This article examines the semantic–pragmatic intricacies of hyper- and misunderstanding, two related kinds of interactional humor. The proposed analytical model, presenting a unified account of both phenomena, is based on Fauconnier's theory of mental spaces and Clark's layering notion. A corpus analysis of the staged interactions of the British television series Blackadder shows the range of different pivot elements that can trigger hyper- and misunderstanding. It is concluded that a mechanism of figure–ground reversal is common to all instances.