双关语(Pun)

更新于 2026年10月13日 版权声明
三、双关语(Pun)

双关语就是利用英语同音异义、同音异形异义或一词多义现象,使用同样一个词或词语,让一句话产生两层不同的意思,即“一语双关”,从而形成风趣幽默或嘲弄讥讽的效果(双关语用斜体、加黑显示)。

例一:round figures(圆形的身材;粗略的数据)

My doctor says more than one million people are overweight.Those,of course,are round figures.(Saturday Evening Post,October 1981)

例二:pray for(为……祈祷)和prey on(把……当作猎物)

On Sunday they pray for you and on Monday they prey on you.

例三:hang(被处绞刑;团结在一起)

Wemust hang together or we shall hang separately.(B.Franklin)

例四:serve(餐馆售卖……菜肴;招待)(https://www.daowen.com)

A man approaches a table in a restaurant and asks: “Do you serve crabs here?”The waiter says:“Sure,sit down.We serve everybody.”

例五:for untold ages(年代久远;秘而不宣的年龄)

For untold ages women have been famous for untold ages.(Reader's Digest,May 1979)

例六:negative(底片;反面)

A woman goes to the Chemist's for a developed film.She says smugly to the chemist:“I do look nice in the picture,don't I?”Handing her the film the chemist replies:“Well,mam,the answer lies in the negative.”

例七:share(分享;共有)

A young writer once met Gerald Durrel and said:“We once shared a publisher.”Gerald replied:“What a terrible thought.I hope we didn't get indigestion.”(BBC,December 27,1980)

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