Skip to main content
updog joke

updog joke

9.9
A playful trick to make someone ask 'What's updog' for a joke
  • noun
  • /ˈʌpˌdɔg dʒoʊk/
  • Slang
translation icon : broma de updog
  • He always tries to catch new employees with the classic updog joke during their first week.

Examples

  • My sister rolled her eyes when her friend used the updog joke at the dinner table.

  • He loves telling an updog joke at parties.

  • After falling for the updog joke once, I never ask 'What's updog?' anymore.

  • Did you hear the latest updog joke?

  • He always tries to catch new employees with the classic updog joke during their first week.

  • After falling for the updog joke once, I never ask 'What's updog?' anymore.

  • My sister rolled her eyes when her friend used the updog joke at the dinner table.

Synonyms

gag
vsupdog joke
70 3.7

A short funny remark that makes people laugh

is a specific trick that prompts a set reply for a pun

Surface Forms

updog joke singular
updog jokes plural

Morphology

updog + joke

The key constituent 'updog' is a nonce/punful item with no conventional compositional meaning, and 'joke' only signals a humorous act; knowing 'up' and 'dog' does not allow a B1 learner to infer the prank of eliciting 'What's updog?'. The sense depends on an English-specific phonological joke and cultural/pragmatic knowledge, so it is unpredictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

The joke updog joke comes from a simple word trick using the made-up word updog: one person tries to make someone ask 'What's updog?' so they can answer 'Not much, what's up with you?'. So, updog joke now means a playful prank that tricks someone into saying that question.