Monday, March 4, 2013

Pun fun


After an argument, my friend told me, “You are all bark and no bite.”
I instantly pulled his hand, bit him and said, “I do not just bark. I bite too.”
“You fool, don’t you understand idioms? I meant you are aggressive but do not have the guts to fight,” he shouted.
“Oh, really?” I clenched my fist.
He took to his heels yelling, “You will hit me and escape punishment under insanity clause.”
Using idioms with someone who does not know much English can indeed make one look like an idiot.
I often remember how a government servant who refused to help my dad reacted angrily when my dad murmured, “Beggars can't be choosers.”
“Do not dare call me a beggar,” he had reacted.
Journalists also find it hard to convince some readers when using “pun” in headlines that make a joke exploiting different meanings of a word.
My sub-editor colleague gave a good headline, “Maid for each other,” for a report on housemaids and their bosses. Next morning, there was a phone call from a reader, “There is a spelling error.”
Heard this media joke: When a dwarf escapes from prison, what headline will suit?
“Short man at large.”

11 comments:

  1. Hence,moral of the story.....Use only Punjabi language...

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  2. Very interesting post Ramesh!
    You must get your hands on the children's book series on Amelia Bedalia; you would truly enjoy it.

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  3. This was so funny, you got me laughing on most esp the spelling error one and the beggars idiom!

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  4. I like the short man at large one :D

    Good ones!

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  5. ha ha...very funny!! some words have multiple meanings but it entirely depends on the context in which they were used and on how people want to take them!! :)

    Cheers bro!! :)

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  6. hahaha.. that was really good..

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