Comedy Glossary
A reference guide to the terminology used in comedy, joke-telling, and stand-up performance. Terms link to relevant articles throughout the site where applicable.
- Bit
- A short, self-contained piece of comedic material. A comedian's act is made up of multiple bits.
- Blue Material
- Comedy that is sexually explicit or uses heavy profanity. The opposite of clean material.
- Bombing
- When a joke or performance fails to get laughs. Every comedian bombs. See recovering from a bad joke.
- Button
- The final word or phrase of a punchline. The funniest word should be the button. See timing and delivery.
- Callback
- A reference to an earlier joke in a set, getting a second laugh from the same material. A key technique in comedy writing.
- Clean
- Material that avoids profanity, sexual content, and offensive topics. See clean jokes.
- Closer
- The final joke or bit in a comedian's set, intended to be the strongest material. Also called the "blow" or "blowout."
- Connector
- A word or phrase in a joke that bridges two different meanings, especially in puns.
- Deadpan
- A delivery style characterized by a lack of facial expression or vocal emotion. See timing and delivery.
- Flop Sweat
- Visible nervousness when a performance is going badly. Named after the physical sweating that can accompany a bombing set.
- Hack
- Material or a comedian that relies on overused jokes, obvious observations, or stolen material. A serious insult in comedy.
- Heckler
- An audience member who interrupts a performance. Dealing with hecklers is a core skill for live performers.
- Heightening
- Taking an established comedic premise and escalating it further with each beat. A core principle of improv.
- Improv
- Comedy created spontaneously without a script. See improv comedy basics.
- Killing
- When a performance goes extremely well. "She killed tonight."
- Misdirection
- Leading the audience to expect one thing and then delivering something different. A core technique in comedy writing.
- Open Mic
- A performance slot open to anyone, typically used by new comedians to practice. See how to do stand-up.
- Punchline
- The part of a joke that delivers the humor. The payoff.
- Punching Up / Punching Down
- Directing humor at those with more power (up) versus those with less power (down). Related to the superiority theory.
- Roast
- A comedic event where a person is made fun of by friends or colleagues. See roast jokes and how to roast someone.
- Rolling Past
- Moving on quickly after a joke bombs, without dwelling on the failure. See recovering from a bad joke.
- Rule of Three
- A comedy principle using two normal items followed by a surprising third. See the Rule of Three.
- Setup
- The part of a joke that establishes the premise and creates the expectation that the punchline will subvert.
- Shaggy Dog Story
- A long, rambling joke where the length of the setup is disproportionate to the punchline. See long-form jokes.
- Tag
- An additional punchline added to an existing joke to extend the laughter. Multiple tags can be added to a single setup.
- Tight Five
- Five minutes of polished, reliable material. The standard calling card for a working comedian. See how to do stand-up.
- Topper
- A joke that follows another joke on the same topic but gets a bigger laugh. Similar to a tag but often from a different angle.
- Working Out
- Developing new material through live performance. Comedians "work out" new bits at open mics and smaller shows.
- Yes, And
- The foundational rule of improv comedy: accept what your partner establishes and build on it.