Puns and Word Play Humor Trivia

31. What breed of cat did the Arabian man own?

From Quiz Pussy Puns

Answer: Miaow

The Arabian Mau is descended from a wild cat of the Arabian desert. A kind of Clawrence of Arabia you could even say. These cats are scrawny looking things but are extremely loving and affectionate towards their owners, so what more could you ask for?

From Quiz Another Punny Quiz

Answer: Dreadlocks

Goldilocks of course was the heroine (for want of a better word) who broke into the home of the Three Bears, helped herself to their food, smashed their furniture and then had the nerve to fall asleep on one of their beds. Anyone else would have been arrested and charged. Dreadlocks are matted coils of hair. Looked after properly they're quite appealing, but otherwise, they're a gruesome sight.

From Quiz Was That Some Kind of Joke?

Answer: puns

A pun is a joke that relies on word play, specifically words that have (or suggest) two or more meanings (such as the word "dam" in the joke in the question). However, a pun may also be a joke that creates humor from two or more similar sounding words, as well (such as with "Flatman and Ribbon", which sounds like "Batman and Robin"). Shakespeare was known for his great use of puns in his plays. For example, in "Romeo and Juliet", Mercutio says the following after being fatally wounded: "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man". Groucho Marx also depended upon the use of puns for much of his verbal humor. He once said, "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read".

From Quiz A Punny Quiz

Answer: A bushfire

George W. Bush was President of the United States from 2001 until 2009. Bushfires are massively destructive natural disasters that take place in our hot nation of Australia on a regular basis, particularly during our sweltering summer months. They have the potential to cause, and do cause, incredible damage to properties and our beautiful wilderness areas, as well as the loss of human lives, livestock and hundreds of thousands of our native animals.

From Quiz By Order of the Pun-Master General

Answer: Hamsterdam

The Pun-Master General hopes you got this first question right. Hamsters have increased in population in certain places, especially Hamsterdam. Everyone knows that hamsters can't be found on the continent of Horsetralia, the city of Catmandu in Nepal, or Cowloon, an urban area of King Kong...or can they?

From Quiz Lady Mondegreen Ate Nine Eggcorns

Answer: And laid him on the green.

Sylvia Wright invented the word for an article in "Harper's Magazine" in 1954. You can find other mondegreens from songs in a funtrivia quiz by Ben3--just search for "mondegreen"!

From Quiz That Pun Is A Crime!

Answer: The period

The period is most popular among jailbirds, because it marks the end of the sentence. In the same survey it was found out the jail wasn't modern enough in their communication, so it was decided to issue cell phones.

From Quiz One Way or an Udder - Farmyard Puns

Answer: Friesian

Freisian, freezing... okay, the rhyme may not be perfect, but the joke works, doesn't it? I could go on forever like this, but I wouldn't want to milk it.

From Quiz Word for Word

Answer: Desert

To go AWOL (absent without leave) is a phrase meaning to desert (dih-zurt) one's post. An arid area is a desert (dez-ert), as in the Sahara Desert.

From Quiz Let's Get Down To Bismuth - Elementary Puns

Answer: Iron

Iron (Fe, and atomic number 26) can be found in many areas of nature, including in humans, as it is a vital ingredient in haemoglobin. That's why if you happen to taste blood, it has a metallic tang to it. That's the iron right there. Most often, iron is combined with other metals to form an alloy, as pure iron is not particularly used widely.

From Quiz This Sums It Up - Math Puns

Answer: "Polygon."

I asked the mathematician what killed the bird. He said, "Polynomial."

From Quiz Fruit Flies Like a Banana

Answer: Groucho Marx

In its original context, the expression reads, "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana." The wordplay arises because the two sentences appear identical in their construction but are actually very different. "Flies" operates as both a verb and noun; "like" as an adverb and verb. Other famous Groucho quotes include, "I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception" and "I'm not a vegetarian, but I eat animals who are". I. Anne Tentoo, Lee Ferreiva or Dieter Ryan? They, collectively, provide another memorable Groucho offering (If you can't see it, try repeating it to yourself slowly).

From Quiz The Opun Library

Answer: The Thousand and One Knights

Scheherazade is famed for "The Thousand and One Nights" so with the Round Table, the teacher ended up with "knights" instead.

From Quiz Palinagrams

Answer: Tap & pat

You can't go wrong drinking water - as long as you stay within the recommended amount of 8 glasses of it a day! An interesting definition for "pat" is "trite or glib; superficially complete or satisfactory: A pat answer is not going to satisfy an inquisitive audience." (All definitions for words are taken from www.dictionary.com unless stated otherwise.)

