Sockdologizing?

As long as we're on the trivia kick, here's a bit of trivia for you: What's the deadliest punchline in history?

Answer: "you sockdologizing old man-trap."

It was during the raucous laughter that followed this line that John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. Booth was one of the most popular stage actors of his day and although he was not in the cast of Our American Cousin that night at Ford's Theatre, he did know the play quite well and waited until the largest laugh line of the night to make his move, in hopes that the laughter would mask the sound of his gunshot.

The whole line reads as follows: ""Don't know the manners of good society, eh? Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal—you sockdologizing old man-trap." This line makes very little sense out of context and judging from what passed for Civil War humor, it would doubtfully make us laugh much today even if it were in context.

However, the moral remains clear: Humor, though a profound tool of joy, can also be subverted for evil means. Therefore, I shall no longer practice it.

Statler: (from balcony) I wasn't aware that he ever did! Doh-ho-ho-ho!

P.S. I went to the Lincoln Presidential Museum today. It was way cool and I learned a lot. Thank you, museum, for making learning fun.