Humor & Life Quote by Henny Youngman

Youngman’s line is a heckle disguised as a compliment, delivered with the clean efficiency of a rimshot. “You have a ready wit” arrives as social grease: it flatters, signals sophistication, even suggests camaraderie. Then the second sentence snaps the trap shut. “Tell me when it’s ready” turns “ready” from a praise word into an accusation - your wit isn’t ready at all; it’s half-baked, still in the oven, not fit to serve.

The specific intent is competitive: a comedian’s way of asserting dominance without sounding openly hostile. Youngman came up in the Borscht Belt and midcentury nightclub circuit, where insult and banter were part of the furniture and timing was a form of authority. A joke like this works because it’s modular: it can swat away a pompous conversationalist, puncture a critic, or preempt a rival performer. It’s also safe in public; the first clause gives plausible deniability, the second clause delivers the bruise.

Subtextually, it’s a miniature lesson in comedy craft. “Ready wit” is supposed to be immediate and effortless; Youngman implies the opposite - that the other person’s cleverness is performative, rehearsed, or simply absent. The rhythm matters: two short beats, no fat, with the sting landing on the last word. It’s not just an insult; it’s a demonstration of readiness by someone who actually has it.