I was surprised the other day to learn the Very Well-Versed Spouse didn’t know what a Tom Swifty was–did you?
It’s a “phrase in which a quoted sentence is linked by a pun to the manner in which it is represented as having been said.” Here are some examples:
“I manufacture tabletops” said Tom, counterproductively.
“I used to be a pilot,” Tom explained.
“Two heads are not better than one,” said Tom, single-mindedly.
“I’ll take the prisoner downstairs,” said Tom condescendingly.
“I’m afraid I flunked my electrocardiogram,” said Tom half-heartedly.
“I can’t remember what I was supposed to buy,” said Tom listlessly.
Get it? And I was thinking about those kind of punning sentences because my hero and heroine are having a little light-hearted verbal sparring, in-between the virgin auctions and the opium addiction, plus Abby Godwin made me laugh with her use of ‘cocky’ in her post on romance novel covers.
So I thought:
“Lick me,” she said cunningly.
“Have you ever seen a bigger one?” he asked cockily.
“Does this dress expose my best assets?” she asked titillatingly.
Can you think of any? And did you know what these phrases actually had a name, and weren’t just your lame uncle’s attempt at wit?
Megan
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t think of any. I’m laughing too hard.
I did know they were Tom Swifties. I have to be careful of them. I use so many adverbs in my dialogue tags that, someday, something like your romance versions just might come out inadvertantly.
Oh, I thought of another one, too:
“Sure, I can rub one out,” he said handily.
LOL! You are a whiz at this! I can’t think of any myself. Love the cunningly one. Woohoo!
I had to explain Tom Swifties to my husband too. Must be a gene thing.
Seriously beginning to feel stupid or manly
Never heard of a Tom Swifty but now I’m afraid to look over my old blog posts.
The things I learn coming here!
CindyS