A man walks into a bar and asks for a glass of water.

This joke masterfully plays with our expectations, setting up a seemingly normal request in a bar before taking a wildly unexpected turn. The initial setup leads us to anticipate a standard bar interaction, perhaps a misunderstanding about the order or a witty retort about the availability of water.

The humor mechanism here is primarily misdirection (Review) and absurdity. The bartender's extreme reaction of pulling out a shotgun completely subverts our initial assumptions, creating a moment of shock and confusion. The punchline then brilliantly resolves this bizarre situation by revealing the man's true intention: to be startled out of his hiccups. This taps into the common folk remedy of scaring someone to cure hiccups, making the bartender's aggressive act suddenly, and comically, helpful.

It's a clever twist that relies on the audience's knowledge of both typical bar scenarios and unconventional home remedies. The joke finds its stride in the dark humor of using such an extreme method for a minor inconvenience, turning a moment of potential danger into a surprisingly effective, if over-the-top, act of service.