fan-hitting (classified) (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Charles Doyle]

Less fun, to be sure, but the phrase "set-up pun" also obscures the shaggy-dogginess of the typical long-drawn-out "set-up," which Legman analyzed as a sort of sadism on the part of the narrator.  (There do exist SHORT jests that culminate in puns, but that's not really the category being discussed here.)

In any case, shouldn't the term for the narrative be "pun set-up" rather than "set-up pun"--which term would refer only to the punchline?

--Charlie
_____________________________________________________________

---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:59:11 -0700
>From: Jeff Prucher <jprucher at YAHOO.COM>
>Subject: Re: fan-hitting (classified) (UNCLASSIFIED)

>
>An alternative, non-SFnal, name is "set-up pun".  At least, that's what Richard Lederer calls them. (A couple hits in Google Books, anway, but fewer than for "feghoot") Set-up pun has the advantage of being fairly transparent, but it's not nearly as fun to say.
>
>Jeff Prucher

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