The Cunning Linguist: Ribald Riddles, Lascivious Limericks, Carnal Corn, and Other Good, Clean Dirty Fun [Paperback]

Richard Lederer (Author), Dave Morice (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 17, 2003

Have some fun with your native tongue!

In The Cunning Linguist, renowned language expert Richard Lederer shows us the naughtier side of wordplay, revealing hundreds of hilarious, ingenious, unabashed, and adults-only puns, jokes, limericks, one-liners, and other adventures in sexual humor. This book of "good, clean dirty fun" will delight word hounds, punsters, bachelor-party goers, and anyone who likes a clever grown-up joke.

Here's a taste of The Cunning Linguist:

Q: What does a man have in his pants that you can also find on a pool table?
A: Pockets.

Have you heard about the incompatible couple?
He had no income, and she wasn't pattable.

The four stages of a couple's sex life:
Under 35: Tri-weekly
35-45: Try weekly
45-55: Try weakly
55 and over: Try, try, try.

For much more, sneak between the covers of this unique and laugh-out-loud book.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Noted linguist Lederer (Anguished English) has a naughty side, which, combined with his unerring archival instincts, makes this collection of wordplays a bawdily noteworthy achievement. As long as one doesn't overdose on more than two chapters at a time (as the author warns one should not), this book repeatedly rewards the open-minded. How about the "poonerism" (that's what Lederer dubs a dirty spoonerism, or juxtaposition of sounds within a word or sentence) that defines call girls as "the lays of our dives" and a bordello as a "toll-cookie house"? Or the list of limericks and the pun-filled "delectable daughter" jokes? Lederer strives to illuminate the "verbal vivacity of our vocabulary and illustrate one of the most astonishing miracles of language-the ability of two or more meanings to occupy the same space at the same time." Blending the richness of English with the seemingly endless supply of raunchy word tricks, the author takes pride in providing humorous, but never hurtful verbal wit, all in the name of fun and education. After all, "a dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste."
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Richard Lederer is the author of more than thirty books on the English language, including Anguished English, which is one of the best-selling language humor books in print. His syndicated column, "Looking at Language," appears in newspapers and magazines nationwide, and he co-hosts a weekly show on San Diego and Wisconsin public radio. He lives with his wife Simone in San Diego.

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (December 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312318138
• ISBN-13: 978-0312318130
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #852,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Lexicography

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simply Sinfully Punny, February 19, 2004

By 

C. S. Stockwell "math person" (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cunning Linguist: Ribald Riddles, Lascivious Limericks, Carnal Corn, and Other Good, Clean Dirty Fun (Paperback)

I had lots of fun with this book. Mr. Lederer, I blame you for the lost hours of sleep! :-) There are parts of the book that I wouldn't want kids to see, but it's mostly harmless. My favourite is the poem where the last line of each stanza is missing a word which based on the rhyme would be quite risque, but it's a riot when you see what happens at the beginning of the next stanza.

Oh, speaking of risque, if I understand this correctly, this book was previously known as Nothing Risque, Nothing Gained. So if you already have that one, you don't need this one. On the other hand, if you'd been looking for it, this is your chance to get it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Only weakness: you've probably heard half of the stuff in here before, February 25, 2007

By 

Brian Connors (Yarmouth, MA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Cunning Linguist: Ribald Riddles, Lascivious Limericks, Carnal Corn, and Other Good, Clean Dirty Fun (Paperback)

Let's be honest: Lederer is the man when it comes to wordplay jokes, has been for years. That said, I'm not sure why this book caught me by surprise -- after all, dirty puns are puns too, however awful they are.

I'd be willing to wager at least half of the items in this book have passed through your email inbox at one time or another. The book is sillier than it is sexy, and that's just fine.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dirty Jokes for the Thinking Person, March 22, 2006

By 

James W. Trotter "Jim" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cunning Linguist: Ribald Riddles, Lascivious Limericks, Carnal Corn, and Other Good, Clean Dirty Fun (Paperback)

The author notes in the beginning that there are off color jokes that take their humor from a more refined perspective -- puns, plays on words, etc. The book holds true to its promise. This is not the kind of book that you read all at onece, but sample a bit at a time -- maybe something to have handy . . . in the bathroom.