What do you call an obnoxious reindeer?

This holiday groaner is a classic example of a pun, where the humor comes from a simple and silly play on words. The punchline works by taking a very famous name and giving it a slight, descriptive twist. It mashes up the adjective "rude," which means obnoxious or ill-mannered, with the name of a certain celebrity reindeer. The joke sets you up to expect a name, and the punchline delivers one that cleverly explains the reindeer's bad behavior.

Of course, the whole thing only works because the audience immediately recognizes the name "Rudolph." Thanks to the 1949 song and the beloved holiday TV special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is arguably the most famous fictional sleigh-puller in history. His name is so ingrained in holiday culture that it's the perfect target for a pun. There's also a touch of irony, since in the original story, it was all the other reindeer who were rude to him. This joke flips the script and makes the famous underdog the annoying one for a change.