Wordplay[1] (also:play-on-words) is aliterary technique and a form ofwit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect oramusement. Examples of wordplay includepuns, phonetic mix-ups such asspoonerisms, obscure words and meanings, cleverrhetorical excursions, oddly formed sentences,double entendres, and telling character names (such as in the playThe Importance of Being Earnest,Ernest being agiven name that sounds exactly like the adjectiveearnest).
Wordplay is quite common inoral cultures as a method of reinforcing meaning. Examples of text-based (orthographic) wordplay are found in languages with or without alphabet-based scripts, such ashomophonic puns in Mandarin Chinese.
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Most writers engage in wordplay to some extent, but certain writers are particularly committed to, or adept at, wordplay as a major feature of their work.Shakespeare's "quibbles" have made him a noted punster. Similarly,P.G. Wodehouse was hailed byThe Times as a "comic genius recognized in his lifetime as a classic and an old master of farce" for his own acclaimed wordplay.[6]James Joyce, author ofUlysses, is another noted word-player. For example, in hisFinnegans Wake Joyce's phrase "they were yung and easily freudened" clearly implies the more conventional "they were young and easily frightened"; however, the former also makes an apt pun on the names of two famouspsychoanalysts,Jung andFreud.
Anepitaph, probably unassigned to anygrave, demonstrates use in rhyme.
Crossword puzzles often employ wordplay to challenge solvers.Cryptic crosswords especially are based on elaborate systems of wordplay.
An example of modern wordplay can be found on line 103 ofChildish Gambino's "III. Life: The Biggest Troll".
H2O plus my D, that's my hood, I'm living in it
RapperMilo uses a play on words in his verse on "True Nen".[7]
A farmer says, "I got soaked for nothing, stood out there in the rain bang in the middle of my land, a complete waste of time. I'll like to kill the swine who said you can win theNobel Prize for being out standing in your field!"
TheMario Party series is known for its mini-game titles that usually are puns and various plays on words; for example: "Shock, Drop, and Roll", "Gimme a Brake", and "Right Oar Left". These mini-game titles are also different depending onregional differences and take into account that specific region's culture.
Many of the books the characterGromit in theWallace & Gromit series reads or the music Gromit listens to are plays on words, such as "Pup Fiction" (Pulp Fiction), "Where Beagles Dare" (Where Eagles Dare), "Red Hot Chili Puppies" (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and "The Hound of Music" (The Sound of Music).
Wordplay can enter common usage asneologisms.
Wordplay is closely related toword games; that is, games in which the point is manipulating words. See alsolanguage game for a linguist's variation.
Wordplay can cause problems for translators: e.g., in the bookWinnie-the-Pooh a character mistakes the word "issue" for the noise of asneeze, a resemblance which disappears when the word "issue" is translated into another language.
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