I’ve never heard of a Tom Swifty, but I like it. It’s hard to describe these clever little puns without just going into an example.
“I manufacture table tops,” said Tom counterproductively.
Table top = counter, manufacture = productive…get it? The New York Times is running a competition this weekend to find the best, most [...]

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William Safire’s “On Language” column in the New York Times Magazine never fails to bring to light one or two gems. This week’s column was no exception with the inclusion of “rugose” and “rebarbative“. While both words are rather obscure, their definitions render them easily substituted into everyday conversation. Take, for example, the situation [...]

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