12 Original Pun Signs and How Their Wordplay Works
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Inside this gallery: 12 historical photographs, each with the year, the place, and the story behind the picture.
- The Baker's Dough — the past. A paronomastic pun can be found in the classic joke about a baker who was unable to make enough dough.
- The Towing Company Slogan — the past. An advertising slogan for a moving company utilizes a paronomastic pun by stating, "We don't charge an arm and a leg.
- Tuning a Bass — the past. A notable line written by author Douglas Adams features a mix of homophonic and homographic wordplay.
- A Non-Prophet Institution — the past. Comedian George Carlin famously created a homophonic pun with the phrase "atheism is a non-prophet institution." This joke substitutes the word "prophet" for its identical-sounding counterpart "profit." By doing so, it humorously alters a standard, familiar phrase to deliver a rhetorical point.
Tap any photo above to jump in, or view the full story below.
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