Unraveling the Comedy of Chicken Butt: The Timeless, Amusing, and Sarcastic Retort

“In the English language, ‘chicken butt‘ stands out as one of the most amusing retorts.

It serves as a sarcastic response to the question ‘Guess what?’ When someone asks ‘Guess what?’ in this manner, they end up being the subject of mockery in the eyes of those present in the room.

If you find yourself among folks who appreciate humor and sarcasm, ‘chicken butt’ can provide the comic relief you’re looking for.

What makes this joke particularly delightful is its timeless quality. Chickens are inherently funny, and so are butts.

The combination of the two in ‘chicken butts’ is virtually irresistibly funny. These facts are unlikely to change.

The Origin of ‘chicken butt’:

Naturally, this witty phrase must have originated from somewhere.

According to an article on Today I Found Out, in response to a request from reader Matt R., writer Melissa Blevins (no relation) delved into the origins of the ‘chicken butt’ joke.

In this context, ‘butt’ referred to a chicken’s shoulder, not its posterior.

A reference to these street vendors found its way into George Gershwin’s ‘Porgy And Bess’ in 1935, although in this case, ‘butts’ was rhymed with ‘guts.’ A primitive precursor to the modern-day ‘chicken butt’ joke also appears in a 1962 novel by Charles G.

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Bell. By the early 1970s, variations of the joke were being cited in academic works about language and early childhood education.

Interestingly, the term served a dual purpose back then.

It could be used as a witty response to ‘What?’ or simply as a versatile insult. Unfortunately, the documentation from that era is both scarce and anecdotal.

According to Blevins, it’s likely that this humorous phrase ‘originated in southern black-American culture at least as early as the 1960s, and probably a bit before that.’

From there, it was embraced by the entire English-speaking world.

How to use the ‘chicken butt’ phrase:

• It can be employed as a response to an annoying question, such as ‘Guess what?’ This response is especially useful when someone is genuinely expected to guess the topic at hand. Questioner: Guess what? Clever You: “Chicken butt!” Questioner: “Um… right…”
• It can be used in a win-or-lose game. The questioner attempts to catch the respondent off guard by asking ‘Guess what?’ as if they genuinely have some news. A: Guess what? B: What? A: Chicken butt! If the respondent answers ‘guess what’ with ‘what?’ they lose the game, but if they reply with ‘chicken butt,’ they win.
• It can be used to refer to someone who is scared.
• It can function as a nickname for a friend.
• It can be used in a rhyming game for kids or among friends. #1. Guess What? Answer: Chicken butt #2. Guess Where? Answer: Chicken hair #3. Guess Why? Answer: Chicken thigh #4. Guess Who? Answer: Chicken pooh #5. Guess the rest? Answer: Chicken breast”