A Punners guide to Punsmanship

Lately, embedded deep within the riveting roots of The Pun-Off, we have seen some highly pleasing examples of outstanding Punsmanship. We've seen self-regulated repetition removal,  cordial complimentary exchanges between rival Punners and we've all received the gift of humility and gratitude in victory from the glorious few. All these acts and more make The Pun-Off a very special place to play with words.

Everyone here at Punning House (Me) is keen to promote the continuation of this mature and good natured conduct. But, conducting ourselves well in relation to our Punning peers is only part of the challenge. A Punner must also conduct him or herself well for the sake of the Puns themselves. Puns have rights too.

So, I am in the process of drafting The Punners Code of Conduct. It is a reference for every Punner wishing to maximise their impact on the competition as well as the hearts and minds of their fellow Punners. I will be uploading it in the next week or so but it's quite a lengthy process and I'm terribly busy and important...so please bare with me.

Please be assured though, my dearest Punners, that this whole exercise is not intended to suppress or homogenise the unique characteristics of our diverse community; that would be a travesty like no other. My hope is that a clear code of conduct will make The Pun-Off a safer place to Pun; a place where people can Pun without fear of prejudice or abuse and where every persons input is valued; unless their Puns are irretrievably rubbish of course.

I've nothing against our lovely novices, inexperienced debutants or "Improvers" but if there is evidence that a Punner has Punned tastelessly or without due diligence  then I feel they should be given the opportunity and encouragement to up their game. The line between a bad Pun and a good Pun is almost invisible -often the very essence of a "Good" pun is that it is "Bad" and this naturally makes judging the whole competition very difficult indeed. But, a "Bad" Pun that is "Good" and a "Bad" Pun that is actually "Bad" is just about perceptible if you're looking with the right kind of eyes. I'm hoping that Punning Code of Conduct will help you develop these astute and descerning "Punning eyes".



Fully developed Pun-Eyes



Any ideas, suggestions, thoughts, feeling or emotions are entirely welcome and will be given due consideration; unless of course they immediately present as being the confused ramblings of a bewildered peasant (see above).