Pun: the lesser of two weevils

Thu May 8 21:47:39 UTC 2014

W Brewer wrote:
> Capt. Jack Aubrey: <<...one must always choose the lesser of two weevils.>>
> Dr. Stephen Maturin:  <<He who would pun would pick a pocket.>> vel sim.,
> in the movie anyway.

Yes, the topic of puns (and responses) in Patrick O'Brian's novels was
introduced in a twitter exchange after a person linked to the
following QI entry which was based on a discussion held on this list:

He Who Would Pun Would Pick a Pocket
http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/10/24/pun-pickpocket/

The offensive pun that provoked the pickpocket remark was based on
"drawer" and not "weevil" in the non-fiction timeline.

Garson

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