These are simple catches, in which the sense is playfully cheated, and are generally founded upon words capable of double meaning. The following are examples: Where did Charles the First's executioner dine, and what did he take? _He took a chop at the King's Head._ When is a plant to be dreaded more than a mad dog? _When it's madder._ What is majesty stripped of its externals? It is _a jest_. [The _m_ and the _y_, externals, are taken away.] Why is hot bread like a caterpillar? _Because it's the grub that makes the butter fly._ Why did the accession of Victoria throw a greater damp over England than the death of King William? _Because the King was missed_ (mist) _while the Queen was reigning_ (raining). Why should a gouty man make his will? _To have his legatees_ (leg at ease). Why are bankrupts more to be pitied than idiots? _Because bankrupts are broken, while idiots are only cracked._ Why is the treadmill like a true convert? _Because it's turning is the result of conviction._ When may a nobleman's property be said to be all feathers? _When his estates are all entails_ (hen-tails). [EVERY MAN KNOWS WHERE HIS OWN SHOE PINCHES.]