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Tom Swifties are a special kind of pun, e.g.:

  • "I need a pencil sharpener," said Tom bluntly.
  • "Oops! There goes my hat!" said Tom off the top of his head.
  • "I can no longer hear anything," said Tom deftly.
  • "I have a split personality," said Tom, being frank.
  • "This must be an aerobics class," Tom worked out.
  • Over 400 more in our massive Dictionary of Tom Swifties!
Tom Swifties are a type of Wellerism. They fall broadly into four categories (explained here), but they all work on the same principle which can be seen in the examples:

  • "I couldn't believe there were 527,986 bees in the swarm!" Tom recounted.
  • "Don't you know my name?" asked Tom swiftly.
  • "Your fly is undone," was Tom's zippy rejoinder.
  • "I only have diamonds, clubs and spades," said Tom heartlessly.
Who was Tom Swift? if you want to find out how these puns got the name Tom Swifties, Click here.

Our Dictionary of Tom Swifties contains over 400 examples of this type of pun arranged alphabetically by the punning word. Here's a few more to whet your appetite before you go to the complete index.

  • "Don't add too much water," said Tom with great concentration.
  • "I wonder if there's a number between seven and nine," said Tom considerately.
  • "I manufacture tabletops for shops," said Tom counterproductively.
  • "It's not fair!" said Tom darkly.
  • "I haven't had any tooth decay yet," said Tom precariously.
If you know a good Tom Swifty that we don't have then please send it to us. But please remember to check to make sure we don't already have it first!

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