the.com/funnybone
not a bone at all, just a nerve squealing every time you smack your elbow
means The sensitive spot on your elbow where a nerve runs close to the skin, producing that strange tingling jolt when you knock it.
from A pun hiding in plain sight: the bone of the upper arm is the humerus, which sounds exactly like 'humorous' — so the spot became the 'funny' bone. Fittingly, the tingle actually comes from the ulnar nerve being squeezed against bone, not from the humerus itself. The wordplay is old enough to be well-worn, dating to at least the 19th century.
- actual culprit
- the ulnar nerve, not bone, sends the zing
- name origin
- pun on the humerus arm bone
- why exposed
- nerve runs unprotected past the elbow's bony bump
- the sensation
- electric tingling shoots straight to ring finger
ulnar nerve — the nerve that runs through your elbow; when struck, causes that tingling sensation people call hitting your 'funny bone'
comedians — people with a developed sense of humor; the term 'funny bone' is also used metaphorically to describe someone's comedic timing or wit