Transpositional pun

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A transpositional pun is a complicated pun format with two aspects. It involves transposing the words in a well-known phrase or saying to get a daffynition-like clever redefinition of a well-known word unrelated to the original phrase. The redefinition is thus the first aspect, the transposition the second aspect.

As a result, transpositional puns are considered among the most difficult to create, and commonly the most challenging to comprehend, particularly for non-native speakers of the language in which they're given (most commonly English).

[edit] Examples

Pun Original reference
Alimony: The bounty of mutiny. The Mutiny on the Bounty.
Dieting: A waist is a terrible thing to mind. "A mind is a terrible thing to waste", the motto of the United Negro College Fund.
Hangovers: The wrath of grapes. The Grapes of Wrath
Olympic officials: The souls that time men's tries. Thomas Paine's saying "These are the times that try men's souls".
The Saxophone: An ill wind nobody blows good. "'tis an ill wind that blows nobody any good".
Feudalism: It's your count that votes! "It's your vote that counts!"