meaning of "draw howls at the punch lines"

[kjc0123]

What is the meaning of  "draw howls at the punch lines" in the following sentence?

 

The sight of Ray prompted the latest round of lawyer jokes, none of which were particularly funny, all of which drew howls at the punch lines. 

[Quizmonster]

The 'punch line' of a joke is always the last part of the story...that is, the part which is actually funny and makes people laugh. We often speak of people 'howling with laughter'...that is, laughing loudly and almost uncontrollably. To 'draw', in this sense, means to 'bring out' or 'cause to happen'.
So, the last, funny bit of all the amusing stories made people laugh a lot.

[jno]

the writer is also suggesting that the punch lines weren't really funny at all but people laughed just to annoy Ray - it seems Ray is a lawyer, is that right?

[Peter Pedant]

yes this is the meaning, KJC

BUT funnily enough howling at a joke has two meanings - laugh uproariously, but also to groan because it is not funny.

and yes there is a term in English to describe a word which has two meanings one of which is the opposite of the other - auto-antonyms. Either the word or one meaning tends to go out of use quickly.

fast - to hold fast and to go fast is another....