Manual jokes are clown’s jokes.
Manual jokes are clown’s jokes.
Meaning in plain English
Physical horseplay can impose discomfort or injury on another person. Humour should leave people free to participate rather than making their body the object of a joke.
Example
Friends stop a pushing game when someone objects rather than insisting that discomfort proves the person has no sense of humour.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The saying dismisses jokes made with the hands as crude. Its useful concern is the difference between shared amusement and physical interference presented as entertainment. A prank may seem harmless to its maker while startling, humiliating or hurting the recipient. Ask whether the other person has freely agreed to take part and whether the activity is safe in the actual setting. The word clown need not become an insult to performers or a social class. Focus instead on the conduct and whether the joke respects the people affected.
When to use it
Use it to question physical pranks imposed on unwilling participants.
Keep in mind
Consensual, safe play can be enjoyable. The problem is pressure, disregard or harm, not every form of physical comedy.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 28; French section, paragraph 550; source wording: Jeux de mains jeu de vilains.
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