I must admit that I am a punster. I enjoy a good pun and perhaps even a not-so-good pun and I am often the originator of puns much to the groans of my friends and relatives.

Since I find word play interesting and entertaining, I thought I would bring JBRish readers a few Paraprosdokians to “enjoy.”

A paraprosdokian is a form wordplay or literary device. It is a phrase or sentence that ends in an unexpected way which causes readers to reinterpret the opening phrase or sentence of a text. Often, it is used to create comic effect. Some paraprosdokians change the meaning of an initial phrase, and play on the double meanings of the words.

Simply put, a paraprosdokian is a linguistic U-turn that results in humor or surprise.

Source: Literary Devices and Terms

Today’s Paraprosdokians

 

• Today a man knocked on my door and asked for a small donation towards the local swimming pool, so I gave him a bottle of water.

 

• Take my advice — I’m not using it.

 

• Hospitality is the art of making guests feel like they’re at home when you wish they were.

 

• Is it wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly?

 

• I was going to give him a nasty look, but he already had one.

 

If you enjoy language, wordplay, etc., check out other WordsWorth posts HERE.

**********

 

All original content on this blog is copyrighted by Jeffrey B. Ross with ALL Rights Reserved. While reference links back to JBRish.com are appreciated and encouraged, please acquire approval for any reproduction of original content from this website.

©Jeffrey B. Ross – 2017