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I remember browsing through Wikipedia one day, and coming across an article defining surprise-based humour. The article had a very specific scientific name, which doesn't have the actual word "surprise" in it.

To give an example of this kind humour, consider the following sentence:

"I have the body of a 20 years old model, it really takes a lot of space in my freezer."

I'd like to know the actual name of that kind of humour, and particular the link to the long gone Wikipedia article regarding it.

Thanks!

user1337
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    Pretty sure all humor is predicated on surprise, one way or another. – Dan Bron Jul 30 '15 at 16:11
  • @DanBron Perhaps I mean in an exaggerated way then? – user1337 Jul 30 '15 at 16:12
  • Old science, but science nonetheless: black bile? The joke does seem a little splenetic. – TimR Jul 30 '15 at 16:13
  • Perhaps paraprosdokian or garden-path sentence then? Not sure those are specific to humor, though. – Dan Bron Jul 30 '15 at 16:14
  • @DanBron Thanks dan, paraprosdokian is exactly what I was looking for! – user1337 Jul 30 '15 at 16:21
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    @user1337 That's first, and probably last, time I've ever heard that sentence in my life. – Dan Bron Jul 30 '15 at 16:22
  • I'd call it a joke, and further, a one-liner – Jim Jul 30 '15 at 16:34
  • I'd have thought all types of humour/joke involve an element of "surprise". OP's example would normally be categorized as wordplay (based on the "surprise" of realizing that the speaker isn't referring to her own body). – FumbleFingers Jul 30 '15 at 16:36
  • @Fumble: The OP's example sentence marks it as paraprosdokian which makes it a dupe. – Robusto Jul 30 '15 at 16:37
  • @Robusto: True, but I don't think every paraprosdokian is necessarily "humorous", and obviously not every humorous utterance that includes an element of "surprise" involves paraprosdokians. – FumbleFingers Jul 30 '15 at 16:41
  • @Fumble: True, but that is the kind he's talking about, if we allow that he has expressed himself clearly. – Robusto Jul 30 '15 at 16:43
  • Humor (other than the slap-stick variety and some types of crude "humor" that make you laugh out of uneasiness) is due to being surprised by the truth. – Hot Licks Jul 30 '15 at 17:28

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