Edinburgh festival

These clips below come from this TV programme

The summary

The Edinburgh festival wasback in town this year after taking a fallowyear in 2020. It was apparently a much smalleraffairbut a great success fromall accounts.

The festival has been going since 1947 and is the world’s largest arts festival. It is in fact anamalgamationof different cultural festivals that runin tandemthroughout August. There’s the International Festival, the Fringe Festival and independent festivals for Art, books, film and jazz.

In a TV show called Edinburgh Unlocked, Sanjeev kohli visits the ‘One Liner Show’. Different comedians perform their jokes on stage and Sanjeev describes it as ‘comedy distilledInto it’s purest form’ and says thegagsare ‘beautiful nuggets of perfection’!

He is with two of the best‘exponentsof the form’ and he organises a twitter contest to see who is thepunchampion.

One of the comedians says that people like the jokes more than they like to admit and although theystumble intothe show, they often stay and enjoy it. Agroan,in their opinion is better than silence and often happens because people are disappointed that they found something funny. This, Sanjeev says, is adouble victorybecause you’vecaught them out!

Here are a few of the winning one-liners:

What’s the difference between a hippo and a zippo? A hippo is really heavy and azippois a littlelighter.

My dad suggested that I register for adonor card. He’s a manafter my own heart.

I lost a friend recently because we had a disagreement about the Tardis. I thought it was just a little thing. It turned out to be much bigger once wegot into it.

Glossary

back in town

When someone or something returns to a town/city

fallow

A period of time when nothing happens or is created. This is also used about farmland that is not used for growing crops (plants) on for some time

affair

A situation or event

all accounts

From what many people have said

amalgamation

A combination of two or more things

in tandem

Together and at the same time

One Liner

A short joke

distilled

A summary that contains the most important information. This word is also used when alcohol (such as whiskey) is made

gags

Joke

nuggets

Little pieces of something I.e gold nuggets, chicken nuggets

exponents

Someone who is very good at a particular skill and an example for others

pun

When a word that has two meanings is used in a funny way

stumble into

To start doing something without meaning to

groan

To make a long, low sound because you are bored/unhappy/in pain.

a double victory

When you succeed at doing something twice

caught them out

(To catch someone out) To surprise someone and show them that they are wrong.

zippo

A small object that produces a flame for lighting cigarettes etc

lighter

  1. A small object that produces a flame for lighting cigarettes etc

  2. The opposite of heavy

a donor card

A card that people carry in their wallets that show that they would like their organs to be donated to research when they die.

after my own heart

  1. Used for saying that someone has similar likes and dislikes as you do.

  2. The word ‘after' can also mean 'to want' something

Tardis

  1. A time machine and spacecraft that appears in the TV series, Dr. Who

  2. A place that is much bigger than it looks from the outside

got into it

  1. To become involved in something

  2. To enter a place

Questions

  1. Have you ever been to the Edinburgh festival?

  2. Have you heard of it before? If yes, where did you hear about it and what do you know?

  3. Would you like to go? Why or why not?

  4. Do you like telling jokes? Are you good at remembering them?

  5. Are there any comedians you particularly like (British, from your country or somewhere else)?

  6. Do you enjoy watching live comedy?