Does a second meaning of “Hypotenuse” exist?

Question

You may be right, Pythagoras, but everyone’s going to laugh if you call it a “hypotenuse”.

Does "hypotenuse" have a second meaning? What's funny about the word? Is it something about a wrong pronunciation?

I suspect it's just that the writer thought the word sounded funny. I don't know of any other meaning in English. My dictionary says the Greek means "to stretch under", which doesn't sound particularly funny either. — Jay, Sep 7 '12 at 13:57
@Jay: I suspect if you asked a large number of native speakers to identify the "funniest" word out of motorcycle, entertainment, superstitious, constellation, hypotenuse, opposition, predatory, mandatory, etc., forced to make a choice, the vast majority would pick hypotenuse. Those are useful links, btw. — FumbleFingers, Sep 7 '12 at 19:57
"I’m very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical, I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical, About binomial theorem I’m teeming with a lot o’ news – With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse." - W. S. Gilbert, Pirates of Penzance. In the version of the play that I saw, after singing "lot o' news" the actor paused and said, "Hmm, what rhymes with lot o' news ... oh ..." — Jay, Sep 8 '12 at 4:13
It all has to do with the old joke about the squaw on the hippopotamus. — Hot Licks, Oct 23 '17 at 23:33

Marcus_33 · Accepted Answer · 2012-09-07 13:57:41Z

up vote 7 down vote accepted

I'd have to see the context on the joke, but when I was a teenager in math class we'd laugh about it being "High Pot in Use".

answered Sep 7 '12 at 13:57

Marcus_33

5,5191529

Context: "Frank and Ernest" Oct 15, 2006 and May 13, 1984... frankandernest.com – GEdgar Sep 7 '12 at 16:59
That was doubtless a peculiarity of your math class or some other highly regional interpretation. I don't think there's any reason to postulate alliterative words to make hypotenuse "funny". – FumbleFingers Sep 7 '12 at 20:03

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