The Three Stooges
“An Englishman, an Irishman, and a Scotsman were in a pub, talking about their sons. “My son was born on St George’s Day,” commented the English man. “So, we obviously decided to call him George.” “That’s a real coincidence,” remarked the Scotsman. “My son was born on St Andrew’s Day, so obviously we decided to call him Andrew. That’s incredible – what a coincidence,” said the Irishman. “Exactly the same thing happened with my son Pancake.”
Photo credit ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
In the UK and Ireland especially, “An Englishman, an Irishman, and a Scotsman” is the opening line of a common category of joke – if the joke requires four people, a Welshman is included, but generally it uses the rule of three: the first two characters set up an expectation which is subverted by the third. Traditionally, an Englishman, an Irishman, and a Scotsman are used, but the joke has evolved to feature various nations and their stereotypes. For example: “A Chinese, an American, and a Japanese” in China; “A Pole, a German, and a Russian” in Poland; “A Portuguese man, a Frenchman, and an Englishman” in Portugal; and “A Finn, a Swede, and a Norwegian” in Finland. It is interesting to note, however, that all variations typically start with the favored (or home) nationality, with the others faring poorly in the joke according to their national (often negative) stereotypes.