers.

[easytarget]

Men leaving the toilet seat up.

This is standard hack both sides of the Atlantic though isn't it? (or have I been over here too long?)

[famethrowa]

Succotash, saltine crackers.

Sarsparilla, root beer

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Something involving " Gilligan's Island".

[famethrowa]

"the Peace Corps". no idea about that one

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

One I don't understand and am kind of afraid to ask about: black people being bad at swimming seems to come up a lot - although, I assume, less so recently.

This is standard hack both sides of the Atlantic though isn't it? (or have I been over here too long?)

Are brave ladies don't balk at lowering a seat.

[idunnosomename]

BALONEY AND JELLY SAMMICHES!!!!

[petril]

One I don't understand and am kind of afraid to ask about: black people being bad at swimming seems to come up a lot - although, I assume, less so recently.

yeah, that ties into public swimming pools, racist and segregation over time so that loads of post-war black folks simply never got the chance to learn. not sure how that's been changing recently, if at all though.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

not sure how that's been changing recently, if at all though.

I assume such stereotypes wouldn't fly these days, although that might be naive of me.

[easytarget]

I assume such stereotypes wouldn't fly these days, although that might be naive of me.

30 Rock joked about it (see Jack's comments when Liz was dating someone called 'Stephen Black' who liked Star Wars but not that Star Wars - IIRC). But 30 Rock is no longer the metric for awesome progressive switched on jokes.

[easytarget]

Are brave ladies don't balk at lowering a seat.

Tell your 80s/90s stand ups that.

(unless I'm actually remembering American ones - in which case, point to you, your serve).

[sutin]

Sarsparilla

Genuinely thought Sarasparilla was a Northern Irish invention and was available nowhere else. The Maine soft drinks company in N.I. produces it.

[NurseNugent]

Genuinely thought Sarasparilla was a Northern Irish invention and was available nowhere else. The Maine soft drinks company in N.I. produces it.

Wasn't it used to treat VD or was that something else?

[Pink Gregory]

Had some root beer recently and it tasted *exactly* like the mouthwash at my childhood dentist.

[olliebean]

Had some root beer recently and it tasted *exactly* like the mouthwash at my childhood dentist.

They're both flavoured with wintergreen.

[jobotic]

Salt water taffy

[JesusAndYourBush]

... Hacky sack.

Always assumed it was a bean bag that you just sortof mucked around with, turns out (via Google) there's a lot more to it than that.

[petril]

I thought it was keepy uppies but ruined by not being able to turn into knocking a ball about with your mates after five minutes when you realise keepy uppies are a bit shit

[famethrowa]

Someone being a:
- linebacker
- teamster
- longshoreman

(based on my knowledge of 70s/80s MAD magazine)

[easytarget]

Someone being a:
- linebacker
- teamster
- longshoreman

(based on my knowledge of 70s/80s MAD magazine)

also 'stevedore'

[famethrowa]

Middle aged school teachers referring to their young teenage students as "Mr (surname)" or "Ms (surname)"

[BeardFaceMan]

Sports teams running through a banner.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Men about to marry women having to be over-respectful to their fiancee's father, calling him Sir all the time and generally being forced to prove that they are "good enough" to marry their daughter.

Have we mentioned that yet? We probably have.

[famethrowa]

Retirement communities in Florida, and the petty bureaucracy and politics therein.

"Condos".

what?

[Gurke and Hare]

I've just remembered that Roseanne opened a cafe selling "loose meat sandwiches" and all the rest of the characters carried on as if that was a normal thing to do.

[Marner and Me]

Poindexter

[beanheadmcginty]

Orange Julius

[NurseNugent]

Julia Child impressions.

[Icehaven]

Teenagers leaning out of a car window and smashing mailboxes with a baseball bat.

[olliebean]

Julia Child impressions.

I have never seen Julia Child and have absolutely no idea what she is like, so I guess loads of these have probably gone entirely over my head.