# pun



## visual_thinker

I m trying to make a pun but I need native speakers opinion.
I have to put in it a dog, a tree and a duck.
This is my pun.

while you are complaining for your dog life who is up a tree is a dead duck.

does it make sense for you?

thank you for helping me...


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## Copyright

Welcome to the forum. 

Let me be the first to say, kindly, that that makes no sense at all, especially as a pun.


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## ewie

Welcome, VT

Let me be the _second_ person to say that

What exactly are you trying to say? does the pun have to be on a particular subject? or does it _only_ have to contain those three words?


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## visual_thinker

Thank yuo 

... I would like to say that sometime you complain for your life but there are people in worst condition that yours (and maybe your are not able to see them because your to busy complaining about you). I have to use this words and I have two images too. 
THe first is a dog with sad "face"
the second is the same dog near a tree with a duck on it.


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## visual_thinker

sorry for my mistakes...


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## Copyright

A tree with a duck on it? Have you (or anyone else) ever seen a duck in a tree? What a challenge -- for you and the duck. 

Sorry that I can't help: I can't see the forest for the ducks.


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## visual_thinker

thank you anyway 
anyone else?...
I am up a tree


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## Copyright

There’s always someone worse off than me,
  For example, a duck in a tree.

   Worse than a dog with a flea,
  Is a hapless duck in a tree.


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## visual_thinker

It s nice, but I cant use it... because of the images.


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## Nunty

Something about a sitting duck and barking up the wrong tree?


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## visual_thinker

On internet, I found this meamings... I cannot understand why my pun doesn't make any sense... 


dead duck

Fig. someone or something that is certain to die or fail. If I fail that test, I'm a dead duck. When the outlaw drew his pistol, the sheriff knew he was a dead duck.

It's a dog's life.
something that you say which means that life is hard and unpleasant I've got to go to the supermarket, then cook a meal, then pick Dave up from the station - it's a dog's life!


up a tree

in a difficult situation If the insurance company won't pay for the damage, I'll be up a tree.


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## visual_thinker

Nunty said:


> Something about a sitting duck and barking up the wrong tree?



It could be interesting...


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## Nunty

Those idioms are correct but it would be very unusual to combine them in this way.


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## Uncle Bob

Copyright said:


> A tree with a duck on it? Have you (or anyone else) ever seen a duck in a tree? What a challenge -- for you and the duck.


Well, Copyright, the Mandarin duck (_Aix galericulata_), like the American wood duck (_Aix sponsa_), nests in trees - they have claws on their toes for climbing!
The Mandarin duck does occasionally turn up in Hong Kong so there is your challenge.
(Just me being pedantic again).


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## Copyright

Uncle Bob said:


> Well, Copyright, the Mandarin duck (_Aix galericulata_), like the American wood duck (_Aix sponsa_), nests in trees - they have claws on their toes for climbing!
> The Mandarin duck does occasionally turn up in Hong Kong so there is your challenge.
> (Just me being pedantic again).



That's just you being interesting. Thanks for the information -- I won't be so goggle-eyed next time I see a duck in a tree.


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## visual_thinker

thanks. It s nice to know that.  
but it s not a brain-teaser unfortunately...


can anyone help me with this? 



visual_thinker said:


> On internet, I found this meamings... I cannot understand why my pun doesn't make any sense...
> 
> 
> dead duck
> 
> Fig. someone or something that is certain to die or fail. If I fail that test, I'm a dead duck. When the outlaw drew his pistol, the sheriff knew he was a dead duck.
> 
> It's a dog's life.
> something that you say which means that life is hard and unpleasant I've got to go to the supermarket, then cook a meal, then pick Dave up from the station - it's a dog's life!
> 
> 
> up a tree
> 
> in a difficult situation If the insurance company won't pay for the damage, I'll be up a tree.


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## Copyright

A few things:
1. Nothing that you or we have created is a pun. Are you sure it's a pun you're after?
2. What else is in the first image: just a dog with a sad face? Nothing else?
3. In the second image, you mention a dog near a tree with a duck in it. What's the dog's expression?

I don't have any high hopes, but maybe something you clarify will help.


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## visual_thinker

the two images are two sequential scenes.
in the first there is the dog, with a sad face and you cans see a bit of a tree.
In the second the dog is the same, just you can see the all "landscape" and find out that the dog is under a tree. on this tree there is a duck.

The most important think for me (pun apart) is at least to write an ispirational message (if I am not able to write a real pun).


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## Wishfull

Hi.
Do you mean "a proverb" by "a pun"?
Do you mean " a word-play" by "a pun"?


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## visual_thinker

Wishfull said:


> Hi.
> Do you mean "a proverb" by "a pun"?
> Do you mean " a word-play" by "a pun"?



a word play


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## Wishfull

I think  a word play is something like;
A teacher; _Please make a sentence with a dog, a tree, and a duck.
_A student;_ *Yes, I can.* *There are tree (three)  duckshunds (dachshunds) on a three (tree).*_

edit) I'm not a native....


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## visual_thinker

Is it better like this?

"complaining that "it's a dog life" for me
I m not able to see
who is up a tree"


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## Nunty

That works pretty well, visual. Well done.


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## visual_thinker

thank you 

so is it done? 

is it good enough?


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## Uncle Bob

Here's a truly *horrible* one:
What a dog's life, I can't even walk under that (tree) branch without having to duck.
("Duck" here means bend down).


