Results - 24.02.2012

Categories: Famous dead people & things you'd find in the pub

I must not hesitate in apologising for my unacceptable tardiness. It is not at all like me. I was busy Friday, Wales beat England on Saturday and what followed is best described as: "Global loss of physical & emotional equilibrium". I settled down to do this on Sunday but Mrs. Pun-Off practically insisted I not waste any more of my time negotiating (with increasing futility) with a task manager so obtuse and arrogant. On Monday my workload ballooned to an all-time high - I was forced to work until 5:15pm!!! My employer's liberty taking has escalated beyond the point of amicable recovery.

Anyway, Puns....those glorious linguistic levellers. It was a great day of Punning I must say. Initially I thought I'd made an error of judgement with the chosen categories but gradually speckles of quality began to tumble in and the board lit up with some clever, witty and complex word-plays. As ever, selecting a winner was tough, but I've done what I can with the time that I have. Good luck to you all.

In 3rd Place...She's shown a consistency of Puns that has many a People's Champion looking over their shoulder. She almost nicked it this week with this excellent composition:

Albert Winestien - Katie Everson

Everson is clearly dangerous and has some other excellent entries this week. The beauty of this one is the simplicity and it's use of such a well known dead person and pub item. Technically, it's near perfect: flow, syllabic integrity...it's ticking all the boxes for me. Don't get me wrong though; Everson is not your pedestrian "Pun-by-numbers" box ticker. She's got an eye for an opportunity and the courage to go for it. There is much to admire here.

In 2nd Place...Like many a debutant before him he's claimed a prize in just his second week of competitive Punning. It's a highly imaginative (some would say unorthodox) Pun:

Steve Yobs - Jason Bevan

Bevan has pushed the categories to their outer most limits here. While there is no disputing that Mr. Jobs is deceased Jason really challenges people's perceptions with this entry. I love it. One could argue that a pun could be made using the given name of any sector of society that might reasonably be seen in a pub, but I would rigorously oppose this. For example, there is some supported accommodation for visually impaired adults opposite my favourite pub and they're in there all the time going about their business. However, it would be unreasonable for me to enter "Brailey Thompson"** as a genuine effort. Yobs and yobbery are synonymous with drinking and I admire Mr. Bevan's thinking here.

** Daley Thompson (former British athletics super-star) is not dead. In fact, I saw him six months ago eating breakfast in Putney. We exchanged glances and he knew I admired him. He still has an excellent hair/moustache combo.

Grapefruit for sale!

And in 1st Place with a Pun that made me laugh like a bawdy grandma confronted with porn:

Emperor Himojito - Martin Hall

Anybody able to find reasonable fault with this Pun is invited to email their arguments to - steveferbrache at hotmail dot com - where they will find themselves severely rebuked with a comprehensive list of reasons why this pun is imaginative, funny, clever and technically sound. The reply you receive will be almost as cumbersome as the previous sentence. Martin Hall is a winner.

PEOPLE'S CHAMPION

He hasn't moaned about the results or contacted me with helpful suggestions this week which implies he knows he is a winner. A very rich and hearty round of applause please for the Pun stylings of:

 Tupac of Crisps - Jon Hill

Jon is this week's People's Champion and I'm sure you'll agree this is an excellent piece of word play. It doesn't have the typical flow and syllabic structure I'd typically go for but it's popularity as a witty effort cannot be ignored. 15 "Likes" is an excellent response. I'm encouraged by Jon's improving form and am confident that his commitment to Puns on and off the field of play is paying dividends. Well done Jon, a deserving winner.

Debuts that I can remember (and a few from last week):

Mark Spicer, Jennifer Farmer, Thomas Ferguson, Edward Davis, Jason Bevan, Jonathan Owens.

If I've missed anyone please let me know and I'll give you a shout out. Oh lord, I just used the phrase "Shout-out". I've become a regional DJ hosting a village fete. For shame. 

The Edmund McCartney Award for ostentatious Punnery (Showing off)

The Winner is: Edmund McCartney

This week is was all about Puns on notable Mathematicians, pioneers of Architecture, modern existential philosophers and Crusade-era Islamic military leaders.

It was a great week, sorry for the delay with the results, I've clearly got my priorities all messed up. It probably won't happen again, but it might. Hope you don't mind.

Watch out over the next few weeks for special guest blogs from Tim "The Stalking Horse" Evans and Adam "Adam" Hallows.