I Love to Laugh Mr. Wigg, is said to float because of an excess of "laughing gas", although it is clear that the term is not used in the chemical sense. So-called "laughing gas" (nitrous oxide) was one of the earliest effective anaesthetics developed in the Nineteenth century. it was popularised by dentists, for pain-free tooth extractions, as well as by showground novelty booths. Customers at the booth would be gassed and, as they were recovering from the drugged sleep they often felt euphoric and giggly. Hence the name. A famous 1931 British comedy sketch starring Cicely Courtneidge, called "Laughing Gas", was based on
The Laughing Policeman (novel) The Laughing Policeman (novel) The Laughing Policeman is a mystery novel by Swedish writers Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, originally published in Sweden in 1968 as "Den skrattande polisen". It is the fourth of ten novels featuring Detective Martin Beck. In 1971, "The Laughing Policeman" earned a 'Best Novel' Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. The American police procedural film, "The Laughing Policeman" (1973), is a loose adaptation of the novel. It was translated into English in 1970. The novel's title, "The Laughing Policeman", derives from a 1922 British song of the same name. Detective Beck, ill for