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## visual_thinker

Uncle Bob said:


> Here's a truly *horrible* one:
> What a dog's life, I can't even walk under that (tree) branch without having to duck.
> ("Duck" here means bend down).



thanks for trying to help me...
can you explain what do you mean?

you know, I am not a mother tongue...

thank you


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## Wishfull

visual_thinker said:


> Is it better like this?
> 
> "complaining that "it's a dog life" for me
> I m not able to see
> who is up a tree"





Nunty said:


> That works pretty well, visual. Well done.



Hi.
Please help me understand what that means, and the sentence structure.
And why "a duck" is missing?


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## visual_thinker

I miss the duck hoping the sentence could have a better meaning.
I would like to say: if you think just about yourself and your problem you can't see other people suffering. I wuold say: think about helping other people too, not just about your life.


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## Wishfull

visual_thinker said:


> I miss the duck hoping the sentence could have a better meaning.
> I would like to say: if you think just about yourself and your problem you can't see other people suffering. I wuold say: think about helping other people too, not just about your life.



I wonder again it is "a pun" or "a word play"?
I think it is "a saying" or "a proverb" or "a dictum".
Maybe my brain is too stiff, and up a tree as a dog/duck.


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## Uncle Bob

visual_thinker said:


> can you explain what do you mean?


It was so bad that I'm not sure it is worth explaining. Anyway, here goes:

The dog is complaining that he will have to bend his head down (duck) in order to walk under the branch of the tree (with the duck in it).

The "pun" is on the two meanings of "duck".

I am sure you can't stop laughing now .
(PS Another meaning of "duck" is a score of 0 in cricket).


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## visual_thinker

thanks wishfull.
At the moment, the most important think is 
if my sentence is correct and if it makes sense.
what do you think?


anyway this is the definition in the cambridge dictionary

pun noun /pʌn/ [C]
a humorous use of a word or phrase which has several meanings or which sounds like another word


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## visual_thinker

Uncle Bob said:


> It was so bad that I'm not sure it is worth explaining. Anyway, here goes:
> 
> The dog is complaining that he will have to bend his head down (duck) in order to walk under the branch of the tree (with the duck in it).
> 
> The "pun" is on the two meanings of "duck".
> 
> I am sure you can't stop laughing now .
> (PS Another meaning of "duck" is a score of 0 in cricket).



  thanks, uncle bob


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## visual_thinker

what if I sad: "while you are complaining for your dog's life, who is up a tree is a lame duck" ?


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## ewie

How's this?
First picture: _Think you've got it rrrruff?_
Second picture: _Being up this tree is driving me quackers!_

'rrrrruff' = sound of dog growling.  'have it rough' = 'be having a hard time'
'drive quackers' = 'drive crackers' = drive crazy ('quack' = sound a duck makes)


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## ewie

visual_thinker said:


> what if I sad: "while you are complaining for your dog's life, who is up a tree is a lame duck" ?


You could try _Instead of complaining about your dog's life, pity the poor lame duck in the tree_.

It's a pretty weird combination of metaphors, though.


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## visual_thinker

ewie said:


> You could try _Instead of complaining about your dog's life, pity the poor lame duck in the tree_.
> 
> It's a pretty weird combination of metaphors, though.




If it 's a weird combination because it's a new combination, it's ok.., the problem is if you can not understand the meaning at all.


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## ewie

It's understandable, yes, but you're going to have some people wondering how a lame duck [literally speaking] managed to get itself into a _tree_ ... and _why._


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## ewie

Have I got this right, VT? ~ you don't _necessarily_ have to use the *words* 'dog', 'duck' and 'tree', you just have to create captions for these two images which _show_ a dog, a duck and a tree?

(And are you absolutely sure it's a duck and not some other bird?)


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## visual_thinker

yes, exactly.

I think it's a duck...


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## Einstein

VT, translating your original sentence into Italian and back into English I get:

It may be a dog's life down here, but if you're up a tree you're a dead duck!

Is that what you wanted?

Your use of "who" is mistaken; instead of "_who_ is up a tree" you should say or "those who" or "anyone who" or "people who". I then gave a freer translation.


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## visual_thinker

Einstein said:


> VT, translating your original sentence into Italian and back into English I get:
> 
> It may be a dog's life down here, but if you're up a tree you're a dead duck!
> 
> Is that what you wanted?
> 
> Your use of "who" is mistaken; instead of "_who_ is up a tree" you should say or "those who" or "anyone who" or "people who". I then gave a freer translation.



Thanks.
It was not exactly this but very similar.
I want to remark that the dog is a bit selfish because it thinks just about its self and doesn't even notice the duck in difficult (up a tree), a duck that could be "a dead duck"(someone or something that is certain to die).


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## Wishfull

_You're just spending a dog life on the ground, even not seeing nor helping a dead duck which is up a tree._


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## visual_thinker

Wishfull said:


> _You're just spending a dog life on the ground, even not seeing nor helping a dead duck which is up a tree._



Yes, it's nice in this way.


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## Dale Texas

A pun is more of a word play on an already set expression, where I play with all kinds of double meanings.

If I  look down at a cold _hot dog _(frankfurter, sausage) still sitting  in a pot on the stove, in cold and greasy water, and say...."Now that's really a dog's life!" I've made a pun, playing with the animal name of dog in "hot dog" and playing with the expression "it's a dog's life" and am now commenting on the miserable condition of the _sausage._

or I could have said..."Well, for a hot dog, that looks pretty cold to me..."  now playing with the name of the sausage but playing with the observed temperature of it.


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