---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She'd crack A joke sharp as a tin lid Hot…"
description: "\"She'd crack A joke sharp as a tin lid Hot from the teeth of the can-opener, And cackle her crack-corn laugh.\" — Sharon Olds"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/sharon-olds-8682_corn_she-d-crack-a-joke-sharp-as-a-tin-lid-ho_188939.jpg"
---

#  She'd crack A joke sharp as a tin lid Hot from the teeth…

![“She'd crack A joke sharp as a tin lid Hot from the teeth of the can-opener, And cackle her crack-corn laugh.” quote by Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/sharon-olds-8682_corn_she-d-crack-a-joke-sharp-as-a-tin-lid-ho_188939.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/sharon-olds-8682_corn_she-d-crack-a-joke-sharp-as-a-tin-lid-ho_188939.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/sharon-olds-8682_corn_she-d-crack-a-joke-sharp-as-a-tin-lid-ho_188939.jpg)

> “She'd crack A joke sharp as a tin lid Hot from the teeth of the can-opener, And cackle her crack-corn laugh.”

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The poet uses vivid, humorous imagery to describe a laugh that is sharp, metallic, and almost painful, highlighting the intensity and rawness of the emotion.

**In simple terms:** A laugh can be sharp and intense, like a metal lid.

Key Takeaway

Notice how humor can be both cutting and joyful.

Themes

humor language imagery emotion poetry

Mood

playful sharp reflective

Type

poetic literary descriptive

When to use this quote

- performance
- personal reflection
- creative writing
- spoken word

Key Concepts

metaphor sensory detail tone

Questions to Reflect On

- What does a “tin lid” laugh suggest about the speaker’s feelings?
- How does the poem’s sound affect its impact?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may obscure the literal meaning for some readers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/)

## Related quotes

> [Its jimmy crack corn here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-merrow/its-jimmy-crack-corn-here/)

[James Merrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-merrow/)

> [Here's the irony of this moment on Smackdown: Jimmy crack corn and I DO care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-grisham/here-s-the-irony-of-this-moment-on-smackdown-jimmy-crack-corn-and-i/)

Todd Grisham

> [You can crack a joke and make a person smile but it matters a lot when that's on screen. It can be a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jitendra-kumar/you-can-crack-a-joke-and-make-a-person-smile-but-it-matters-a-lot/)

[Jitendra Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jitendra-kumar/)

> [I'm not as serious of a person as people make me out to be. Most people would think that I would be less successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-i/i-m-not-as-serious-of-a-person-as-people-make-me-out-to-be-most/)

T.I

> [“If you crack a joke right now I swear I will knee you in the junk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kaye/if-you-crack-a-joke-right-now-i-swear-i-will-knee-you-in-the-junk/)

[Laura Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kaye/)

> [“MarkBaynard: I figured out in the first grade that it was better to crack a joke than somebody's skull.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-medeiros/markbaynard-i-figured-out-in-the-first-grade-that-it-was-better-to/)

[Teresa Medeiros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-medeiros/)

> [When I was younger, I used humour as a tool to avoid getting too serious with people - if there was deep emotional stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-perry/when-i-was-younger-i-used-humour-as-a-tool-to-avoid-getting-too/)

[Matthew Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-perry/)

> [It wasn't that Nanny Ogg sang badly. It was just that she could hit notes which, when amplified by a tin bath half full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-wasn-t-that-nanny-ogg-sang-badly-it-was-just-that-she-could-hit/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [I remember when my daddy gave me that gun. He told me that I should never point it at anything in the house; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-remember-when-my-daddy-gave-me-that-gun-he-told-me-that-i-should/)

[Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/)

> [I hate the opera. I think I must have a tin ear. No matter how hard I concentrate it still sounds like a bunch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle-onassis/i-hate-the-opera-i-think-i-must-have-a-tin-ear-no-matter-how-hard-i/)

[Aristotle Onassis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle-onassis/)

