|
|
|
Ole was not long over and consequently had a little doubt of his ability to manage it perfectly. When the saleswoman asked him what his wishes were, he was able to mutter: "Ay vant peer ov gloffs to my vife." "Certainly," said the polite clerk cheerfully, "Suede perhaps." "Oh no," said Ole, brightening up at this evident interest in his domestic affairs, "She air Norvijen, o' ve har sex shildren." |
|
Ole Olson jokes were a staple of humor in my family, as I suspect they were in most Norwegian families. My Great-Uncle Otto Myrland, the third of the five children to live in Grantsburg, had a huge repertoire of Ole jokes, all told in dialect.Here are a couple of them: One day Ole was late for work because his alarm clock didn't go off. Angry and disgusted, he removed the back of the clock, and a huge, dead cockroach fell out. "Vell, no vonder it don't work," Ole said. "The ding-busted engineer is dead!"
Ole's boss sent him to collect some money from a man who had been delinquent on his account for years. When Ole returned, the boss asked Ole what the man had said. "Oh, he said he vould pay you this vinter," Ole replied. "This winter?" the boss asked.
"Ya," Ole continued, "he said it vould be a dam cold day before you get your money."
Copyright 1996 Larry Myrland Harnisch
|