punchline
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punchline
The surprising, funny, or witty final effect of a story, joke, or anecdote that gives it its actual punchline.
Alle lachten, als er den Point seines Witzes erzählte.
Everyone laughed when he told the punchline of his joke.
'Der Point' is a loanword from English ('point'). In German, it is used almost exclusively for the surprising or funny punchline of a joke or story.
Ein guter Witz braucht einen unerwarteten Point.
A good joke needs an unexpected punchline.
A typical collocation is 'einen Point setzen'. This means to present the climax of a story deliberately and effectively.
Der Redner wusste genau, wie er einen Point setzen musste, um das Publikum zum Lachen zu bringen.
The speaker knew exactly how to deliver a punchline in order to make the audience laugh.
The genitive or 'von' is often used to describe what the 'Point' (punchline) belongs to. Typical phrases are 'der Point des Witzes' (the punchline of the joke) or 'der Point von der ganzen Geschichte' (the point of the whole story).
Ich habe den Point seiner Geschichte nicht sofort verstanden.
I didn't immediately understand the punchline of his story.
joke
'der Witz' and 'der Point' both have to do with the surprising or funny core of a story. 'Witz' usually means the whole short funny story, or the funny aspect of something in general. 'Point' more specifically means the decisive surprising effect, often at the end. Learners may confuse the words because a good 'Witz' needs a good 'Point'. Practically speaking: the 'Witz' is often the whole story, while the 'Point' is the moment when you understand why it is funny.
Der Point der Geschichte kommt erst im letzten Satz.
The punchline of the story comes only in the last sentence.
Beim Abendessen erzählte Paul einen Witz, und alle mussten lachen.
At dinner, Paul told a joke, and everyone had to laugh.