on higher perches

[güey]

Coud you explain to me the point of the joke, please? I see that there is a pun here - on higher perches / on hire purchase. But still the whole meaning is unclear to me.

Three budgies in a cage, one on the top perch, one on the middle and one on the bottom perch.
Which Budgie owns the cage?
The one on the bottom perch, the other two are on higher perches.
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[Barque]

Yes, it's a pun on "hire purchase". It sounds as if the top two budgies are paying for their space in instalments, or renting their space.

It'd probably have sounded better if it was:
Do all the budgies own their perches?
No, only the bottom one. The others are on higher perches.

But it's a joke of course, and people aren't always very careful about the way they construct jokes. The humour comes from understanding the pun.

 

[Amigos4]

The concept of “hire purchase” is completely foreign to this American. I have never heard the expression used on this side of the pond!

 

[Rover_KE]

You probably know it as ‘financing’ or ‘an installment plan’.

 

[Amigos4]

You probably know it as ‘financing’ or ‘an installment plan’.

Exactly!

 

[güey]

It sounds as if the top two budgies are paying for their space in instalments, or renting their space.

I thought it sounded like they were on sale. Does on hire purchase indeed mean they are the buyers?

 

[Barque]

I thought it sounded like they were on sale. Does on hire purchase indeed mean they are the buyers?

It doesn't refer to the budgies being on sale. It refers to their perches.

Does on hire purchase indeed mean they are the buyers?

"Hire purchase" is a scheme where you pay for something in instalments. Sometimes, it's only when you pay all the instalments does it formally become yours.

The joke here is: One budgie owns the cage, and the other two are paying for their perches on an instalment plan.

It's just a joke, just to exploit the similarity in pronunciation between "higher perches" and "hire purchase". It isn't meant to make absolute sense.

 

[Amigos4]

Yes! They are the buyers. American budgies would buy/rent their perches on an "installment plan".