pun

pun
pun
Punning, ‘the humorous use of words to suggest different meanings’, has been a feature of language at least since the time of Aristotle, who approved of them in some kinds of writing. Some famous historical examples include the description by Pope Gregory I (6c) of English slaves as Non Angli, sed angeli (‘not Angles, but angels’) and, from a much later date (1843) the reputed message of Sir Charles Napier to the British War Office reporting his conquest of the Indian province of Sind with the single Latin word Peccavi (‘I have sinned’). About 3,000 puns occur in the works of Shakespeare, among them Mercutio's dying words in Romeo and Juliet (iii.i.98; modernized spelling): Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man. An intentionally dreadful pun can be found in a mock epitaph of Byron, dated 1807, for John Adams, a carrier of Southwell, who died of drunkenness: For the liquor he drank, being too much for one, He could not carry off, —so he's now carri-on. In modern usage, puns occur frequently in casual conversation and are much loved by writers of newspaper headlines: see journalese.

Modern English usage. 2014.

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  • pun — pȕn prid. <odr. ī> DEFINICIJA 1. a. koji nema praznine; ispunjen, napunjen [puna posuda; puna vreća] b. koji je dokraja zaposjednut čime [grad pun ljudi] 2. a. koji sadrži u sebi mnogo čega, koji obiluje [pun lišća] b. koji je obuzet,… …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Pun — Pun, v. t. [See {Pound} to beat.] To pound. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] He would pun thee into shivers with his fist. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pun — Pun, n. [Cf. {Pun} to pound, {Pound} to beat.] A play on words which have the same sound but different meanings; an expression in which two different applications of a word present an odd or ludicrous idea; a kind of quibble or equivocation.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pun — Pun, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Punned}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Punning}.] To make puns, or a pun; to use a word in a double sense, especially when the contrast of ideas is ludicrous; to play upon words; to quibble. Dryden. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pun — Pun, v. t. To persuade or affect by a pun. Addison. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pun — pun, ni pun expr. nada. ❙ «¡Ni pun hijito! De técnica narrativa no tienes ni puta idea.» Álvaro de Laiglesia, Hijos de Pu. ❙ «¿Se sabe algo nuevo de Gregorio Liñán? Ni pum.» Pedro Casals, Disparando cocaína …   Diccionario del Argot "El Sohez"

  • punđa — púnđa ž DEFINICIJA ženska frizura od podignute, začešljane i pričvršćene kose [nositi punđu; imati punđu] ETIMOLOGIJA mađ. punty …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • pun — [pun] n. [17th c. clipped form < ? It puntiglio, fine point, hence verbal quibble: see PUNCTILIO] the use of a word, or of words which are formed or sounded alike, in such a way as to juxtapose, connect, or bring out two or more of the… …   English World dictionary

  • pun — ► NOUN ▪ a joke exploiting the different meanings of a word or the fact that there are words of the same sound and different meanings. ► VERB (punned, punning) ▪ make a pun. DERIVATIVES punster noun. ORIGIN perhaps an abbreviation of obsolete… …   English terms dictionary

  • pun|ka — pun|kah or pun|ka «PUHNG kuh», noun. (in India and Indonesia) a fan, especially a large swinging fan hung from the ceiling and kept in motion by a servant or by machinery: »The courtroom was sombre…High up…the punkahs were swaying short to and… …   Useful english dictionary

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