A Little Comic Relief
"I lost my map!" she said, disoriented.
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Some literary levity in today’s post, which features my favorite form of wordplay, the Tom Swifty. (“I can’t believe I got another flat!” she said tiredly.)
The Tom Swifty (or Swiftie) “is a phrase in which a quoted sentence is linked by a pun to the manner in which it is attributed…The standard syntax is for the quoted sentence to be first, followed by the description of the act of speaking, such as:
“‘If you want me, I shall be in the attic,’ Tom said loftily.
“The name comes from the Tom Swift series of books (1910–present), similar in many ways to the better-known Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series, and, like them, produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate. In this series, the young scientist hero underwent adventures involving rocket ships, ray-guns and other things he had invented.” (Wikipedia)
And now, some Tom Swifties that I’ve collected over the years from friends and fellow bookish folks:
Courtesy of Gerald Dowd:
"Is your skin always that dry?" he cracked.
"I can't believe you drank all the merlot!" she whined.
Courtesy of Philip Graham:
“Your tears simply do not affect me,” he observed dryly.
“The food here is terrible,” he muttered, swallowing his words.
“I agree. Even the vegetables are overcooked!" she steamed.
“Sorry about that butt call,” he said cheekily.
“Everything in Texas is bigger,” he said in measured tones. “Even the cowboys,” he continued hoarsely.
Courtesy of Michael Blank:
"I'd better repeat that SOS message," he said remorsefully.
"I'll sue your ass again," was his retort.
"I have a BA in social work," she said with a degree of concern.
"I hope I can even still play the guitar," he fretted.
Courtesy of Ruth Hutchison:
"I really don't like tending the garden," he said witheringly.
From days of yore – sports broadcasting:
“We don’t have anyone who can hit 60 homeruns,” he said ruthlessly.
Courtesy of Raymond Chandler:
"I just love grapefruit," she said tartly.
Courtesy of Tony Ellis:
"I really like hot dogs," he said with relish.
"You dance just like Fred Astaire," she said gingerly.
"That's not how you draw a circle," he griped roundly.
A few from me:
“I really don’t like going to museums,” he said artlessly.
“Watch out for broken glass!” she said sharply.
“I can’t write very well with a pencil,” she said in a leaden tone.
Please share a Swifty of your own in the comments!
Love them! "You're hallucinating again," John said, acidly.
"I'll admit, I snorted at a few of these," she said sloppily.