Tennis bracelets owe a lot to 18-time Grand Slam winner Chris Evert—but their origin story is widely mistold.
ByEllen Gutoskey|Jun 28, 2024, 10:03 AM EDT
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The traditional tennis bracelet is a flexible and daintily narrow band of small, identical diamonds. Though variations abound—some featuring diamonds in less uniform configurations, others featuring different gemstones altogether—none really explains what any of this has to do with tennis.
Here’s the most common origin story of the accessory: At the 1987 U.S. Open, tennis star Chris Evert wore a thin diamond bracelet that snapped off her wrist in the middle of a match. She called off play to recover it, and the publicity surrounding the snafu popularized what she called her “tennis bracelet.”
But this tale is complicated by the fact that references to the phrase tennis bracelet in its modern sense predate the 1987 U.S. Open by at least a couple years. So what’s the truth?
Chrissie on the Court With Diamonds
Correcting one part of the story is easy: People have just misreported the year that Evert’s bracelet broke on the court. In 2018, Evert’s publicist, Tami Starr, told The Adventurine that Evert remembered the event occurring when the U.S. Open relocated from Forest Hills to Flushing Meadows (both in Queens, New York). The U.S. Open was first held in Flushing Meadows in 1978—not 1987. Apart from the date discrepancy, Evert’s recollection more or less matches the conventional narrative.
“Chrissie recalls that she was wearing a diamond and gold bracelet, and it broke and fell onto the court in an early round of the Open, and they had to stop play while she looked for it,” Starr said.
But it may be simplifying sartorial history to call this the inciting incident behind the tennis bracelet fad. For one thing, even some of Evert’s biggest games at the 1978 Open weren’t nationally televised, making it unlikely that the early-round scene with the broken bracelet reached a broad audience; it doesn’t seem to have been widely reported in print, either (if at all). Moreover, the phrase tennis bracelet didn’t start appearing in newspapers until the mid-1980s.
In other words, there’s no rigid record supporting the notion that jewelry wearers flocked to buy so-called “tennis bracelets” after Evert sported—and then lost and found—a flexible diamond bracelet during one highly publicized match in 1978. But that’s not to say she doesn’t deserve credit for making them a thing.
The Fashion GOAT
Chris Evert, in the words of one Redditor, “was a fashion GOAT.” She unofficially started earning this title at just 16, when she faced off against Billie Jean King in the 1971 U.S. Open semifinals wearing a white lace dress, hoop earrings, and a white bow in her hair. Her outfits—often white frocks with colored trim that Evert frequently paired with matching hair ribbons—exuded a similar sense of athletic femininity. Jewelry factored into the mix, too, even as her attire got a little less dressy (and a little more vibrant) in the 1980s.
It was also during the ’80s that Evert scored a sponsorship deal with Rolex, which may have reinforced her long-standing association with wrist trimmings of all kinds, from sweatbands to cuff bracelets to tennis bracelets (then known as diamond line bracelets or eternity bracelets). When newspapers started mentioning tennis bracelets, Evert was often mentioned right along with them.
“Chris Evert Lloyd started it all when she showed up on the tennis court wearing a narrow diamond bracelet on the same wrist as her Rolex. Thus, the tennis bracelet was born,” proclaimed a gift guide in a December 1986 issue of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A September 1987 advertisement in Pennsylvania’s York Daily Record showed an image of the bracelets beside a tennis ball and racket with the headline “Look what Chris Evert started!”
Earlier that summer, The New York Times published a whole feature on the new trend of wearing diamond line bracelets in athletic settings. “The customers who buy it refer to it as a tennis bracelet. Women who wear it along with a Piaget or Rolex watch call it a tennis bracelet. Almost everyone who knows diamonds refers to it as a tennis bracelet,” the article read. “Why, you may ask, a tennis bracelet? Most likely because Chris Evert, among others, has worn one on the tennis courts. Legend has it that the bracelet was first retailed as a tennis bracelet in southern Florida, where Ms. Evert has her home.”
As for why this particular type of bracelet made sense for tennis, The Times chalked it up to flexibility and simplicity, and a 1986 syndicated article pointed out that “it’s generally worn on the same wrist as the watch, which is usually the hand that does NOT hold the tennis racket (and therefore won’t interfere with your swing).” Plus, if it was good enough for one of the best tennis players of all time, it was definitely good enough for any amateur (insofar as wearing diamonds while playing sports is a good idea for anyone).
All things considered, it’s not hard to guess why Evert’s match-halting bracelet blunder so often gets misdated as 1987. Not only is the number a single typo away from 1978, but it’s also when tennis bracelets were a fashion phenomenon. And even though they didn’t really catch on—or get called “tennis bracelets”—until years after Evert first debuted hers on the court, she herself has leaned into 1978 as the official origin year. “Born 1978,” says the web page for her tennis bracelet collection with jeweler Monica Rich Kosann.
