Grandpa is being uncooperative

by JLS
for the GC

Kramer:
"Grandpa's behavior without the bad word suggests senility, which we laugh at because, like the old silver clock on the wall, it waits for us all. The dirty word simultaneously changes the senility to virile feistiness and doubles down on grandpa's inappropriateness."

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It is still problematic precisely what principle or maxim it flouts. It is a bit like your take on "My lips are sealed".

He is being informative. There is really no bit on the utterance he can 'elide' without making his move MORE inappropriate or odder.

He is being 'honest'.

He is being relevant. To his intention to communicate that precise thought. And his idea that the four-year old in front of him is 'willing' to learn.

He is being perspicuous. And orderly. "First going, upstairs; then, doing a bit of the other."

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So, the joke must be only in Calvin's report in the meta-text:

[I'm going upstairs to fuck your grandmother]

sounds terse, and indeed, not terribly inappropriate by 'conversational maxims' standards. Recall Grice WANTS to say that conversational maxims are NOT 'moral maxims'.

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The metatext, variants:

This is what my grandpa said:
I was four-year olds then, and I recall.
Looking back. I would say he was "Honest": he would NOT BULLSHIT.

--- the problem with the account is 'a four year old'. I would not think it is the way we use 'bullshit' that, when adding 'a four year old' as the OBJECT of the bullshitting, and it's about sexual behaviour at play. Note that Granda's choice is, too, the equivalent of "My lips are sealed".

In any case, next.

We need to see how WELL Grice applies to ALL jokes. I should re-read the post, "Funny that you should mention that..." to check if I missed another joke.