This article is from the The Complete Guide To Hack Stand-Up Comedy, by Steven Rosenthal and Steve Silberberg (stevebo@onramp.net) with numerous contributions by others.
The "Bait and Switch" is a classic comedy device that'll stay with us
probably forever (for what else is comedy than setting up expectations and
then switching gears against those expectations?) However, boil the device
down to its bare bones and you get a joke that comics are starting to do to
death. Set up a character that's really obscene and then say, "Okay Rabbi,
calm down!" Describe a very masculine group and top it off with "...and
that's just the women!" If you have one of these, make sure the gag is
better hidden.
 
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