jewelry

[güey]

Hello,
Would you tell me please if it means lawyers wear jewelry on themselves, or that they are wealthy in general? (I don't think "jewelry" is a reference to the dog.)

"What’s the difference between an attorney and a pit bull?"
"Jewelry."
(joke found online)

 

[Skrej]

It has nothing to do with wealth. It's suggesting that lawyers are like pitbulls, with the only difference being that lawyers wear jewelry while the dog doesn't.

It's a reference to the stereotype of a pitbull being aggressive and tenacious. They were originally bred for pit fighting (hence the name), where they were known for their tendency to not let go once they bit down, until their opponent was dead.

The joke is that lawyers are also aggressive and won't let go until they've won their case. It's an anti-lawyer joke. It's also common to refer to lawyers as snakes.

There's a whole genre of jokes making fun of lawyers - google 'lawyer jokes' to find some.

Q: What do you call a thousand lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?
A: A good start!

 

[probus]

Pit bulls are widely feared and despised, but they never wear jewelry.

I'm curious: would it be funny if translated into Ukrainian? Jokes are rarely funny after translation.

Cross-posted with @Skrej.

Here's another one: Scientists have decided to stop experimenting on rats and use lawyers instead. This will avoid the problem of investigators forming emotional attachments to their experimental subjects.

 

[güey]

Thank you!

Yes, I have read some English lawyer jokes, and I didn't know there were so many negative stereotypes about them.

A lawyer was so large that, when he died, the undertaker couldn’t find a coffin big enough to hold the body. So, the undertaker gave him an enema and buried him in a shoebox.

It's suggesting that lawyers are like pitbulls, with the only difference being that lawyers wear jewelry while the dog doesn't.

And that was my guess, too; the reason why I was unsure was that there was nothing specific about "jewelry." For example, it could just as well be: suit, briefcase, wallet, cellphone, necktie...

I'm curious: would it be funny if translated into Ukrainian? Jokes are rarely funny after translation.

I believe it would - there's no particular play on words here. But I can't tell if these "lawyer" stereotypes are as common over here as in the Western culture.

 

[Barque]

that there was nothing specific about "jewelry."

It's probably meant to suggest lawyers make money and dress ostentatiously.