The term “laugh” refers to something or someone that is ridiculed. It may have originated from the public humiliation of criminals in stocks. The term is often used loosely in modern times and can refer to ideas or intangible items. In modern times, people may volunteer to be put in stocks for public amusement and fundraising events.
The term “laugh” refers to a person, thing, or situation that is ridiculed. This term, which could also be written as “laughingstock” or “laughing-stock,” can refer to a single person, a group of people, or an idea or intangible item. While the exact origin of this term is unknown, it is believed to derive from the shackles into which petty criminals were placed for public ridicule.
This phrase was first seen in literature during the 16th century. John Frith and Sir Philip Sidney both included a variation of “laughing memory” in several works written in the 16th century. The phrase may have been commonly used even earlier.
During the time this phrase was first seen in print, one of the preferred methods of punishment for petty crime was to put individuals in stocks. Stocks were wooden devices that would keep a person immobile for extended periods of time, usually by securing the person’s head and hands in holes drilled between two planks mounted on a post or frame. The physical aspect of being kept in stocks caused pain and they were commonly placed in public areas so that passers-by could ridicule and mock those being punished. It was common for people who were in stocks to be pelted with mud, spoiled food, and even animal droppings thrown by passers-by. This may have led to the use of “hilarious memory” in old English sayings.
Another theory behind the phrase is a more literal interpretation. The word “stump” can mean a stump or block of wood that provides support. A stock can also be the end of a structure or tool, such as a gun. When a person or an action becomes the basis or most substantial part of a joke, I can be said to be the butt of the joke, or I “re-play” it.
The term is often used loosely in modern times. If an idea can be laughed at, the idea can be the “laughing stock”. This term is seen in print and heard on radio and television, and has found a way into most dictionaries and other reference books listing common expressions.
While the term may have come from the public humiliation of actual criminals, the act of putting people in stocks is sometimes done in modern times for public amusement and benefit. For example, at some fundraising events or carnivals, a volunteer or willing worker might be placed on reserve, and other people might pay for the privilege of throwing water balloons, custard pies, or other soft, wet objects at the woman’s face. person in the stocks. This is done to raise money and elicit laughter, making the person in the bag a real “laughing asset”.
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