Pun vs Sarcasm - What's the difference?
pun | sarcasm |
To beat; strike with force; ram; pound, as in a mortar; reduce to powder.
* Shakespeare
A joke or type of wordplay in which similar senses or sounds of two words or phrases, or different senses of the same word, are deliberately confused.
* {{quote-book
, title=(Mansfield Park)
, last=Austen
, first=Jane
, authorlink=Jane Austen
, year=1814
*:Comment : Austen was likely referring to spanking/flogging, then common naval punishments, known as (le vice Anglais) .
To make or tell a pun; make a play on words.
(uncountable) A sharp form of humor, intended to hurt, that is marked by mocking with irony, sometimes conveyed in speech with vocal over-emphasis. Insincerely saying something which is the opposite of one's intended meaning, often to emphasize how unbelievable or unlikely it sounds if taken literally, thereby illustrating the obvious nature of one's intended meaning.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5
, passage=Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm , he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited.}}
(countable) An act of sarcasm.
As nouns the difference between pun and sarcasm
is that pun is a joke or type of wordplay in which similar senses or sounds of two words or phrases, or different senses of the same word, are deliberately confused while sarcasm is a sharp form of humor, intended to hurt, that is marked by mocking with irony, sometimes conveyed in speech with vocal over-emphasis. Insincerely saying something which is the opposite of one's intended meaning, often to emphasize how unbelievable or unlikely it sounds if taken literally, thereby illustrating the obvious nature of one's intended meaning.As a verb pun
is to beat; strike with force; ram; pound, as in a mortar; reduce to powder.pun
English
(wikipedia pun)Etymology 1
From (etyl) . More at (l).Verb
- He would pun thee into shivers with his fist.
Etymology 2
From a special use of Etymology 1 .Noun
(en noun)citation, volume=one, chapter VI , publisher= }}
- "Certainly, my home at my uncle's brought me acquainted with a circle of admirals. Of Rears'' and ''Vices I saw enough. Now do not be suspecting me of a pun , I entreat."
Usage notes
* Because some puns are based on pronunciation, puns are more obvious when spoken aloud. For example: “This rock is gneiss, but don’t take it for granite.” This reads (with a US accent) similarly to “This rock is nice, but don’t take it for granted.” (Both “gneiss” and “granite” are types of rock.)Synonyms
* See alsoVerb
- We punned about the topic until all around us groaned.