Reblog: The Secret to Being Witty

Posted on by equipsblog

When I read this article, I knew it succinctly justified why I write this blog. Nice of someone to figure that out for me.

” To Wit, to Woo” to paraphrase the owl

When icicles hang by the wall
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail
And Tom bears logs into the hall
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipp’d and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-whit;
Tu-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

Love’s Labors Lost, Act V (Winter)

Published by equipsblog

Writer and oenophile in training

14 thoughts on “Reblog: The Secret to Being Witty”

  1. That’s a great article. I’m going to have to read that book. This quote right here is part of why I write poetry. Or perhaps I should say, why the poetry I write isn’t generally “lyrical” in nature.

    And Geary lays out a variety of kinds of wit, showing the way this play manifests—puns, rhyme, metaphor, slang, rap, to name a few—in a book that is itself an exercise in wit.

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Indulging your inner wit doesn’t always work. Once, long ago during my working life, I was in some meeting where the word “stakeholders” was used, referring to various parties in the university I worked for then. My brain seized on the word with glee and served up a mental image. I said something about who the vampire might be, and was greeted with puzzled looks.
    Good thing I didn’t say anything about firing up the barbeque, eh?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks for sharing Audrey. Your wit was just too agile for that of the rest of the room. It sounds like it would have made a marvelous quip to me. If you have to explain a joke or a pun then it can fall faster and flatter than a lapsed souffle.

      Liked by 1 person

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