Beatle

I was talking to an Italian student about English humour. As an example I used the Paul McCartney joke. OK, it’s not exactly a joke, it’s a pub quiz question, but it appeals to the English sense of the ridiculous. (What’s Paul McCartney’s middle name? After several wrong answers… Solution: Paul. Uh? Yes, he’s James Paul McCartney.) My student had a bent for lateral thinking, so I thought she would enjoy this. Her first answer was ‘Mac’. Creative enough, but I had to point out that ‘Mac’ was part of his surname and couldn’t count as a middle name. After several wild guesses, the student forced me to reveal the answer. After a moment’s reflection she said: ‘So he doesn’t have a first name.’ Me: ‘What do you mean?’ Student: ‘He doesn’t have a first name, only a middle name and a surname’. And that could be the difference between English and Italian humour.