"You know I've got a chum, a smashing mate, he's got a dog with no legs, and he calls it a cigarette. It's true, yeah, because at nighttime he has to take it out for a drag"

Norman Wisdom’s playful line relies on a blend of British slang, wordplay, and comic timing to create its humor. The speaker describes a close friend who owns a dog with no legs and gives it an unusual name: “cigarette.” The core of the joke comes from the punchline, where Wisdom explains that at night, his friend “takes it out for a drag.” The humor rests on the double meaning of “drag”, one being to physically pull something along the ground, and the other relating to smoking a cigarette, as in taking a puff or “drag.”

This clever wordplay is quintessential of mid-20th-century British comedy, which often thrived on puns, unexpected punchlines, and an element of the absurd. By describing the dog in such a peculiar way, Wisdom sets up an image in the listener’s mind, first, one pities or at least imagines an animal with no ability to walk. Then, when the name “cigarette” is revealed, curiosity spikes, preparing the audience for an explanation. The punchline skilfully resolves the buildup, offering a surprising reason for the odd naming: the only thing you can do with a legless dog is drag it along the floor, just as one takes a drag from a cigarette.

The joke also contains a warm undertone of friendship and affection, evidenced by the words “chum” and “smashing mate.” This creates a friendly and informal atmosphere, softening the potential harshness of the visual image and focusing more on the absurdity rather than cruelty. Wisdom’s humor often found its strength in these simple, accessible verbal tricks, appealing to a broad audience. The line is an example of how comedians use everyday language and situations, twist meanings, and exploit ambiguities in vocabulary to generate laughter while leaving room for wordplay’s inherent silliness.