Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

A truly enjoyable book. Bought it for my 87 year old grandfather who loves wordplay and he has gotten quite a kick out of it. I had to read over it myself before giving it to gramps, and had a lot of fun doing so. However, as another reviewer mentioned, about half of the stuff is not new. So if you're an aficionado you might get a bit bored. I liked re-reading it but I can see how some might be annoyed.

I really do like Richard Lederer's The Cunning Linguist: Ribald Riddles, Lascivious Limericks, Carnal Corn, and Other Good, Clean Dirty Fun. I like it well enough that I'm now on my third copy of this book since it was released in 2003, since one "disappeared" and another was loaned. It's not the author's best book, but this witty offering from the original verbivore is right up there with the rest of his collective works.

While attending Haverford College as a pre-med student years ago, Lederer soon discovered that he was more interested in language, and he switched his major to English (a good things for all of us). Going on to Harvard Law School, he discovered that he was even more interested in the language itself than in the law cases which he was reading. He switched to a Master of Arts and Teaching program at Harvard, and that lead to a teaching career in Concord, New Hampshire.

Lederer earned a Ph.D in English and Linguistics at the University of New Hampshire, and was inspired to write books on language, starting with Anguished English: An Anthology of Accidental Assaults Upon Our Language. This was followed by More Anguished English, and then by Fractured English.

The popularity of these book and and the subsequent titles motivated him to leave his teaching position and pursue further writing and speaking opportunities... and we gained from reading his books on word play, language bloopers, puns and his frequent use of the oxymoron. Dr. Lederer is known as a "verbivore," a word that he coined in the 1980s. His interests include pointing out common grammatical errors and fallacies, uncovering word origins, and exploring palindromes, anagrams, and other forms of recreational wordplay.

Lederer shows us the naughtier side of wordplay in The Cunning Linguist. Must admit that we've all probably heard many of the entries here, either by e-mail, fax or by word. That doesn't make them any less funny, or often punny. At least now we have hundreds of pages of clever grown-up jokes, limericks and adults-only puns in a single volume. There are enough examples that can't be posted here, but being a computer geek, have always enjoyed the entry entitled "Field Replaceable Mouse Balls" that appears on page 100, and refers to an IBM internal memo from the '90s:

"Mouse balls are now available as a field-replaceable unit. If a mouse fails to operate, or should perform erratically, it may be in need of a ball replacement. Because of the delicate nature of this procedure, replacement of mouse balls should only be attempted by properly trained personnel.

Before proceeding, determine the type of mouse balls by examining the underside of the mouse. Domestic balls will be larger and harder than foreign balls. Ball removal procedures differ depending upon manufacturer of the mouse.

Foreign balls can be replaced using the pop-off method, and domestic balls replaced using the twist-off method. Mouse balls are not usually static sensitive. However, excessive handling can result in sudden discharge. Upon completion of ball replacement, the mouse may be used immediately.

It is recommended that each replacer have a pair of spare balls for maintaining optimum customer satisfaction, and that any customer missing his balls should suspect local personnel of removing these necessary items."

As the author says, this book is "300 pages of good, clean, dirty word play for appreciative punographers." I fully agree.

A very entertaining book. I was expecting the book to be entirely about riddles, but I was quite surprised to see riddles, short stories, poems, and even a humorous dictionary of terms.

Worth the money for sure.

Excellent book arrived in a timely fashion. A pleasure to do business with.