2014-12-26
Explanation
The Joke
The comic poses the question: "You ever wish Charles Dickens named his characters during a time when swearing was more socially acceptable?" It then shows two Dickensian characters greeting each other with absurdly vulgar names: "Evening, Mrs. Chillybitch" and "What is it, Mr. Thimblecock?"
The Humor
Charles Dickens is famous for giving his characters outlandish, colorful, and often suggestive-sounding names (Ebenezer Scrooge, Uriah Heep, Mr. Bumble, Wackford Squeers, etc.). Many of his real character names already sound vaguely absurd or borderline inappropriate to modern ears. The joke imagines what would happen if Dickens had been writing in an era without taboos around profanity -- the resulting names (Chillybitch, Thimblecock) are perfectly in keeping with his style of evocative, multi-syllable character names, but with actual swear words incorporated. The humor comes from how naturally these vulgar names fit the Dickensian naming convention, as if they are only one small step removed from his actual creative choices.
References
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was the renowned English novelist known for works such as Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and A Christmas Carol. His characters frequently bore distinctive, memorable names that often reflected their personalities or social status.