Meaning of "to grow a funny bone"

What is the meaning of the idiom to grow a funny bone? What does funny bone refer to? Googling shows only places where it was mentioned.

Solution 1:

I've never heard the whole expression as such, but it can be broken down in to two common idioms:

funny bone: a sense of humor.

"Grow [something]" : You lack [a personality trait represented by that thing]. In particular, it's used as a sarcastic criticism of the person, suggesting the person would benefit by having more of it.

A fairly common usage is the phrase "Grow some balls", with balls meaning testicles, and thus courage or fortitude.

So "Grow a funny bone" means "You don't have a sense of humor". You might say it if you make a joke and someone gets unreasonably offended by it.

Solution 2:

It means "to obtain a sense of humour" - implying of course that the subject of the remark doesn't have one.

The "funny bone" is a nickname for the humerus, a bone in the arm. The actual bone doesn't have anything to do with having a sense of humour, of course.

Solution 3:

The "funny bone" is the nickname for "a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow", whose technical name is the humerus. I think it is fair to say that the nickname is based on a play on words (i.e. Humerus/Humerous), although my mother always maintained it was "funny" because it sends tingles up your arm in a funny way if you knock it.

According to Google N-Grams, this nickname has been in popular use since the early 19th century.

The phrase "Grow a funny bone" is not one I've come across before, but I think it is safe to say that it must mean:

"Get a sense of humour"

A quick look again at Google N-Grams suggests that it is certainly not a common expression(!)

I wonder where you heard it, and whether the person who told you it had made it up themselves.