seattle.politics

Bill Bonde ( 'the oblique allusion in lieu of the frontal attack' ) wrote:

> Yes it is a pun. You've created an overly restricted definition of
> "pun".

I used your definition. It is not a pun because there is no confusion of
meanings. When you ask if Obama looks cute in a top hat, there is no
ambiguity in the meaning of top. It is part of the name top hat. That's
all. Here is an actual pun, right out of the dictionary: "the pigs were
a squeal (if you'll forgive the pun)." You might have had a case had you
written, "Do you think Obama WOULD look cute AS a top hat," but even if
that could be called a pun, it would be a bad pun, and very obscure.
Your use of top hat is not a pun at all.


> It is without doubt two meanings for "top". There's a TV show called
> "Girls On Top". Is that a pun?

Yes, that can be called a pun. Asking if a man looks cute in a top hat
is not a pun because the object, top hat, has nothing to do with sex.
It's like saying "Do you think Obama would be cute dribbling a
basketball?" You would call that a pun because we used to use the term
ball to mean fuck. It isn't a pun.

> You *are* Martin.

Nope, but it sounds like he took you apart a few times too. Good on him.