PUNNY FUN

I was recently watching an episode of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, which, I should explain to you younger folk, is an ancient TV show that used an almost archaic concept that was once referred to as “being funny.” Most of the laughs went to Gracie, whose character was defined by her wit, double-talk and use of sharp puns. I love a good pun.Samuel Johnson once called the pun “The lowest form of humor,” which, by the way, he spelled with two u's, making the word itself hilarious. He also said - “A man is in general better pleased when he has a good dinner upon his table, than when his wife talks Greek." So, we know how much stock to place in anything ever said by Samuel Johnson. The pun is wordplay that suggests multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended laugh. It takes much more thought and a better vocabulary to deliver a pun than it does to toss a banana peel on the floor and wait for the same effect. The biggest difference being that the pun will illicit more of a groan and the banana peel should bring a heartier guffaw as the intended victim is being hauled off by the paramedics. When William joined the army he dreaded hearing the phrase 'fire at will' is, possibly, the perfect example of both. We laugh at the double meaning of the word “will” as it relates to William's name and we laugh, once again, as the paramedics carry him off after the entire platoon fired at him. A homographic pun uses a word that has a number of meanings - “I call my printer Bob Marley because it's always Jammin'” A homophonic pun uses similar sounding words - “The Nature Preserve is an eagle opportunity employer.” There are so many different types of puns – The compound pun, animal puns. Whether your pun is one word or an entire sentence, the result is meant to be humorous - leading to funny puns. Since the pun is the lowest form of wit, the last thing we can have is a “good pun” because then, it becomes an oxymoron and that's a whole new conversation. THAT'S HOW I FEEL.......................................WHAT CAN I TELL YA'