BarbaraUK
Drama Llama
Surrounded by my yarn stash on the NE coast of England...............!! Refupea 1702
Posts: 5,961
Location: England UK
Jun 27, 2014 12:47:11 GMT
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Post by BarbaraUK on Mar 24, 2016 13:17:18 GMT
It's a pretty common term. We've a lot of British dry-witted DNA here.  Some of our American friends pretty much mostly 'get' our dry humour but some just shake their heads and say 'Brit humour!'.  |
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Post by leftturnonly on Mar 24, 2016 13:25:17 GMT
It's a pretty common term. We've a lot of British dry-witted DNA here. Some of our American friends pretty much mostly 'get' our dry humour but some just shake their heads and say 'Brit humour!'. Monty Python. |
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Post by jenjie on Mar 24, 2016 13:32:35 GMT
I'm thinking the real question should be, will the subject and family members consider it a compliment or not? I'm sure the tone of your entire piece is complimentary so it should be pretty easy to see you are not being unkind in your description.
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Judy26
Pearl Clutcher
MOTFY Bitchy Nursemaid
Posts: 2,834 
Location: NW PA
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Post by Judy26 on Mar 24, 2016 14:22:10 GMT
A "dry sense of humor" is much more descriptive than "terrific". I would use that adjective and think of it as complimentary. And if someone doesn't understand the term they can research it. I dislike the whole idea of dummying down writing to be politically correct or to hit the lowest intellectual common denominator.
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,592
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Mar 24, 2016 14:30:53 GMT
Absolutely.
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MaryMary
Pearl Clutcher
Lazy
Posts: 2,975
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Post by MaryMary on Mar 24, 2016 14:33:20 GMT
Compliment.
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Post by anxiousmom on Mar 24, 2016 14:40:46 GMT
Just for fun, I googled 'is a dry sense of humor a compliment' to see what I could find. Turns out, there are a lot of people out there that don't know if it is or not.
My personal opinion is that it is kind of like sarcasm. True sarcasm is bitingly funny, but a good number of people confuse sarcasm with straight up ugliness that is more about cutting people down than humor. Sometimes a dry sense of humor is REALLY funny, but a good bit of the time it isn't because what people think they are doing and what actually is coming out their mouths are two very different things.
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Post by jackie on Mar 24, 2016 14:41:25 GMT
Definitely a compliment. I agree with those that associate a dry sense of humor with wit and intelligence. IMO, anyone who gets jokes and laughs has a sense of humor, a dry sense of humor says something more. And I agree that if you're at all worried you could throw an adjective in like "wonderfully/delightfully dry sense of humor". Now if someone said "biting sense of humor" that could have negative connotations, but "dry"? No way.
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mallie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,253
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Post by mallie on Mar 24, 2016 16:35:50 GMT
I think that term is a descriptor. I see it as a neutral, neither good nor bad.
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Post by anniefb on Mar 24, 2016 16:52:20 GMT
I also think there are people who don't know what the phrase means, especially US readers. I think it is more a British term than US term. I think you might be right. It would be seen as a compliment here. In New Zealand as well. |
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Post by Ellie on Mar 24, 2016 16:59:54 GMT
Definitely a compliment - especially after googling. You could use a phrase such as: delightful(ly) dry sense of humor pleasant sense of humor I certainly see it as a compliment, but really like mlynn's suggestion to add "delightfully." I just don't think "terrific" is descriptive enough, but "delightfully dry sense of humor" ensures its taken as a compliment. Well I would hope so. Plus there's a little alliteration there for fun. |
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Post by peano on Mar 24, 2016 17:22:22 GMT
I personally think a dry sense of humor is a positive, but since this is a written piece, why not quote the guy, giving a concrete example of his sense of humor. You capture the guy's essence and your audience can judge the quality of his sense of humor themselves.
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Post by stefdesign on Mar 24, 2016 17:31:23 GMT
Definitely a compliment - especially after googling. You could use a phrase such as: delightful(ly) dry sense of humor pleasant sense of humor I certainly see it as a compliment, but really like mlynn's suggestion to add "delightfully." I just don't think "terrific" is descriptive enough, but "delightfully dry sense of humor" ensures its taken as a compliment. Well I would hope so. Plus there's a little alliteration there for fun. I agree with mlynn and Ellie: love "delightfully dry sense of humor". |
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eastcoastpea
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,252
Jun 27, 2014 13:05:28 GMT
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Post by eastcoastpea on Mar 24, 2016 17:33:58 GMT
I would think of it as a compliment  I would also, but I enjoy that type of humor.  I do as well. |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Apr 27, 2024 23:29:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2016 3:05:56 GMT
Definitely a compliment - especially after googling. You could use a phrase such as: delightful(ly) dry sense of humorpleasant sense of humor I think that perfectly describes it in a positive light. |
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Post by pierogi on Mar 25, 2016 3:14:04 GMT
I would be flattered if someone said I had a dry sense of humor. I think the phrase "quick witted" is similar, but not quite the same as "having a dry sense of humor." All dry humor is quick-witted, but not all quick-wits are dry. At least that's how I view the difference. |
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Post by refugeepea on Mar 25, 2016 3:27:19 GMT
I've never heard of dry sense of humor as a negative trait; I live in the U.S.
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tincin
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,367
Jul 25, 2014 4:55:32 GMT
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Post by tincin on Mar 25, 2016 10:46:48 GMT
Compliment. Anyone who finds it insulting may not have a sense of humour or just a bee stuck in their bonnet. What an odd thing for someone to be offended by... but really people get offended at the stupidest things these days. I take offense to that. |
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