A comedy aphorism proven time and again by television talk show host David Letterman, whose punchlines frequently make some reference to pants or the lack thereof. The inclusion of pants makes a funny situation funnier, and can raise a chuckle from something that really isn't that funny at all.

For instance, try saying this aloud:

"Hey, check out my new invention -- little shirts for cell phones!"

Not so funny, right? Now try:

"Hey, check out my new invention -- little pants for cell phones!"

Ha ha! Excuse me while I wipe the tears of helpless laughter from my eyes. Face it, the mental image of a shirt-wearing cell phone just doesn't stack up humor-wise to the image of one that's sporting a tiny pair of chinos.

The same effect can be had from the word monkey. No doubt you're already wondering about the comic possibilities of monkey pants, but trust me -- you don't want to go down that rabbit hole, kid.

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