What's Your Favorite Pun?

^{This year's Family Trivia Night theme is "A Night of PUN." Some of my younger students have been asking, "What is a pun?"}  

^{The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines pun as:}

a humorous way of using a word or phrase so that more than one meaning is suggested

Some examples of puns are:

1. The delicatessen is sandwiched, if you'll pardon the pun, between two stores.

1. She's a skillful pilot whose career has—no pun intended—really taken off.

There are many different ways to write puns. A pun can be of two types: Typographic and Visual. Therefore, yes, you can dress in a "Punny" costume for Family Trivia Night!

Typographic is further divided into five categories:

• Homophonic -They use homophones (similar sounding word pairs) which are not synonymous. Example: Why is it so wet in England? Because many kings and queens have reigned there.

• Homographic - These kinds of puns are where words are spelled the same (homographs) but have different meanings and sounds. Example: You can tune a guitar, but you can't tuna fish. 

• Homonymic -These words are both homographs and homophones.  Example: Bank (meaning embankment) and bank (where money is kept).

• Compound -That contains two or more puns in the same sentence. Example: Where do you find giant snails? On the ends of giants' fingers.

• Recursive -In this case, the second aspect of the pun relies on the understanding of the first. Example: Infinity is not in finity.

Visual Puns - They are those which use non-phonetic writing.
Example: In 'The Muppet Movie', Kermit and Fozzie are driving. Then Kermit looks at the map and says they need to turn at the fork in the road. At this point, he lowers the map at which point and sees a giant fork in the middle of the road.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR FAVORITE PUNS IN THE COMMENTS.  MAKE SURE THEY ARE SCHOOL APPROPRIATE!