Gaffes With Laughs

A collection of media bloopers

The Whole Kettle of Fish in a Nutshell : Mixed Metaphors Redux

In our previous episode on the subject, Ironing the Bugs Out: Mixed Metaphors (Word Ways, August 2001), I recounted egregious and amusing real-life illustrations of this popular solecism

This Side Up

A poem

Is That a Pun in Your Pocket, Or...?

To publicize my two wordplay books, which were published in the early 1960s, I prepared a talk that I delivered in such exotic places as Paris and Jersey City. (Really!

The Language Perfectionist: Quotation Quota

Every few years, my friend Mardy Grothe assembles a new collection of quotations. The defining characteristic of these anthologies is that all the entries share an interesting or quirky theme

Ross Eckler: He Didn\u27t Know What Retire Meant

In the late 1980s, while writing two wordplay books, I discovered Word Ways. Ross was consistently helpful and generous in responding to my questions and assisting my research

To Er... Is Human: More Media Bloopers With Snappy Rejoinders

My work - or play - proceeds apace on a book of funny typos, lapses, and assorted oddities, each accompanied by a witty comeback. Contributions, to the above e-mail address, are welcome. Please quote the relevant passage. If I can use the item, I\u27ll ask you to send the original. Thanks. And now for a risible new crop ...

Did You Just Make That Up? Puns in Everyday Conversation

The hallmark of the compleat punster is the ability to work puns into real-life situations - and to do so in an appropriate, natural and spontaneous way. Unless one is skilled at ad-libbing, it\u27s best to have a repertoire of material to draw upon. Your objective is to be regarded as clever and witty rather than irritating. But opinions may differ

Hey -- Stumble? Stay Humble! : More Story Spoonerisms

One of my favorite varieties of spoonerism is the narrative form, in which a setup is followed by a punned punch line

Witty City: a New Forum for Recreational Linguists

A follow up to an article from the previous issue of Word Ways that was a tribute to the beloved Competitions (1969-2000) in New York Magazine