> [But it is my total conviction that all the trappings of good leadership are generic and widely applicable whether you are standing in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cosgrove/but-it-is-my-total-conviction-that-all-the-trappings-of-good/)

[Peter Cosgrove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cosgrove/)

> [And one fine day the goddess of the wind kisses the foot of man, that mistreated, scorned foot, and from that kiss the soccer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/and-one-fine-day-the-goddess-of-the-wind-kisses-the-foot-of-man-that/)

[Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/)

> [It's as if a child with a brush and too much enthusiasm has been set free with a tin of black paint inside me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-downham/it-s-as-if-a-child-with-a-brush-and-too-much-enthusiasm-has-been-set/)

[Jenny Downham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-downham/)

> [There is cruelty in divorce. There is cruelty in forced or unfortunate marriage. We will continue to cry at weddings because we know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-roiphe/there-is-cruelty-in-divorce-there-is-cruelty-in-forced-or-unfortunate/)

[Anne Roiphe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-roiphe/)

> [Standing in the corridor was a large plastic bin on wheels. He looked inside. Empty tins of dog food. That explained the spaghetti with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-higson/standing-in-the-corridor-was-a-large-plastic-bin-on-wheels-he-looked/)

[Charlie Higson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-higson/)

## More by Sharon Olds

> [Poems come from ordinary experiences and objects, I think. Out of memory - a dress I lent my daughter on her way back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/poems-come-from-ordinary-experiences-and-objects-i-think-out-of/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [There are some fine books and essays about that. Lewis Hyde has written about alcoholism and poets and the role that society gives its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/there-are-some-fine-books-and-essays-about-that-lewis-hyde-has/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [I'm not asking a poem to carry a lot of rocks in its pockets. Just being an ordinary observer and liver and feeler and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/i-m-not-asking-a-poem-to-carry-a-lot-of-rocks-in-its-pockets-just/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [“How do they do it, the ones who make love without love? How do they come to the come to the come to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/how-do-they-do-it-the-ones-who-make-love-without-love-how-do-they/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [If I wrote in a sonnet form, I would be distorting. Or if I had some great new idea for line breaks and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/if-i-wrote-in-a-sonnet-form-i-would-be-distorting-or-if-i-had-some/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [Many poets write books. They'll tell you: Well, I've got my next book, but there are two poems I need to write, one about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/many-poets-write-books-they-ll-tell-you-well-i-ve-got-my-next-book/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [“as if languagelessness was a step up, in evolution, from the chatter of consciousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/as-if-languagelessness-was-a-step-up-in-evolution-from-the-chatter-of/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [Maybe we can use a metaphor for it, out of dance. I think for many years I was aware of the need, in dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/maybe-we-can-use-a-metaphor-for-it-out-of-dance-i-think-for-many/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [Who wants to put together something that will bear some relationship to the vision or memory or experience or story or idea or dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/who-wants-to-put-together-something-that-will-bear-some-relationship/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [“I put my arms around a trunk and squeezed it, then I lay down on my father's grave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/i-put-my-arms-around-a-trunk-and-squeezed-it-then-i-lay-down-on-my/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [“...the liquor like fire in his hand”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/the-liquor-like-fire-in-his-hand/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [I'm probably so out of it at my age that I don't know what people think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/i-m-probably-so-out-of-it-at-my-age-that-i-don-t-know-what-people/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [“Some people think I should be over my ex by now — maybe I thought I might have been over him more by now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/some-people-think-i-should-be-over-my-ex-by-now-maybe-i-thought-i/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [Maybe in order to understand sex fully/one has to risk being destroyed by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/maybe-in-order-to-understand-sex-fully-one-has-to-risk-being/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [“I've said that he and I had been crazy for each other. But maybe my ex and I were not crazy for each other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/i-ve-said-that-he-and-i-had-been-crazy-for-each-other-but-maybe-my-ex/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

[Explore all 78 Sharon Olds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

## More Corn quotes

> [My father kept me busy from dawn to dusk when I was a kid. When I wasn't pitching hay, hauling corn or running a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-feller/my-father-kept-me-busy-from-dawn-to-dusk-when-i-was-a-kid-when-i-wasn/)

