Puns, also known as paronomasia, are a form of wordplay that can be constructed in various ways based on the meaning or sounds of words. They are often used in jokes and famous sayings, relying on the duality of meaning found in many words. The success of a pun depends on its subtlety and cleverness, with the best ones surviving from generation to generation. Despite being considered by some as the lowest form of humor, puns display ingenuity and command of language.
Anyone who has ever heard a joke, a “Little Mary” or “Tom Swifty” story, or a “daffynition” of a common word, has experienced the sometimes complain-inducing form of humor known as a pun. Word games aren’t always meant to be fun, but they are meant to be clever wordplay. From a literary point of view, the art of making one is also known as paronomasia, although this word has fallen out of use in modern times. A word game can be constructed in several ways, based on the meaning or sounds of the words involved. The words might look similar but have distinctly different meanings, such as “jeans” and “geniuses,” or they might be spelled the same but have two or more definitions, such as the word “club.”
The humor of a joke largely depends on the use of a pun: “Knock, Knock.” “Who is there?” “Orange.” “Orange who?” “Orange, will you let me in?” The word orange sounds very similar to the contraction I’m not, so the joke is homophonic. Other jokes use the double sounds of common words as part of the set-up and punchline. A pun is usually delivered without much fanfare or hype, but more like a clever joke or quote. This is why most jokes are mercifully short.
A good pun often depends on the duality of meaning found in many words. In the TV show “Frasier,” the title character hosts a meeting of his somewhat dubious fan club. His brother Niles is introduced to the group, to which he jokes “After meeting you all, I wish I had a club too.” The humor comes from the double meaning of the word club. While Frasier meant it to mean a group, Niles cleverly twisted it to imply an actual heavy weapon. The success of the joke largely depends on the subtlety and cleverness of the pun. One that’s too obvious usually evokes a groan from the audience.
There are a number of famous sayings that use the form of a pun for their humor. President Harry Truman was known to invite people to his home state to sample his wife’s cooking, saying, “Missouri loves company.” Playwright Oscar Wilde was known for his use of puns to soften his often caustic remarks. Wilde once described work as the ‘curse of the drinking classes’, deftly bringing into play the duality of ‘working classes’ and ‘glasses’. Comedian Groucho Marx used to claim that he went elephant hunting in Alabama, where “the tusks are looser”. This was a play on the similar sounding Alabama town called Tuscaloosa.
A pun can range from the obscure to the obvious, but the best ones tend to survive from generation to generation. Authors from Ambrose Bierce to Jeff Foxworthy to Dave Barry have created humorous dictionaries based on real words with fictitious definitions or made-up words with real definitions. These collections emphasize the inherent humor of a well-crafted pun. While some may regard them as one of the lowest forms of humor, others applaud the ingenuity and command of language they display.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
