Words Gone Wild: Puns, Puzzles, Poesy, Palaver, Persiflage, and Poppycock

Chock-full of jokes and entertaining twists of the tongue, this lighthearted but scholarly guide to humorous language is a sure?re hit with word lovers. The examples are entertainingly bawdy, with a delightful narrative voice in word sleuth and author, Jim Bernhard. He provides examples and puzzles, teaching a smidgen of historical and etymological scholarship, but above all, amusing his audience.

Puns from Greek dramatists, Shakespeare, the Bible, George S. Kaufman, and Groucho Marx vie fo...