This week: How To Win a Pun War Edited by: Robert Waltz  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
Of puns it has been said that those who most dislike them are those who are least able to utter them.
—Edgar Allan Poe
Puns are the droppings of soaring wits.
—Victor Hugo
The moment I accept that there's an artistic, redeeming quality in puns, I have a horrible feeling I'll get hooked.
—John Oliver
|
| ASIN: B083RZJVJ8 |
|
Amazon's Price: Price N/A
Not currently available. |
|
It's inevitable. At some point, you'll casually mention to someone, "I'm hungry."
And they'll respond with: "Oh, you're Hungary? Would you like some Türkiye?"
Now, the sane, logical response to this would be to hit them with a thing, preferably a pillow or rotten fruit, but maybe a fist. Or to just walk away. But if you don't hit them with a thing, you gotta hit them with another pun.
"Only if it doesn't have too much Greece."
And, at that point, it's on. The Pun-ic War. What you may not realize is that there are rules of engagement, unwritten until now, when I'm writing them for your convenience.
First rule: those three statements have established a theme, and you have to stick with the theme. A good guess for this one would be "countries in Europe." (Türkiye is close enough to count.)
So, they might come back with, "How about a bowl of Chile?"
Okay, so your initial assumption can be broadened to "countries in general." But you've already got another bullet in your pun: "Only if you don't Sweden it too much."
Second rule: if you repeat a pun, you've lost, no matter who made the original pun. So they can't say "There's not much Greece in Chile."
Hopefully they don't break the second rule, and explain, "I'll just Russia to the store to get the ingredients."
"I don't know," you reply. "This is all very Sudan."
"Well, maybe my mom will do it. Alaska."
Third rule: if the theme does change, it can't radically change. In this case, we're still talking about geographical locations, which, to be fair, might have been the case in the first place. If they'd come back with a play on, say, star names or weather phenomena (e.g. "Are you Sirius?") they'd lose.
Otherwise, the winner is the one who thinks of the last pun fitting the theme or something closely related to the theme.
Loser picks up the Czech. |
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
| ASIN: B01FST8A90 |
Product Type: Toys & Games
|
Amazon's Price: $ 24.95
|
|
Last time, in "Fauxtymology" , I talked about making up our own word origins for fun (and sometimes pun).
Sum1's In Seattle  : Thank you for listing my small poem in your newsletter!
Of course! Never let it be said that I don't cater to today's abbreviated attention spans.
So that's it for me for July! See you next month. Until then,
LAUGH ON!!!
|
| ASIN: B07YXBT9JT |
Product Type: Kindle Store
|
Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
|
|
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
Comedy: July 17, 2024 Issue [#12644]
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
