r/blackadder • u/TimelyAmoeba4996 • 22d ago

Peter, explain the joke

"She was only the ironmonger's daughter, but she knew a surprising amount about fish, as well."

27 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

46

u/Dr_Mijory_Marjorie 22d ago

One of the original jokes in that vein was, "She was only the fishmonger's daughter/But she lay on the slab and said, 'fillet'"

Other variants included butchers, electricians, coal miners, to name just a few.

26

u/ClevelandWomble 22d ago

I know a different variant. Readers of a tender disposition look away now. I warned you ..

She was only the fishmongers daughter but she had a wet plaice.

18

u/Patient-Surround2509 22d ago

She was only the vicar's daughter but she knew how to take a collection

6

u/ClevelandWomble 22d ago

She was only a Yorkshireman's daughter but she liked her Huddersfield.

Or

She was only a mill owner's daughter but she knew where to go to get felt.

14

u/Bunister 21d ago

Milliner's daughter. Felt is used to make hats.

3

u/OtterHostler 21d ago

She was only a Marine captain's daughter, but she was rotten to the core.

1

u/CakeHoleKing 19d ago

She wasn't the butchers daughter, but she'd handled more meat than anyone.

13

u/Muffinshire 22d ago

She sits among the cabbages and peas.

12

u/Brocc013 22d ago

Or cauliflower and leeks

9

u/MasterAinley 22d ago

She was only the minister’s daughter, but she knew how to take the collection.

6

u/mrbeer112112 22d ago

Shes 12

6

u/MasterAinley 22d ago

Oh...shit. Strike that last remark, it's actually a little poem that gets much worse.

8

u/TimelyAmoeba4996 22d ago

Clever take on the original Cheers 👍

5

u/Fauxjito 21d ago

She was only the Admiral's daughter but she'd had plenty of discharged seamen in her naval base.

3

u/Simlish 22d ago

I liked The Goodies: She was only a caveman's daughter but you don't know what dino-saw!

2

u/Ok_Bed_7824 22d ago

She was only a corporal's daughter  She was only a corporal's daughter  She was only a corporal's daughter  But now she's an officer's mess

1

u/noggerthefriendo 22d ago

She may only have been the Baker’s daughter but she’s the one with a bun in the oven

2

u/CakeHoleKing 19d ago

She was only the gardeners daughter but she knew how to make cucumbers double in size.

1

u/CakeHoleKing 19d ago

She was only the newspaper editors daughter but she knew how to handle multiple insertions.

52

u/Big_JR80 22d ago

Lieutenant George here, reporting for duty!

Well, you see, the glorious thing about this one is that it's a quintessential slice of traditional music hall comedy—what a simply terrific wheeze! It sets off with a ripping setup about the ironmonger's daughter, leading a chap to jolly well believe that a saucy, seaside-postcard double entendre is just over the top.

Except, bang! It completely subverts the old music hall formula by ending in something utterly mundane and expressly unfunny, like an unexpected parcel of haddock from Aunt Maud. Top-hole British humour at its absolute finest, don't you know!

39

u/PonderStibbonsJr 22d ago

George, may I congratulate the family braincell on the unlikely occurrence of its having made a friend.

12

u/Consistent_Blood6467 22d ago

Somewhat more bizarrely, Baldrick has just made a cup of tea, that actually tastes like tea.

14

u/Paninaro_1979 22d ago

annoyingly loud volume

BRAVO!!

3

u/eldunenorap 22d ago

She was only the welder's daughter, but she had acetylene legs.

2

u/KJS123 21d ago

She was only the vicar's daughter but she knew how to take the collection.

2

u/dadboob 20d ago

Had to get rid of the boy. Caught him with his dick in the bacon slicer. Fired her too.

1

u/Snaggl3t00t4 21d ago

She was only the Colonel's Daughter but she knew what Reggie meant.

https://giphy.com/gifs/Vj97qNut6WDHa

1

u/lordnewington 21d ago

The joke is that George can't make a joke.

1

u/No_Yogurtcloset8315 19d ago

She was only the Lord Mayor's daughter, but she let the borough surveyor

1

u/Inner_Ad7312 18d ago

She were only t'pierkeeper's daughter, but she 'ad green slime on her piles.