A Wonderleaf question
Why is it called the funny bone?
a real page from the book
The funny bone is called that because a mostly unshielded nerve near your elbow gets pressed when you hit the spot. That nerve, the ulnar nerve, sends scrambled signals toward your hand, so your fingers may tingle even though they were not bumped.
The name probably stuck for two reasons: the nearby upper-arm bone is the humerus, which sounds like humorous, and “funny” can also mean odd. That elbow shock is not comic so much as strangely electric.
Wonder words
- nerve
- elbow
- tingle
- humerus
Try it out
Trace gently from your elbow to your ring finger and pinky, noticing the path where the ulnar nerve carries feeling.
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