"An excellent example of applied folklore."
-- "Western Folklore"

"A book with a wonderful interdisciplinary idea-using sexual urban legends as part of high school and college sex education"
"--The Women's Review of Books, Oct. 2001"

"Provocatively bridges the interdisciplinary gap between folklore and sexuality education."
--"Journal of Folklore Research"

"One might assume that a book on urban legends would be too pop-culturish to be of value to serious sexuality educators and students, but one would be wrong...Whatley and Henken hae written a book that is as intelligent as it is interesting and funny."
--"The Journal of Sex Research"

Ever hear the one about the man who wakes up after a chance sexual encounter to discover he's been involuntarily relieved of one of his kidneys? Or the tiny gift-wrapped box from a recently departed lover that reveals a horrible secret? Everyone knows contemporary legends, those barely believable, often lurid, cautionary tales, always told as though they happened to the friend of a friend. Sometimes we pass them on to others unsure of their truthfulness, usually we dismiss them as mere myth. But these far-fetched legends tell us quite a bit about our deepest fears and fantasies.

In fact, a large part of what we know about our bodies we have learned informally, from kids on the playground or colleagues at work, from piecing together the information contained in folk beliefs, jokes and legends. Sexual folklore goes beyond classroom lessons of mechanics to answer many questions about what people actually do and how they do it.

Mariamne H. Whatley and Elissa R. Henken have collected hundreds of sexually-themed stories andjokes from college students in order to tell us what they reveal about our sexual attitudes and show us how they have changed over time. They confront myths and stereotypes about sexual behavior and use folklore as a tool to educate students about sexual health and gender relations. Whether analyzing popular rumors about celebrity emergency room visits or the latest schoolyard jokes, Did You Hear About The Girl Who . . . ? presents these tales in a way that is intriguing and educational.

Humour permeates our lives. People tell jokes, make puns, and engage in witty banter. There is written humour in headlines and captions, in ads, on signs, t-shirts, and bumper stickers, and in the form of graffiti. Nowadays humour is available on the web and circulated by e-mail. "Playing with Words" shows how every facet of language is exploited for humour. Where a word has multiple meanings or sounds like another, this is the basis for puns (A boiled egg is hard to beat). The word-building rules are used for clever compounds, smart blends and catchy phrases as in circulated by word of mouse. Ambiguities in the syntax afford further scope for humour (Miners refuse to work after death), and the sounds of words can be exploited in humorous verse. There is also humour to be found in slips of the tongue, malapropisms, and funny misspellings. "Playing with Words" also covers the subject matter of humour and the part it plays in society. It is an informed account in non-technical language, full of examples, a book to be read for information and for fun.

The perfect gift for Christmas! Hundreds of hilarious hypothetical questions for anyone aged 6 to 106 who loves princess movies, stories and fairy tales. Would you rather have Harry Styles as your fairy godmother or Ariana Grande? Would you rather be a wayfinder like Moana or an archer like Merida? And would you rather have Rapunzel's hair growing from your armpits or growing from your toes?! The perfect brain-stretcher for anyone bored home alone, off on a long journey or looking for an easy party game, The Bumper Book of Would You Rather?: Princes and Princesses Edition is guaranteed to provide you with hours of entertainment this Christmas.

Hundreds and Hundreds of Jokes that Will Drive Your Family Crazy Nothing is more hilarious for moms, sons, and daughters than the bad jokes dads tell. (Well, at least he thinks they're hilarious . . .) Have you ever noticed when you're out to dinner and your dad takes it upon himself to antagonize your server with a lame joke? Has he ever made a pun that made everyone at a family gathering roll their eyes? Has he ever made a corny comment about things simply lying around the house? If you answered "yes" to any of the following, you're not alone. Dad jokes are at the center of all dad interactions and the core of every dad's persona. This comedic compendium compiles more than eight hundred of the best jokes dads can use to hone their craft and ensure maximum eye rolling. Included within are jokes such as: Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon? Great food; no atmosphere. Did you hear about the kidnapping at school? It's fine, he woke up. What did the judge say when the skunk walked in the court room? Odor in the court. What do you call an elephant that doesn't matter? An irrelephant. What kind of tea is hard to swallow? Reality. With Dad Jokes, give your dad the gift of becoming the least funny/most "punny" guy in the room.

A modern, feminist take on the classic joke book to amuse and empower women. If a tree falls in a forest and only a woman is around to hear it, does it make a sound? We’ll never know. The male forest ranger said it was a “she said, tree said” situation. Four comedy writers flip the script on outdated, sexist joke formats while delivering sharp commentary about the everyday sexism women and people of marginalized genders face. Building off their viral McSweeney’s piece, the book arms readers with humorous ammunition to deliver pointed blows to workplace underminer Gregs and Neanderthal Uncle Larrys, or to share with their aggrieved girlfriends. A cutting satire of the old-fashioned sexist joke book, Jokes to Offend Men is a refreshing reclamation of a tired form.