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110 Thanksgiving Jokes That Are Surprisingly Easy to Digest
The turkey might be overcooked, but these Thanksgiving puns and dad jokes are anything but dry.
ByNitya Rao|Nov 7, 2026, 7:00 PM EST
Studies show that 10 to 15 minutes of laughing can burn up to 40 calories. On Thanksgiving, after a spread filled with golden-brown turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, and unlimited pumpkin pie, you’ll definitely want to double that dose and pass it down the table.
While you can usually count on your zany uncle to supply a few unexpected chuckles midway through the meal, why leave your holiday humor to chance? Prepping a few Thanksgiving jokes alongside your stuffing is the best defense against a dead-silent dinner table. After all, who doesn’t love a bit of playful holiday humor between passes of the platter?
Why did the turkey pass on the pumpkin pie? He was stuffed.
What happens when potatoes drink too much? They get mashed.
If either of those carved out a smile, you’re in for a real feast! Whether you’re looking to break an awkward silence before politics come up or simply want to entertain the kids’ table, here are more than 100 hilarious Thanksgiving jokes, puns, and dad jokes guaranteed to give your core a workout.
Funny Thanksgiving Jokes
1. Who delivers the best Thanksgiving sides?
Yam-azon.
2. Why do so many people eat potatoes on Thanksgiving?
Because they’ve got a-peel.
3. What do you call a wisecracking Butterball?
A fresh turkey.
4. What did one pumpkin pie say to the other?
“You wanna piece of me?”
5. In what state did the pilgrims arrive?
Exhaustion.
6. What do you call a sad cranberry?
A blueberry.
7. What do you get when you cross a Thanksgiving centerpiece with a trumpet?
A horn-ucopia.
8. How do potatoes cross the sea?
On gravy boats.
9. What smells the best at a Thanksgiving dinner?
Your nose.
10. Why did the Brussels sprout cross the street?
It spotted a fork in the distance.
11. What did the butter say when it won the race?
“I’m on a roll!”
12. What do sweet potatoes wear to bed?
Yammies.
13. What did the gravy say when it got promoted at work?
“I’m moving up in the food chain!”
14. Why did the roll go to the doctor?
It was feeling crummy.
15. What’s the difference between a Thanksgiving turkey and a bad joke?
One gets dressed, and the other gets roasted.
16. What did the shocked pumpkin say to the squash?
“Oh my gourd!”
17. What do you call a male turkey’s idea of a practical joke?
Tomfoolery.
18. What happens when potatoes drink too much?
They get mashed.
19. Who can be both naked and dressed at the same time?
A turkey.
Thanksgiving Turkey Jokes
20. What do you call a track-star turkey?
Fast food.
21. What’s a turkey’s favorite dessert?
Apple gobbler.
22. What does a turkey say to a search engine?
Google, google, google!
23. Why did the turkey bring a microphone to the dinner table?
He wanted to host a roast.
24. What’s the best way to stuff a turkey?
Serve him lots of mac and cheese and pie.
25. Where do you find a turkey with no legs?
Exactly where you left it.
26. Why did the turkey get sent to the dean’s office?
He used fowl language.
27. What kind of turkey is always running late?
A slow-cooked one.
28. What do you get when you cross a turkey with a ghost?
A poultry-geist.
29. Why did the turkey get bumped to first class on his flight?
He was a frequent flyer.
30. What did one turkey say to the other turkey at the pub?
“Let’s get basted.”
31. What do you call a turkey the day after Thanksgiving?
A lucky duck.
32. Why did the turkey pass on the pumpkin pie?
He was stuffed.
33. What did the Thanksgiving turkey say to the Christmas ham?
Nice to meat you.
34. What do turkeys give thanks for on Thanksgiving?
Vegans.
35. Did you hear about the turkey who lost his left wing?
He’s all right now.
36. What type of key has legs and can’t open doors?
A tur-key.
37. Why did the turkey get kicked out of family game night?
He was accused of fowl play.
38. Why did the turkey cross the road?
To prove it wasn’t chicken.
39. What’s the best song to play while cooking a turkey?
“All About That Baste.”
40. What’s the most musical part of a turkey?
The drumstick.
41. How did the turkey get home in time for Thanksgiving?
He took the gravy train.
42. What’s a turkey’s favorite part of a golf game?
The birdie.
43. What do turkeys use to serve wine?
A gob-let.
44. What champagne do male turkeys like to drink?
Tom Perignon.
45. What does a turkey with a bum leg say?
“Wobble, wobble.”
46. Why don’t turkeys fly on airplanes?
They prefer to wing it.
47. Did you hear about the turkey dance?
It was a Butterball.
48. Why did the Butterball stay in the freezer until Thanksgiving morning?
He wanted to keep a cool head under pressure.
