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.
punch line
Point and Pointe can both refer to the surprising, witty ending of a story or joke. Today, Pointe is the standard form, while Point sounds rare or dated. In normal conversations and texts, Pointe is therefore usually the better choice.
Der Point der alten Anekdote war für die Zuhörer noch verständlich.
The punchline of the old anecdote was still understandable to the listeners.
Die Pointe der alten Anekdote brachte alle zum Lachen.
The punchline of the old anecdote made everyone laugh.
