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The English language is known for its richness and inventiveness. Well, I’m not impressed. Where’s the term for 'a person who annoyingly laughs at non-funny things,’ ‘someone who's always butt dialing you,’ or ’something that comes back to bite you in the a***’? I’ve solved that pressing problem. You're welcome. If you like punny portmanteaus, there's plenty more where these came from! If you don’t mind the odd sex joke. If that sounds like you, go to my Instagram. I also take requests!

More info: Instagram

Bored Panda reached out to the Cunning Linguist with some questions.

What’s your main motivation to keep creating new words?

"Enjoyment. I’m a logophile. I love words, especially creating new ones. It’s a bit like solving a problem and I relish the challenge. I started doing it four years ago with punny, made-up collective nouns (you can check out that project here). Right about the same time, I discovered that I was also really good at translating wordplay, which is quite hard. I’m going to continue no matter what but, as with the collective noun project, I do have plans to have these illustrated and turned into physical objects, such as prints, mugs, etc., and eventually, a book—that is the ultimate goal."

#2

Pun + Pandemic

Pun + Pandemic

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hyperunknown
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's just remarkably pandepic! Let's have a covideoparty, drink quarantini's, or cases of Corona. Who am I kidding though, we're in quarantine, it's all inside jokes - so bad they all flu over your heads. Anyway, I'm hungry, I'll have myself some Mac'n'Sneeze.

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#3

Crap + Apple

Crap + Apple

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Terry Tobias
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hate those apples! They fool you with their beautiful appearance but are yucky inside!

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Alijaan Qariali
Community Member
2 years ago

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I basically make about $6,000-$8,000 a month online. It’s enough to comfortably replace my old jobs income, especially considering I only work about 10-13 hours a week from home. I was amazed how easy it was after I tried it….. ===))> 𝐖­𝐰­𝐰.𝐅­𝐮­𝐥­𝐰­𝐨­𝐫­𝐤.𝐂­𝐨­𝐦

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Majid Hussain
Community Member
2 years ago

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I basically make about $6,000-$8,000 a month online. It’s enough to comfortably replace my old jobs income, especially considering I only work about 10-13 hours a week from home. I was amazed how easy it was after I tried it….. ===))> 𝐖­𝐰­𝐰.𝐅­𝐮­𝐥­𝐰­𝐨­𝐫­𝐤.𝐂­𝐨­𝐦

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Megs79DogFan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't like those apples either I prefer the juicy crunchy ones

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How long does it take to come up with a good pun?

"That depends. Sometimes, it starts with simply noticing similar-sounding words, in which case arriving at the pun is fairly immediate and it's basically a question of working on a definition that works. If, on the other hand, I start with a concept, then it's much harder and it could take a fair share of exploration and trial and error (I usually test the ones I’m iffy about with a few friends and fans) to get to a certain standard of quality. So, anywhere from a flash of inspiration up to maybe a couple of hours for the more challenging ones."

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How do you come up with the ideas in general, or are they just random?

"I’m always on the lookout for either ideas or words with potential and I note them all down for later examination. If it’s words or expressions, then it’ll be something inherently funny like, for instance, ‘resting b**ch face’. Off the bat, that’s a funny phrase. And you can tell it has some wordplay potential: ‘bitch’ rhymes with ditch, itch, glitch, hitch, kitsch, niche (in US English), pitch, snitch, witch… Then I go through all the possible options until I settle on the funniest.

If I’m starting with a concept, the exploration stage is similar but also based on semantic fields besides phonetic similarity and it’s either a request from a fan, a pet hate of mine or little things that are, if not universal, shared experiences. I find these to be the most rewarding to come up with, because of their reliability."

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How do people mostly react to your work?

"I don’t think most people care that much for puns (unless you’re British or Irish, in which case I have the opposite impression), but among the ones that do and have found me on Instagram, there are always a few enthusiastic fans who show their appreciation, which always encourages and cheers me up. And of course, my more risqué entries (go to my Instagram account if you want to see some of those), be it blue humour or anything that even references anything potentially controversial, are definitely not appreciated by some; sometimes I’m not even making fun of the subject matter or endorsing the use of the language in question, I’m just having fun with words, but still, some people will take issue with it. I suppose that comes with the territory in these PC times. For me, it’s all about context. I’d say that if someone’s offended by a silly pun, that’s more a reflection of that person’s self-centredness and dualistic worldview rather than the creator’s character or opinions."

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Do you ever feel burned out by what you do, or is it more like a hobby?

"Not at all. This is actually what I do for fun so that I don’t feel burned out by my actual job! I feel like I could go on forever. Posting only once a week is due to lack of time, not lack of ideas. If only I could do this full-time, I’d be a happy man!"

What part of the whole creative process (from creating the word itself, the description, and even choosing the picture) do you enjoy the most?

"Creating the word itself, since that’s the most creative and engaging part. The rest, especially finding and editing the image, is mostly a chore. I’m limited to stock photography and it takes me a lot of time to find a good photo, and then quite a bit of editing too. That part is not as fun, but it absolutely makes the whole thing come alive and arouse more interest."

#11

Instagram + Grammie

Instagram + Grammie

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What inspired you to start an Instagram account for your puns?

"With any creative endeavour, it feels kind of pointless if it’s not shared with an audience. The joy I get from it is part from the creative process, part from the appreciation I get from fellow wordplay enthusiasts. And I don't get just appreciation, but also constructive criticism and inspiration.

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Of course, the goal is to keep growing that audience, therefore Instagram seemed like the natural choice so that I can eventually turn these into the aforementioned physical objects I plan to create and sell."

#13

Tiger Mum > Ostrich Mum

Tiger Mum > Ostrich Mum

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#16

Word + Orgasm

Word + Orgasm

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#19

Butt + Gut Feeling

Butt + Gut Feeling

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Bacony Cakes
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not to be confused: Arssault, the burning you get when you do a really spicy sh*t.

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#22

Battle Of Thermopylae + Pillow

Battle Of Thermopylae + Pillow

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Bacony Cakes
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Gapillowpi: When you combat the chance of Thermopillow with a very long book.

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#25

Venal + Venereal Disease

Venal + Venereal Disease

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ii_3 avatar
I I
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ohh yes , they're all dodgy money grabbers , trump didnt take a wage but still pulled in billions while POTUS , more money made in four years than most of his life

#26

Assess + A Cesspool

Assess + A Cesspool

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Michigan Guy
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

public school's always been about indoctrination, to some degree. but now that's really fallen by the wayside because of the federal funding tied to test scores. you have to have those kids pass those tests, whether they can think critically or not, do basic research or not, see and understand the flow of history for different cultures, have any true understanding of an accurate history of their own state, let alone their own country, read and read with comprehension anything more complicated than traditional third grade level, let's not even start on the harder sciences...art? music? it just goes on and on. they're trained to pass the tests to keep the money wheel chugging along, and if they happen to dumb the large majority of us down along the way, well.....you have to break eggs to make an omelette..

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#29

Cannabis + Cannibalism

Cannabis + Cannibalism

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ii_3 avatar
I I
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

keep them away from pot , or just dont smoke it with them , not the kind of munchies i want to be involved in , in anyway

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#30

Cohort + Wart

Cohort + Wart

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