I grew up in a family that was constantly trying to out pun each other. My Dad was the main conspirator, each week we reviewed the Reader’s Digest word list and discussed the words and their meaning. I think there were 10 new words each week and all of the boys participated in this exercise. It was then time to try and use them in a sentence and then it was mandatory to find a way to play on each word.
Listening to NPR this week they described a tournament for punsters. The show highlighted this year’s winner or at least a contestant. I enjoyed the segment and it brought back fond memories of Ed, which is what we called my father. Two people take turns punning on a theme in head to head rounds. No pun in five seconds and you are out, a non pun, or the third use of the same word all earn you the hook. Examples are important to understand the fun. “My first round opponent had frozen when his turn came to pun on the topic, waterborne vehicles. Seriously, yacht a word came out. Canoe believe it?” On diseases, “mumps the word!” The come back, “That was a measle-y response.” “Well I had a croup-on for it”. Yes but “I have a Buddha at home and sometimes-making a rubbing motion with his hand–I like to rubella.” They go on to work cold, pink guy, and tuber’s closest in the back and forth. I will stop with a pun from the Bay Area Pun off ” keep the applause going. It takes balsa to get up here and do this.”
It made me think we have lost the art of playing with language and learning to “pun above our own weight”. I know that birds were intended to tweet, but not sure it allows real communication and there is no listening involved. Excuse me for falling back into the past but there were some good things about those days gone by.
The picture is a young red tailed Hawk that was born in a nest above our house and got off to a “flawed flight” on his maiden voyage into the wild blue yonder. He finally got his wings to co operate and now soars above our house as he looks for his next meal.
Enjoy the week end. Mike