From Quiz Puns and Word Play Fun

Answer: Shot them

A trifecta, in the horse racing game, is a bet on the race, in which the betting person tries to guess the winning order of the first three horses over the line, in the correct order of first, second and third. It's an excellent way to lose your money. When there has been a big win of any kind in any venture, and the call "Pop the Champers!" is heard, that is the time to pop open a bottle of celebratory Champagne (Champers). However to "Pop" anyone in gangster lingo means to kill someone with a gun. "Champing at the bit" is an expression originally applied to very skittish, eager to run thoroughbred race horses that are being lined up ready to spring out to a flying start when the signal is given (such as the gates flying open). They find it very hard to settle and keep champing at the bit in their mouth to try to remove it. Unfortunately, though, the gangster's bodyguard, who was used to popping off any or all threats to his boss, turned those champion race horse that took out the trifecta, into instant dog meat.

From Quiz Three for the Price of One

Answer: What'll I Do

"What'll I Do" is a rather sorrowful 1923 ballad written by Irving Berlin. The singer in this number is thinking longingly of his love who is far away. The song was based on a time in Berlin's life when his fiancee's disapproving father sent her off overseas, hoping she'd forget Berlin. Spoiler: It didn't work. They were wed and had a long and happy marriage. Koalas are marsupials (animals that carry their young in a pouch) from the continent of Australia. They can usually be found located in the branches of eucalyptus trees, snoring happily away, because the little balls of furs normally sleep some twenty hours every day. If you mated a sleeping koala with a jumping kangaroo, you'd have an animal with Restless Leg Syndrome.

From Quiz Puns and Word Play 7

Answer: It made him reel

The Highland Fling is a popular dance associated with the culture of bonny Scotland. It has often been argued that the first Highland Flings arose from the act of showing off individual dance moves from the other popular dance of the time, the Strathspey Reel. This is why, in more modern times, the Highland Fling is also described as a Reel. This is also why, for this question, the Scotsman was doing the Fling but could be said to be doing the Reel as well - and reeling because he was dizzy.

From Quiz Pun Fun

Answer: Maritime

Marriage, take it or leave it, love it or hate it, is a union of love (hopefully, anyhow) between two people, usually officiated over by a church minister of some kind, or a registered non-church associated officiant, or a highly unromantic government official. Today, in Australia, various government departments, when calling for proof of identity, usually won't accept a marriage certificate, signed by a church minister and duly witnessed by two adult and qualified attendees at the ceremony - and insist on official proof of the governmental kind instead. All this tends to rather take romance out of the marriage equation. Moonlight and roses replaced by a rubber stamp. The pun for this question combines the word "maritime" (the study of people, ships, nations at sea) - and the words "Marry Time".

From Quiz Puns and Word Play 5

Answer: The banana split

If a criminal splits on hearing the sound of a police car siren approaching, it means he is taking off for the lick of his life because of doing something illegal and not wanting to be caught. It's a peculiar expression really. If anything (in correct English) has been split, it has been broken up into at least two parts, but by 1954, the word was being used in America as slang for fleeing the scene of the crime, or breaking up a relationship and so forth. Regarding the criminal banana splitting, this is a reference to the treat, a banana split, whereby a banana is sliced lengthwise onto a receptacle, covered in three scoops of ice cream, followed by a flavoured topping of choice, and then sprinkled with nuts. It's absolutely delicious and...sigh...woefully fattening. Life is a trial for the rotund. This question combines a banana "split" with the act of "splitting"(fleeing) the scene of a crime.

From Quiz Puns and Word Play 6

Answer: Mu

Mu is the 12th letter of the Greek Alphabet. It carries a value of 40 and its form originated in Ancient Egypt where the shape stood for water. The term "cows" refers to female domesticated cattle, and many other female animals as well. First domesticated some 12,500 years ago, cows are valued for their milk and cream products, their flesh, and assorted other parts of their body, which, after being slain, have been utilised by man. Even their dung is a useful product. Mu poo, you could say. The pun for this question unites the "Mu" in the Greek alphabet, to the "Moo" sound associated with cows.

