ESL: Puns Upon a Time
Answers


1. "Spotted" has two meanings: 1) "seen", 2) "covered with spots, like a leopard".
2. "Bettor" means "a person who bets or gambles. It sounds like "better", meaning "improved."
3. Two meanings: 1) he jumped into the Seine River in Paris, and 2) "in Seine" has the same sound as "insane," meaning "crazy."
4. "Auto" means "car", but it also sounds like "ought to". "Hood" is the cover for a car’s engine, but it also sounds like "head". The mechanic says two things at the same time: 1) you should have your engine checked, and 2) you should have your head checked (meaning, maybe you are a little crazy).
5. "Wurst" is a kind of German sausage, and it also sounds like "worst".
6. "Sole" has two meanings: 1) only one, and 2) the bottom of a shoe.
7. "Pupil" has two meanings: 1) students, and 2) the center of one’s eye.
8. "Right" means "correct." "Right" also sounds like "Wright", the name of the two men, the Wright brothers, who flew the first airplane.
9. "To bask" means "to lie in the sun." John’s sentence also sounds like, "You certainly got what you asked for."
10. "Weak" means "without strength," but it also sounds like "week".
11. "Recluse" is another name for "hermit." "Recluse" also sound like "reckless," meaning "careless."
12. Dew is the water that forms on plants at sunrise, so the birds’ bills were above the dew. "Over dew" also sounds like "overdue," meaning "late".
13. In physics, a focus is the point at which rays of light come together or meet. The mother’s sentence also sounds like, "Focus is the place where the sons raise meat."
14. "Nobel" sounds like "no bell."
15. "Frayed" means "with many loose threads." "A frayed" sounds like "afraid," meaning "frightened."
16. "Rudolph the Red" means "Rudolph the communist." The sentence also sounds like "Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer," the Christmas song.

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