Word play or wordplay is a literary technique and a form of wit in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Puns, phonetic mix-ups such as spoonerisms, obscure words and meanings, clever rhetorical excursions, oddly formed sentences, and telling character names are common examples of word play.
Word play is quite common in oral cultures as a method of reinforcing meaning.
Examples of visual orthographic and sound-based word play abound in both alphabetically and non-alphabetically written literature (e.g. Chinese).
Read more about Word Play: Techniques, Examples, Related Phenomena
Famous quotes containing the words word and/or play:
“The word snob belongs to the sour-grape vocabulary.”
—Logan Pearsall Smith (1865–1946)
“Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
So I make an idle boast;
Jesus of the twice-turned cheek
Lamb of God, although I speak
With my mouth thus, in my heart
Do I play a double part.”
—Countee Cullen (1903–1946)