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James Callow Folklore Archive

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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

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Your search for WORDPLAY returned 43 results.

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Autograph Rhyme

Album Verse:

Yours till the Atlantic ocean wears rubber pants to keep its bottom dry.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): Album ; Atlantic ; AUTOGRAPH ; Ocean ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; Rubber Pants ; SEA ; Signature ; VERSE ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Verse without Music

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Autograph Verse

Album Rhyme:

Yours till Germany gets Hungary and cooks Turkey in Greece and serves it on China.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): AUTOGRAPH ; China ; COUNTRY ; Devotion ; Germany ; Hungary ; Nations ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; Signature ; Turkey ; VERSE ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Verse without Music

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Autograph Verse

Album Rhyme:

Yours till butter flies

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): Album ; Aphorism ; AUTOGRAPH ; Butter ; Butterfly ; Devotion ; FLIES ; Flight ; Fly ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; Signature ; VERSE ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Verse without Music

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riddle

Question: What's black and white and red all over?

Answer: A newspaper.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): Black ; COLOR ; Homophone ; Language ; NEWSPAPER ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; Read ; Red ; RIDDLE ; White ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: RIDDLE -- Riddle Question

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Language

Greeting:

"Good Morning, Glory!"

Submitter comment:

This was my grandmother's greeting to me in the morning

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

the words [not used] are written in the top left of the submission card

Keyword(s): FLOWER ; Glory ; GREETING ; Language ; MORNING ; Morning glory ; PLAY ON WORDS ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: SPEECH -- Formula

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Language

Get Lost!:

A humorous putdown which is self-explanatory: "make like a tree and leave"

Submitter comment:

This saying circulates among Mary's friends and has also caught on in our family.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Leave-Taking?

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; Lansing

Keyword(s): HUMOR ; INSULT ; Language ; Leave ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; Tree ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: SPEECH -- Formula

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Language: Rhyme

Mary had a little lamb

The doctor had a fix

'Til Old Macdonald had a farm

Then the doctor quit.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): DOCTOR ; Farm ; JOKE ; Lamb ; Language ; Mary ; Old MacDonald ; PLAY ON WORDS ; poem ; PUN ; RHYME ; VERSE ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Lyrical Verse Lyrical Verse

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Language: Rhyme

If you get to Heaven

'Fore I do

Punch a little hole

And pull me through

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): HEAVEN ; Hole ; Language ; PLAY ON WORDS ; poem ; PUN ; RHYME ; VERSE ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Lyrical Verse Lyrical Verse

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Riddle

What's black and white and red all over?

Variations of answers:

1) Newspaper
2) Skunk with a diaper rash
3) Penguin with a sunburn
4) Blushing zebra

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): Black ; Blush ; Brain Teaser ; COLOR ; Diaper Rash ; JOKE ; NEWSPAPER ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; Red ; RIDDLE ; SKUNK ; Sunburn ; White ; WORDPLAY ; Zebra

Subject headings: RIDDLE -- Riddle Question

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Language

after a twenty minute argument with his cousin, Jim hollored this parting statement: "Make like a tree and leave!"

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Leave-Talking?

Better-Taunt?

Original BN [C730.329] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: BOSTON ; Massachusetts

Keyword(s): Leave ; Leave Talking ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; TAUNT ; Tree ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: --
SPEECH -- Formula

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Language

Taunt:

Make like a tree and leave.

Submitter comment:

Informant Used in School.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Keyword(s): Leave ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; TAUNT ; Tree ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: SPEECH -- Formula

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Language

Tongue Twister:

Blue bottom trousers, buttons made of brass, loose around the ankles tight around the ass. Ask me any questions surely I won't tell, if you don't believe me you can go to WELL...hello operator give me number nine; if the line is busy give me back my dime.

Other endings might be "you look like frankenstein" or any "-ine" ending.

Submitter comment:

He learned it in school when he was about 10 or 11

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Taste? Also, Verse?

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Blue ; Button ; Dime ; GAME ; Jump Rope ; Language ; Operator ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; RHYME ; SONG ; TONGUE TWISTER ; Trousers ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: SPEECH -- Formula

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Language

Tongue Twister:

 A tooter who tutored the flute tried to tutor two tooters to toot.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Verse?

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Flute ; Language ; MUSIC ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER ; Toot ; Tutor ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: SPEECH -- Formula

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Proverbial Saying

Retort:

Can't come in cans; cans come in success.

Submitter comment:

In school, 7th grade St. Theodore, SSJ, had on blackboard.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Meaning?

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): Aphorism ; CAN ; Can't ; Language ; Maxim ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PROVERB ; PUN ; RETORT ; SUCCESS ; VERSE ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: SPEECH -- Formula

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Retort

Following comment is made to someone who has insulted you:

"I resemble that remark."

The slip of the tongue is intentional.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Sense?

Classification?

The words Tongue Twister have been crossed out.

Where learned: NEW YORK ; Syracuse University ; Syracuse

Keyword(s): INSULT ; Language ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; Resemble ; Resent ; RETORT ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: SPEECH -- Formula

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Tongue Twister

Following comment is made to someone who has insulted you. The slip of the tongue is intentional:

You're casting asparagus on my reputation.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Not really a tongue twister, is it?

Where learned: NEW YORK ; Syracuse University ; Syracuse

Keyword(s): INSULT ; Language ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; Reply ; REPUTATION ; RETORT ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: SPEECH -- Formula

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Salutation

Yours till the ocean wears rubber pants to keep its bottom dry.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Leave-Talking?

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): Album ; AUTOGRAPH ; Devotion ; Farewell ; Ocean ; Pants ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; Rubber ; Salutation ; Signature ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: SPEECH -- Formula

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Riddle

WHY DID THE BOY PUT HIS CAR IN THE OVEN?
HE WANTED A HOT ROD.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): Boy ; Car ; Hot Rod ; JOKE ; Oven ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; RIDDLE ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: RIDDLE -- Riddle Question

Date learned: 03-00-1972

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Joke

WHAT DID ONE STRAWBERRY SAY TO THE OTHER?
IF YOU HADN'T BEEN SO SWEET WE WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN
IN THIS JAM.

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): Jam ; JOKE ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; STRAWBERRY ; Sweet ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: RIDDLE -- Riddle Question

Date learned: 02-00-1972

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Riddle

WHAT DID THE DOG SAY WHEN HE SAT ON THE SANDPAPER?
RUFF, RUFF (ROUGH, ROUGH).

Data entry tech comment:

Updated by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): JOKE ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; RIDDLE ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings: RIDDLE -- Riddle Question

Date learned: 04-00-1972

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