Puns in Plautus

Abstract

A pun is commonly defined as an expression in which the use of a word in two different applications, or the use of two different words pronounced alike or nearly alike, presents an odd or ludicrous idea. But time and again we meet expressions in Plautus which fulfill the requirements of the definition and still leave us in doubt whether they should be classed as puns or paronomasia. Possibly we can reach more definite conclusions as to what distinguishes the two classes by a comparison of some of the examples of each.