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A pun<\/strong>, or paronomasia<\/strong>, is a play on words which exploits the vagaries of language. Since many English words often sound alike, and have multiple meanings, puns are everywhere.<\/p>\n A pun may be a joke, but not all jokes are puns. Jokes may contain clever wordplay, but they don\u2019t have to. All puns are made at the expense of language. It is wordplay<\/strong> at its most basic, though it may be a highly complex and obtuse joke.<\/p>\n Shakespeare<\/a> adored puns. They highlighted both his wit, and his command of the English language. They also delighted his audiences, many of whom struggled to keep up with his wordplay, because they were often ribald<\/strong> (risqu\u00e9<\/strong>). Here\u2019s an example from Romeo and Juliet<\/em>:<\/p>\n Gregory: The quarrel is between our masters and us their men. They weren\u2019t all naughty, of course. Richard III says, \u201cNow is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious summer by this sun of York.\u201d Richard is referring to himself, since he is the son of York, and sees himself as \u201cglorious\u201d. As with all puns, the purpose is often to draw attention to the punster, or person making the pun. \u201cLook at me! I\u2019m clever!\u201d<\/p>\n There are several types of puns, depending on the method of wordplay employed to create it.<\/p>\n Photo by Jason Burrows from Flickr<\/a><\/p>\n I confess that I love recursive puns, because of the complex nature required in getting to the pun. They also may result in the listener moaning with misery for having been subjected to a sometimes lengthy process for the payoff of a pun.<\/p>\n To deliver a pun properly, never announce that you\u2019re about to tell a pun. Here\u2019s one of my favorites:<\/p>\n A Native American chief has three wives. The first lived in a teepee made out of bear skin, and she bore him a son. The second lived under a buffalo skin, and she also had a son. The third lived in a teepee made out of hippo skin, and she gave birth to twin sons. Therefore, the squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides.<\/em><\/p>\n Of course, as with any witticism, there is nothing worse than having to explain a pun. If you have to explain it, a pun loses its charm. Good punsters don\u2019t care if their puns are greeted by bursts of laughter, groans, or silence. The pleasure comes from having thought of it. Although, it is nice to hear someone say, \u201cI got it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nSampson: ‘Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant. When I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids, and cut off their heads.
\nGregory: The heads of the maids?
\nSampson: Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; take it in what sense thou wilt.<\/em> \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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