[Bob Feller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-feller/)

> [Before the world was made, when it was only darkness and mist and waters, God was well aware of Lake Wobegon, my family, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/before-the-world-was-made-when-it-was-only-darkness-and-mist-and/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [Believe it or not, Mexican cooking, for those of you who have not gone farther south than Taco Bell, uses a lot of vegetables.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/believe-it-or-not-mexican-cooking-for-those-of-you-who-have-not-gone/)

[Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/)

> [Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn into food, has in no small measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/growing-corn-which-from-a-biological-perspective-had-always-been-a/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [From cheesecake on a stick to meat skewers to deep-fried bananas on a stick - there are no plates anymore. In Los Angeles, everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/from-cheesecake-on-a-stick-to-meat-skewers-to-deep-fried-bananas-on-a/)

[Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/)

> [“...is it really true that we can't afford one attack helicopter's worth of seed corn to listen to the stars?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/is-it-really-true-that-we-can-t-afford-one-attack-helicopter-s-worth/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Hunger makes you restless. you dream about food - not just any food, but perfect food, the best food, magical meals, famous and awe-inspiring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/hunger-makes-you-restless-you-dream-about-food-not-just-any-food-but/)

[Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/)

> [...Mr. Wodehouse is a prose stylist of such startling talent that Frankie nearly skipped around with glee when she first read some of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/mr-wodehouse-is-a-prose-stylist-of-such-startling-talent-that-frankie/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [Heaven above was blue, and earth beneath was green; the river glistened like a path of diamonds in the sun; the birds poured forth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/heaven-above-was-blue-and-earth-beneath-was-green-the-river-glistened/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [I give boring people something to discuss over corn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/i-give-boring-people-something-to-discuss-over-corn/)

[Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/)

> [Written in support of abolishing the Corn Laws, it became Elliott's most famous poem. The Peoples Anthem When wilt thou save the people Oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ebenezer-elliott/written-in-support-of-abolishing-the-corn-laws-it-became-elliott-s/)

[Ebenezer Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ebenezer-elliott/)

> [Our typical Western diet is full of inflammatory fats - saturated fats, trans fats, too many omega-6, inflammatory, processed vegetable oils like soy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-typical-western-diet-is-full-of-inflammatory-fats-saturated-fats/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Just as Americans have discovered the hidden energy costs in a multitude of products-in refrigerating a steak, for example, on its way to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-adler/just-as-americans-have-discovered-the-hidden-energy-costs-in-a/)

Jerry Adler

> [“Before the corn comes up you can see a long way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shon-hopwood/before-the-corn-comes-up-you-can-see-a-long-way/)

Shon Hopwood

Browse all 491 Corn quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "She'd crack A joke sharp as a tin lid Hot from the teeth of the can-opener, And cackle her crack-corn laugh.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sharon Olds"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/she-d-crack-a-joke-sharp-as-a-tin-lid-hot-from-the-teeth-of-the-can/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Corn"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/she-d-crack-a-joke-sharp-as-a-tin-lid-hot-from-the-teeth-of-the-can/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/sharon-olds-8682_corn_she-d-crack-a-joke-sharp-as-a-tin-lid-ho_188939.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/sharon-olds-8682_corn_she-d-crack-a-joke-sharp-as-a-tin-lid-ho_188939.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/sharon-olds-8682_corn_she-d-crack-a-joke-sharp-as-a-tin-lid-ho_188939.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“She'd crack A joke sharp as a tin lid Hot from the teeth of the can-opener, And cackle her crack-corn laugh.” — Sharon Olds",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Sharon Olds",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "She'd crack A joke sharp as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/she-d-crack-a-joke-sharp-as-a-tin-lid-hot-from-the-teeth-of-the-can/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/she-d-crack-a-joke-sharp-as-a-tin-lid-hot-from-the-teeth-of-the-can/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