From Quiz Zumba Party

Answer: It was very filling

The work of the dreaded dentists involves inspecting, diagnosing, and treating various health issues relating to our teeth - cleaning, drilling, filling, and, where necessary, extraction. When a tooth is filled, a dentist initially drills into the tooth to remove any decay that may have set in, before he or she then packs the cavity with different alloys or amalgams in order to keep the tooth stable and protected for, hopefully, many years to come. Usually all this is preceded by a numbing injection so that the patient doesn't feel any pain while the procedure is being carried out. Dentists have come a long way since the days when teeth were treated by the local barber, but they're still regarded with emotions akin to fear and panic by most sane people. The secret of course to avoid having to come into contact with them, is to take good care of your pearly whites, but even then, it's wise to have periodic check-ups by these mask-wearing, drill waving fiends. The pun for this question combines the word "filling" - one of the standard tasks carried out by a dentist - with eating a large and consequently very "filling" meal.

From Quiz Puns and Word Play 4

Answer: Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) was a famous French scientist whose name will be forever associated with breakthroughs in vaccination, and in pasteurisation of milk. Pasteurisation, however, deals with more than just milk, as delicious and all is this drink. Its process can also be applied to fruit juices and packaged foods, whereby the foods are heated to approximately 212 degrees Fahrenheit to kill or disable organisms which cause spoilage in the products. This can increase the shelf life of various foods for periods of a few days up to several weeks, but without destroying their basic nutritional values. But ahhh, there's nothing more enjoyable than a nice relaxing cup of tea when one wants to unwind. Some people have it plain black (ugh), some with milk, some with various sweeteners such as honey or sugar, and some with even a squirt of lemon. The pun for this question unites Pasteur's discovery of pasteurization of milk with the milk he possibly liked to have in his cup of tea.

From Quiz Call the Copse

Answer: A zebra

Explanation: The newly developing African animal was a zebra - and she purchased, what else, but a ze-bra. The invention of bras is thought to date back to ancient Greece when well endowed ladies wore strips of material around their chests, tied at the back, to hold things in place. These became more and more sophisticated over the centuries. By the 15th century, for example, bras were comprised of two cups, shoulder straps, still tied at the back, and with an enticing piece of lace placed over the cleavage area. And on it went from there. Bras today come in all shapes and sizes - to fit all shapes and sizes. They're still a diabolical invention for some women, requiring Houdini-like skills to put on and remove. A zebra is a striped mammal from Africa. Did you know that, like a human's fingerprints, each zebra's stripes are unique? There are three existing species in the world, and these break down into eight sub-species. Oh, this is interesting: When looking at a zebra, do you see black stripes on white skin? If you are like most people, you will. You could also possible be hypnotised if you stared at one long enough. However, it's the zebra's skin that is black, and it's the stripes that are white. Zebras partially use their ears to communicate as well as their vocal cords. These ears are pushed forward when alarmed or frightened, back when angry, and straight up and down when calm or at ease. Their normal vocalisations are highly pitched "barks" or whinnies, but when tense, they can also snort, and if spotting a predator approaching, they will bray loudly. Man has often attempted to domesticate this walking hypnotist, but is usually not terrible successful at this, because the little animal can be highly unpredictable. Well, wouldn't you? It doesn't know if it's a horse or a dog or a donkey.

From Quiz Famous Painting Puns

Answer: American gothic

Grant Wood lived from 1891 until 1942. He was born in Iowa, USA. After completing high school, he enrolled in an art institution (run by women) for his initial training in various crafts. Working as a teacher for some years in the interim, Wood then enrolled at an art school in Chicago, as well as making several trips to Europe to study various forms of painting. So his apprenticeship into a skill he ultimately mastered was quite considerable. The multi talented Wood was equally skilled at "lithography, ink, charcoal, ceramics, met, wood and found objects" (Wikipedia). He passed away one day short of his 51st birthday, as a result of pancreatic cancer. "American Gothic" is described as being as famous as Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" and Munch's "The Scream". I dislike both those works quite heartily, and infinitely prefer Wood's work. Featuring a farming couple standing somewhat stoically in front of an old fashioned cottage, and with the man clasping a three pronged pitchfork, many critics interpreted this work as being a satire on the "narrow-mindedness of rural country life" (Wiki), but Wood quite emphatically rejected this interpretation. He saw it instead as a tribute to the pioneering spirit of the nation, and depicting the kind of inhabitants he thought were suitable for that background home. Nor is it the farmer's wife beside him, as many people believe, but, as Wood stated, she is, instead, the farmer's daughter. The painting gives us a sense of endurance, stability, the good old American work ethic, a touch of humour about the farmer's eyes, but determination to his mouth. It speaks of austerity certainly, and a certain rigidity of expected behaviour, but with the family placed at the centre of the background home, it also suggests permanence and security as well. The farmer's daughter, with a far away look in her eyes, looks as though she's worried about something cooking in the oven, but her generous mouth suggests that, given the right incentive, she would be capable of a more than hearty laugh - probably exposing her gums. The models for this work were Wood's sister and, hilariously so, his dentist. Much and all as I like this painting and the farmer himself, I'm not sure I'd want someone with that look of determination about to extract my molar. Would I hang this on a wall in my home? Possibly. It makes me smile - but carefully so, so as not to incur the farmer's disapproval. After all, he IS carrying a pitchfork.

