War hammer

A reproduction of a spiked war hammer

A war hammer is an archaic weapon of war intended for close combat, the design of which resembles the hammer. The war hammer consists of, like the tool it resembles, a handle and a head. The handle may be of different lengths, the longest being roughly equivalent to the halberd, and the shortest about the same as a mace. Long war hammers were pole weapons (polearms) meant for use against riders, whereas short ones were used in closer quarters and from horseback. Later war hammers often had a spike on one side of the head, thus making it a more versatile weapon. War hammers were developed as a consequence of the ever more prevalent metal armours of the medieval battlefields during the 14th and 15th centuries. The war hammer could deal blows of tremendous force to the target, especially when mounted on a pole, and by impact alone do damage without penetrating the armour. The spike end could be used for grappling the target's armour, reins, or shield, or could be turned in the direction of the blow to pierce even heavy armour. Against mounted opponents, the weapon could also be directed at the legs of the horse, toppling the armored foe to the ground where he could be more easily attacked.

The most famous instance of a hammer as a weapon is Mjolnir, the weapon of the Norse god, Thor.

Other weapons that are types of war hammers include:

  • Bec de Corbin
  • Horseman's pick
  • Lucerne hammer
  • Maul
  • Pollaxe (Bec de Faucon)

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Other weapons that are types of war hammers include:. The following joke circulates for quite some time, with many different versions for <President> and <Other Country>. The most famous instance of a hammer as a weapon is Mjolnir, the weapon of the Norse god, Thor. A related subcategory is lawyer jokes plays on the commonly-held stereotypes about lawyers. Against mounted opponents, the weapon could also be directed at the legs of the horse, toppling the armored foe to the ground where he could be more easily attacked. The second one makes fun of political cliches, mottos, catch phrases or simply blunders of politicians. The spike end could be used for grappling the target's armour, reins, or shield, or could be turned in the direction of the blow to pierce even heavy armour. The first one makes fun of a negative attitude to political opponents or to politicians in general.

The war hammer could deal blows of tremendous force to the target, especially when mounted on a pole, and by impact alone do damage without penetrating the armour. There are two large categories of this type of jokes. War hammers were developed as a consequence of the ever more prevalent metal armours of the medieval battlefields during the 14th and 15th centuries. Political jokes tell about politicians and heads of states. Later war hammers often had a spike on one side of the head, thus making it a more versatile weapon. The target of the traded insults is most often the opponents' mothers, but can involve other family members as well. Long war hammers were pole weapons (polearms) meant for use against riders, whereas short ones were used in closer quarters and from horseback. Main article: The dozens. Jokes of this kind originate in the dozens, an African-American custom with West African roots in which two competitors -- usually males -- go head to head in a competition of comedic, often ribald, trash-talk.

The handle may be of different lengths, the longest being roughly equivalent to the halberd, and the shortest about the same as a mace. Jokes in a certain category superficially look like math, but their essence is more akin to chemical composition. The war hammer consists of, like the tool it resembles, a handle and a head. A series of them parodies mathematical/logical chains of reason. A war hammer is an archaic weapon of war intended for close combat, the design of which resembles the hammer. Many of them are in-jokes, but may also be understandable by laymen. Pollaxe (Bec de Faucon). There are numerous jokes related to mathematics.

Maul. Main article: Mathematical joke. Lucerne hammer. Many jokes fit into more than one category. Horseman's pick. Jokes often depend for humour on the unexpected, the mildly taboo (which can include the distasteful or socially improper), or the playing on stereotypes and other cultural myths. Bec de Corbin. One of the most complete and informative books on different types of jokes and how to tell them is Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humor, which encompasses several broad categories of humor, and gives useful tips on how to tell them, who to tell them to, and ways to change the joke to fit your audience.

Laughter, the intended human reaction to jokes, is healthful in moderation, uses the stomach muscles, and releases endorphins, natural happiness-inducing chemicals, into the bloodstream. Why we laugh has been the subject of serious academic study, examples being:. . Most jokes contain two components: joke setup (for example, "A man walks into a bar...") and a punchline, which, when juxtaposed with the setup, provides the necessary irony to elicit laughter from the audience.

putting a custard pie in somebody's face). A practical joke differs in that the humour is not verbal, but mainly visual (e.g. A joke is a short story or short series of words spoken or communicated with the intent of being laughed at or found humorous by the listener or reader. Yo mama's glasses are so thick, she can see the future.

Yo mama so fat, when her pager goes off, people think she's backing up. Yo mama so fat when she gets on the scale it says to be continued. Yo mama so dark that she can leave fingerprints on charcoal. Yo mama's so dumb when your dad said it's chilly outside, she ran out with a spoon.

Logic

. Mathematical proof:
. Edward de Bono in "The mechanism of the mind" and "I am right, you are wrong". Marvin Minsky in Society of Mind.

Sigmund Freud's "Jokes and Their Relationship to the Unconscious".