Revive, resurrect or reimagine a cliché
Call it a cliché makeover.
Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, breathes new life into old, worn-out phrases in a letter to shareholders.… Read the full article
Wordplay
How to play with words
Twist a list to add humor to your message
Long ago, on an episode of “The Colbert Report,” Stephen Colbert compared:
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and the Toyota Camry
He was using a wordplay technique called “twist a list.”… Read the full article
How to write puns: List, rhyme and twist
Choose fluent words for wordplay
When the Federal Trade Commission needed to explain why the agency has decided not to develop a do-not-spam registry — officials feared that spammers would target people on the list — a spokesperson said:
“You’ll be spammed if we do — and spammed if we don’t.”
… Read the full articleHow to write a pun
Four steps to crafting a twist of phrase
Some people are natural-born phrase twisters. The rest of us will likely need some help.
Want to write twists of phrase that are as clever as puns in literature?… Read the full article
Why do we use oxymorons?
Perceptive campaign plays with paradox
When Perceptive Software needed to fill 130 positions — more than one-third of its existing workforce — in just three months, a contradiction in terms was just what the company needed.… Read the full article
How do you coin a word?
Change a letter, change a word
HITS HAPPEN, blares a car insurance company promoting its “accident forgiveness insurance.”
Change a letter, change a word.
How can you add, subtract, move or change letters or syllables to make your copy more creative via wordplay?… Read the full article
How to write a haiku
Get the word out in 17 syllables
Call it Curbside Haiku.
When the New York City Department of Transportation needed new street safety signs, the DOT posted 144 signs with Japanese haiku, the three-line poem with a syllable count of 17.… Read the full article
How to find the etymology of a word
Express the spirit of your words by exploring their origins
One of the most creative examples of wordplay I’ve ever seen came straight from some good dictionary research.… Read the full article
Help people remember with acronyms
Create a mnemonic
First there was FUBAR: F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition. Now, thanks to the Urban Dictionary, we also have PHOBAR: PHOtoshopped Beyond All Recognition.… Read the full article
How to coin a new word
Create new terms by merging old ones
Tracy Ousdahl and Paul Pinney have traveled the globe. But sometimes, instead of venturing out to a cool destination, they use their time off to visit their families.… Read the full article