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Zeugma

Posted by Brad on January 21, 2004

In Reply to: Zeugma posted by David on January 20, 2004

: : : : : : : : Hi,
: : : : : : : : I'm trying to come up with a birthday card based on variations of punning phrases. For example, 'How long is a piece of string?' becomes 'How long is a birthday?' The answer will be 'Longer than a piece of string.' There's a substitution involved in making the pun.

: : : : : : : : Similarly, the pun 'Time flies like bananas, fruit flies like an arrow' involves substitution. This pun works because it confuses one meaning of a word with another. I'm trying to think of other words that I can do this with, to create a birthday card that's a series of questions (How long, how far,...) whose answers involve play on those words.

: : : : : : : : Any suggestions?

: : : : : : :
: : : : : : : :::Perhaps psychiatric evaluation..

: : : : : : They don't work, do they?

: : : : :
: : : : : : Try 'the penis mightier than the sword' - at least a knob-gag will usually get a laugh.

: : : : : Here are three sources you might be able to use;
: : : : : A fat sportsman said, "Call me anything you like, but don't call me late for dinner."
: : : : : Groucho Marks said, "If you can't leave in a taxi, you can leave in a huff. If you can't leave in a huff, you can leave in a minute and a huff."
: : : : : From an earlier thread on this site, "She left in a Chevrolet and a huff."

: : : : ZEUGMA -- \ZOOG-muh\ noun -- The use of a word to modify or govern two or more words usually in such a manner that it applies to each in a different sense or makes sense with only one (as in "opened the door and her heart to the homeless boy"). Example sentence: "She left in a huff and a Chevy," said Jack, employing vivid zeugma to report of Marissa's departure. (The Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster) for November 28, 2003.)

: : : More importantly, ZEUGMA scores 18 with no special squares in Scrabble(tm).

: : :: This thread is being submitted to see if it qualifies for the most and largest, and longest waste of time on the web.

: Sorry. I won that distinction 3 years ago for one of my other web statements.

: : :: : . haa haa my threads longer than yours is
na na na nananaaahhh you cant get meeee

  • Zeugma Lucubrator 23/January/04

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