Why do melons have weddings? Because they cantaloupe! What are dad jokes? Short, simple one-liners that are fairly clean. Anyone can tell dad jokes, but they are best told by dads. Now The World's Greatest Dad Jokes: The Complete Collection is here and inside you'll find: - More puns, quips, and corny one-liners than ever that are sure to get eyes rolling - Hundreds of dad jokes that will make you groan--then make you smile. This book is jam-packed with clever quips and unbearable wisecracks that are so bad, they're good. Now the dad joke aficionado in your life will never run out of puns, no matter how much you might want them to. The perfect gift for the dad who thinks he's heard them all, this book is sure to add even more jokes to his repertoire, for better or worse. These jokes are so funny you won't even see them coming!

From the cocreator of the celebrated Big Book of Jewish Humor comes a "funny...geezer-licious" (Jack Handey, author of Deep Thoughts) collection of jokes about growing older that makes fun of memory loss, marriages, medicine, sex, the afterlife, and much more--a perfect gift for almost anyone who was born before you were. Growing older can be unsettling and surprising. (How on earth did this happen? Where did the years go?) So what better way to deal with this new stage of life than to laugh about your new reality? Die Laughing includes more than enough jokes (not to mention cartoons!) to let that laughter burst out. Whether it's dealing with doctors, dating in one's seventies, or unexpected bodily changes (not to mention funny noises), some things are easier to face with a smile of recognition. That's why Die Laughing is the perfect gift for your parents, anyone celebrating a significant birthday, or any boomer with a sense of humor whose age begins with a six or higher.

The perfect Father's Day gift for new dads and expecting fathers! A punderful resource of the funniest dad jokes that every dad needs in their arsenal! With over 500 brand new jokes on a range of topics to get dads ready to embarrass their children-and most importantly-embarrass them early, this laugh-out-loud book is a hilarious title perfect for baby showers and Father's Day! Dad Jokes for New Dads is a special edition joke book for new dads and soon-to-be fathers that celebrates dads with a full arsenal of dad jokes and "helpful" pro tips to help new dads get by! The perfect gift from any kid, wife, or partner to celebrate and prepare the new dad in their life! Includes knee-slappers like: Q: What did the big beer name its baby? A: Micro brew. I wrote a book about birds once. My publisher said it flew off the shelves! Dad Pro Tip #1: If the baby starts to spit up, turn it toward someone else.

Scientific evidence for the origin of speech is abundant, but evidence for the origin of language as separate from speech as a naming system remains speculative. What evidence can be utilized that will furnish relevant insights on the origin or language? This book attempts to provide an answer by suggesting that the first riddles of humanity, along with the first myths, reveal that language may have emerged as a mode of reflection via metaphor-a mode that involves blending speech forms together to produce complex, abstract cognition.

It's time to get down and even dirtier with this second selection of the filthiest gags you're ever likely to hear. "100 Dirty Jokes for Girls" is all you need to give you a naughty thrill and is jam-packed with outrageous stories, punchlines and one-liners that are guaranteed to have you and your mates laughing out loud. And, because all women know that men and sex make a hilarious double act, the book includes jokes on chat-ups, dirty talk, foreplay, penis size, orgasms and between-the-sheets mishaps, making it a side-splitting read and proving that - in this case at least - size doesn't matter. So, move over Christina Aguilera - you're not the only dirty girl in town!

When a man becomes a dad, he takes on certain responsibilities: providing for his family, raising up his children to be good citizens--and telling the absolute worst jokes he can come up with. But dad jokes don't always come naturally, which is why Sandy Silverthorne created The Best Worst Dad Jokes. Filled with more than 500 groan worthy jokes to torment your kids, this collection makes it possible for dads to fill any moment of dead air with a joke that will have everyone within hearing distance rolling their eyes and edging away to avoid association with you. Jokes like . . . I don't have a dad bod; I have a father figure. I saw a sign that said Watch for Children. That sounded like a good trade to me. and of course . . . When does a joke become a dad joke? When it's fully groan. And hey, it's only downhill from there.

'Puerile, reprehensible and very, very funny' Adam Kay 'I love Fesshole. Every single one is a masterclass in storytelling' Jay Rayner 'Hilarious! The only guide any alien would need to find out what humans are really like' David Schneider 'The wild, the wonderful, the frankly unbelievable and the downright disgusting. Under the anonymity of the internet people confess their most embarrassing secrets and it might not be good for their souls, but it's great for the readers!' Richard K Herring It's confession time, folks! Things have been building up inside of you for too long. Secrets you thought you'd never share with another soul are bubbling to the surface begging for release. And where better to let it all out (/laugh at someone else's misfortune) than on the internet. Fesshole is a Twitter account (@fesshole) which allows people to anonymously confess their innermost thoughts, deepest, darkest secrets, and their most outrageously funny faux pas - but will the online world absolve you of your sins? This book contains the greatest confessions to date, and a whole heap of new ones. After all, if you can't confide in strangers on the internet, who can you tell?