odour in the court

Ethaar   Sun Dec 03, 2006 8:53 pm GMT
I heard this joke few days ago:

There is this trial going on and a skunk enters the room. What does the judge say?

Odour in the court.

What is the second meaning of the phrase "odour in the court" (apart from the one talking about smell) ??
Lazar   Sun Dec 03, 2006 9:24 pm GMT
Judges will typically bang their gavel (ceremonial wooden hammer) and say, "Order in the court!" if their courtroom gets too rowdy. (For example, if a witness or a lawyer starts ranting, or if people in the audience start yelling, or if a fistfight breaks out.) So "odour in the court" is a play on words, referring to the odour of the skunk.
j   Sun Dec 03, 2006 9:29 pm GMT
The judge says 'Order in the Court! 'which sounds pretty similar.
Uriel   Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:28 am GMT
Well, not to me, but I guess if you're non-rhotic...
Uriel   Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:29 am GMT
That's why Americans can't pull off "HMS Pinafore" -- orphan and often sound nothing alike to us, and an American actor really has to torture the word to get to the joke to work.
j   Mon Dec 04, 2006 6:10 am GMT
I've just been explaining the joke to Ethaar. 'Odor' and 'order' do sound differently. But not that differently to not understand a joke.