Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[missdaredevil]

Tell me a joke?

OK, this quWhat do you call a boomerang that won't come back? A stick.
The question was a* gimme*.
Basically, the idea is to tell a nice, clean, friendly and hopefully funny joke that can't possibly be controversial or offensive.

Could anyone explain the *gimme*?

Thanks

[bud]

gimme - It is a slang contraction for "give me." I think it comes from the sport of golf. When your ball is very close to the hole, it is such an easy shot to make that your opponent will consider the shot made without you having to take the time to shoot it. It's called a gimme (my opponent gives the shot to me)... In your example, a gimme is a question that is so easy that everyone would be likely to answer it correctly.

Here's a gimme: What is the first person singular of "to be?" Anyone learning English would be able to answer that after the first lesson or so.

[missdaredevil]

[bud]

No, it wasn't a typo, but it isn't necessary, either. I could have written, "... your opponent considers..." or "... your opponent might consider..."

Maybe there is someone out there who can explain the grammar?