Understanding the humour in these jokes required the attribution of ignorance, false belief or deception to one of its characters and therefore, an analysis of their mental state.
He operated with humour, understanding and compassion as "part psychologist, part detective"; to question 14 individuals and capture something of each of them for an exhibition now running at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
The duo have big hair and big lipstick like the (currently) untouchable Nicki Minaj, lots of attitude, humour, understanding of the appeal of the WRONG! and – every so often – surprisingly honey-sweet vocals.
This distance between yourself and the character is essential to gaining an understanding of where the humour will lie.
"It is certainly with gentleness, good humour and understanding that, against the shifting sands of societal change, Her Majesty so wonderfully exemplifies the advantages of a constitutional monarchy," he told Guildhall guests.
Nevertheless such original works as Harriet the Spy (1964) and The Long Secret (1965), by Louise Fitzhugh, showed how a writer adequately equipped with humour and understanding could incorporate into books for 11-year-olds subjects even menstruation ordinarily reserved for adult fiction.
The chairman of the five-person pan-Commonwealth judging panel, poet and literary critic Professor Daniel Massa, said: "The excellence of Small Island lies not only with its thematic issues that are represented with insight and sensitivity, but also in Andrea Levy's consummate narrative skills in blending multiple voices in a framework resonant with humour, irony, understanding and a lot of fun".
They also identified topics they felt were important to include in the module, with an understanding of, and using, humour being given the highest priority.
THEY may be known the world over for their intelligence, good humour and urbane understanding of global affairs.
It is a time that can be full of gifts, of depth, of understanding, of honesty – even of humour.
