{"id":150,"date":"2014-08-14T03:59:32","date_gmt":"2014-08-14T06:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/?p=150"},"modified":"2014-08-23T02:48:56","modified_gmt":"2014-08-23T05:48:56","slug":"nifty-fifties-swifties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eayrs.com\/blog\/archives\/150","title":{"rendered":"Nifty Fifties Swifties"},"content":{"rendered":"

Published in Modern English Teacher,\u00a0 ISSN 0308-0587, Vol. 10, N\u00ba 1, 2001 , pp. 18-19<\/em><\/p>\n

A game which developed amongst language lovers back in the fifties was based on Tom Swift, the hero in a series of boys\u2019 adventure books who never simply \u2018said\u2019 anything, but always said it \u2018morosely\u2019, \u2018resignedly\u2019, etc. This adverbial inclination led to the \u2018Tom Swiftie\u2019, a kind of word game in which you have to link an adverb to the meaning of a phase in such a way that it has a double meaning.<\/p>\n

For example, if poor Tom is hobbling around after a skiing accident and has mislaid his crutches we might say:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve lost my crutches\u201d, said Tom lamely.<\/em><\/p>\n

where the word \u2018lamely\u2019 has the double meaning of a poor excuse and the difficulty Tom experiences in walking.<\/p>\n

If you like playing with words and their meanings this kind of thing can be immense fun and highly addictive. Like all puns the more outrageous it is the better: few Tom Swifties arise accidentally.<\/p>\n

The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, 1st edition (1966) defines Tom Swifties thus:<\/p>\n

Tom Swiftie, a play on words that follows an unvarying pattern and relies for its humor on a punning relationship between the way an adverb describes a speaker and at the same time refers significantly to the import of the speaker\u2019s statement, as in \u201cI know who turned off the lights,\u201d Tom hinted darkly. [named after a narrative mannerism characteristic of the <\/em>Tom Swift American series of adventure novels for boys]. <\/em><\/p>\n

In actual use, \u201cTom Swifty\u201d seems to have a somewhat broader meaning, and includes the form sometimes called \u201ccroakers\u201d or \u2018groaners\u2019, where a verb rather than an adverb supplies the pun, e.g.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m dying\u201d, Tom croaked.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

Who is this Tom Swifty character anyway?\u201d asked Tom unselfconsciously.<\/em><\/p>\n

Tom Swift first appeared in the eponymous series \u201cTom Swift\u201d written by Edward L. Stratemeyer and first published in 1894 and later revived to continue (under different writers) until about 1935.<\/p>\n

In these stories Tom never merely \u201csaid\u201d anything; he asserted, asseverated, averred, chuckled, declared, ejaculated, expostulated, grinned (plainly or mischievously), groaned, quipped, or smiled. In particular, sentences of the form “xxx”, Tom said xxx-ly<\/em> were used ad nauseam.<\/em> Over time a person or persons unknown decided to satirize the mannerism by using puns, and the Tom Swifty was born.<\/p>\n

The following examples (courtesy Mark Israel) will demonstrate how they work. Let\u2019s start by taking an adverb such as \u2018abstractly\u2019 and look at three sample Swifties we can make:<\/p>\n

\u201cI like modern painting\u201d, said Tom abstractly.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNow that\u2019s worth stealing\u201d, said Tom abstractly.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first step towards my thesis\u201d, said Tom abstractly.<\/em><\/p>\n

Here we can relate the concept \u2018abstract\u2019 to, in turn, \u2018modern art\u2019, \u2018the verb abstract\u2019 (meaning \u2018to steal\u2019) and the kind of \u2018abstract\u2019 you make of an academic paper.<\/p>\n

Here are some more complicated ones (with hints in brackets)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe executioner has received the tool he needs\u201d, said Tom with a heavy accent.<\/em> (Axe end)<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s all play an A, a C#, and an E\u201d, cried the band with one accord.<\/em> (A single chord consisting of the notes A, C# and E)<\/p>\n

\u201cI got this ballpoint pen from a Yugoslav friend\u201d, said Tom acerbically.<\/em> (A Serb BIC)<\/p>\n

If you found these painful, the whole point of Tom Swifties is that – because they are puns – they are contrived (the more contrived the better) and make you groan rather than laugh.<\/p>\n

In the box on the right \/ below \/ wherever you will find some more examples for your amusement – you should be able to work them out for yourself without too much trouble. Once you get the idea perhaps you might like to try and invent a few of your own. We\u2019ll publish the best here, propriety permitting.<\/p>\n

More Tom Swifties . . .<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are some better known Tom Swifties. Readers of MET may have fun making up their own examples and are invited to contribute these for a follow-up issue.<\/p>\n