From Quiz Puns and Word Play 3

Answer: In a ward

A ward is a large room in a hospital in which patients currently undergoing treatment sleep. Apart from these poor inmates in their assorted hospital beds, wards usually have nurses buzzing in and out doing health checks, carrying bed pans back and forth, taking temperatures and blood pressure and so on. An award is some type of recognition given for meritorious service or achievement. The pun for this question combines "a ward" in which nurses work, with an "award" - a trophy of honour.

From Quiz Animal Pun Fun

Answer: Catatonic

Credit to FT player picker77 for that one. And what did the champion feline win at the animal show? Catastrophe of course. If anyone has lapsed into a catatonic state, that person is basically incapable of movement or response of any kind. This condition can be caused by shock, psychological disorders, post traumatic stress disorders, or any other number of associated triggers. It is usually treated by high doses of psychoactive drugs, or sometimes by electroconvulsive therapy in extreme cases. The pun here takes the first part of "CATatonic" and associates it with the word "Feline".

From Quiz Just A Few More Punioms

Answer: He left his foot in the door

The comical portrayal of traveling salesmen in comics and so forth is that they're very hard to get rid of, and, to prevent a door being slammed in their face, they will put their foot in the threshold so that the door cannot be closed. When this term first appeared in the mid 1800s, it meant just that, and was a literal interpretation of the term. We now use this term in a more figurative sense in the modern world to describe the first inroads made into an endeavour or scheme in which one wishes to participate. An example of this could be a graduate teacher who wishes to work locally instead of having to go hundreds of miles away inland to take up a job offer there. That teacher could volunteer her services at the local school to assist struggling students in various classrooms. If accepted - and they're always snapped up in Australia - she would likely then be considered for paid employment when a vacancy arises at the school. An artificial leg is a wonderful invention that enables anyone who has lost a leg in an accident or war or disease perhaps, to be able to walk again with the aid of an artificial limb that replaces the missing body part. Artificial limbs of various kinds have been used by mankind for thousands of years. An example of this is a wooden toe that was found on a body dating back to the 16th century BC in Egypt. That sounds rather comical but apparently it is rather hard to walk without toes. Over the centuries that followed, the manufacture of artificial limbs became progressively more and more sophisticated. There are some amazing diagrams of same in Wikipedia if you wish to see them.

From Quiz Canine Puns

Answer: Wagged

This pun combines the moving of a dog's tail wagging vigorously, with that of a child playing truant from school, an activity known in the common vernacular as "wagging". A dog has several ways of displaying emotions with its tail. The one you should be wary of is when that tail is held very stiff and straight. That's a threatening position that can, if not respected, lead to an attack. When its tail is wagging broadly, however, the dog is happy and friendly - always a lovely sight to see. You never ever - ever - want to see a little dog with its tail tucked nervously and anxiously between its leg in a position of fear, submission and ill-treatment though. The cruel person who has reduced its dog to that level doesn't deserve to be called human. Truancy (wagging) is unauthorised absence from school, usually to have a day of pure, unsupervised fun, but one that is illegal. A good education is needed to enliven the mind and the personality and to progress in life through a fulfilling and rewarding career. Oh, but just once in a while, the joy of wagging school is irresistible. (Children, block your ears!) I've done it myself now and then.

From Quiz Puns and Word Play 2

Answer: Sarong

A sarong is a large piece of patterned material often seen wrapped around the waist and lower half of people from south-east Asia and the Pacific islands. An interesting difference in styles worn in Malaysia is that men traditionally wear sarongs of checked patterns, while the women have the choice of far prettier and brightly coloured ones. The pun here combines the word sarong with the farewell greeting of "So long".

From Quiz Punioms 2

Answer: Baby boomer

A cannon is a large, heavy mounted gun on a carriage that is used for firing large explosives devices. These weapons were invented in China in the 12th century, and were first used there as flamethrowers. It was only later that shrapnel was added to their explosive mix. Originally the barrels of cannon were made of bamboo, or, astonishingly so, paper, so it is presumed that each firing of a flame thrower was a one off occurrence. A baby boomer is a descriptive term applied to the children who were born in the next generation following the Second World War, and were usually, but not necessarily, the offspring of returning soldiers and their long patient wives.

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