49. What do you call a turkey who never has your back?
A fair-feather friend.
50. Did you hear about the turkey who had a fever?
He had a temperature of 350.
51. What do you call a badly behaved Thanksgiving bird?
A grounded turkey.
52. What do you call a turkey on Friday morning?
A sandwich.
53. Where does a turkey do its holiday shopping?
The HoneyBaked Ham shop.
54. What do you call a turkey who’s bad at bowling?
A gutterball.
55. What was the turkey looking for at the toy store?
Gobbleheads.
56. What does a turkey use to tell the future?
A crystal butterball.
57. Which side of the turkey has the most feathers?
The outside.
58. Where does a turkey go on vacation in November?
Turkey.
59. What do turkeys have in common with the White House?
They both have wings.
60. What do you call a bunch of turkeys rocking out?
A Wood-flock.
Pilgrim Jokes
61. Why did the Pilgrim go to the pool?
To get a puri-tan.
62. What kind of music did the Pilgrims listen to on the Mayflower?
Plymouth Rock.
63. Why did the Pilgrims cross the Atlantic?
To get to the other side.
64. What did the Pilgrims use to bake Thanksgiving desserts?
May-flour.
65. What was the Pilgrim’s favorite subject in school?
His-story.
66. Why did the Pilgrim love gardening?
He was good at planting roots.
67. What’s a Pilgrim’s favorite dance?
The Turkey Trot.
68. What event was held on the Mayflower the day after Thanksgiving?
A Black Friday sail.
69. How do Pilgrims break a bad habit?
They stop cold turkey.
70. What do pilgrims learn in school?
Pilgrammar.
71. Why don’t Pilgrims tell secrets in the cornfield?
There are too many ears around.
72. Why don’t Pilgrims sue?
Because they like to settle.
73. Where do Pilgrims learn to surf?
Boarding school.
74. What did the Pilgrim wear to Thanksgiving dinner?
A har-vest.
75. Why are Pilgrim libraries so tall?
They have many stories.
76. Why do Pilgrims’ pants keep falling down?
Because they wear their belt buckles on their hats.
77. What’s a Pilgrim’s favorite flower?
Mayflower.
78. What is a Pilgrim’s favorite type of sweet?
Plymouth Rock candy.
79. If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?
Pilgrims.
80. What made the Pilgrims on the Mayflower high?
Sea weed.
81. What do you call a pretty Pilgrim?
A Puri-ten.
Thanksgiving Food Jokes and Puns
82. Why did the stuffing cross the road?
To get to the other sides.
83. What do you get when you drop a pumpkin?
Squash.
84. Why did the cranberry blush?
It saw the turkey dressing.
85. Which movie character makes the worst mashed potatoes?
Forest Lump.
86. Which food can you expect to be a troublemaker at the Thanksgiving table?
The deviled eggs.
87. Why was the Thanksgiving soup so expensive?
It had 24 carrots.
88. Why didn’t the chef season the turkey?
She ran out of thyme.
89. Where do chemistry majors sit on Thanksgiving?
At the periodic table.
90. What do you call a handsome yam?
A hot potato.
91. What did the baker say to the pumpkin?
“I only have pies for you.”
92. What did the salt say to the pepper on Thanksgiving?
“Season’s greetings!”
93. Why did the dinner roll get promoted?
It really rose to the occasion.
94. What do you call a potato on Thanksgiving break?
A couch potato.
95. What did the gravy say to the mashed potatoes?
“I’ve got you covered.”
Thanksgiving Pumpkin and Pie Jokes
96. Why did the apple pie cry?
It got its peelings hurt.
97. What is a pumpkin’s favorite sport?
Squash.
98. How many bakers does it take to make a pie?
3.14.
99. What is the quietest dessert?
Key Mime Pie.
100. What do math teachers eat on Thanksgiving?
Pumpkin pi.
101. What famous poet and playwright was known for his yummy pies?
Bakespeare.
102. What do wrestlers have for dessert?
Grapple pie.
103. What does pumpkin pie say in a fight?
“You want a piece of me?”
104. Why did the pumpkin pie go to the dentist?
It needed a filling.
Thanksgiving Knock-Knock Jokes
105. Knock, knock! Who’s there? Taylor.
Taylor who?
Taylor to pass the yams!
106. Knock, knock! Who’s there? Norma Lee.
Norma Lee who?
Norma Lee I don’t eat this much.
107. Knock, knock! Who’s there? Harry.
Harry who?
Harry up and pass those sides—I’m starved!
108. Knock, knock! Who’s there? Arthur.
Arthur who?
Arthur any more cranberries?
109. Knock, knock! Who’s there? Anita.
Anita who?
Anita bigger pair of pants after all that food!
110. Knock, knock! Who’s there? Tanks.
Tanks who?
Tanksgiving is here!
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