Do you remember Tom Swifties?

On this colorless January day as I am sitting at the computer searching for an entertaining language topic, "Tom Swifties" pop into my mind.  Tom Swifties were a nerdy type of word play popular during the 1960's.  I was in college during that decade, and I took great pride in showing off a new interest in linguistics by laughing at and formulating my own Tom Swifties.

"We must hurry," said Tom swiftly.  I know this example isn't a knee slapper, but it does illustrate the principle of a Tom Swiftie without having to go into too much linguistic detail. You take a quote that you attest to Tom and add an adverb that describes how he said the phrase and also creates a pun referring to the phrase.  Merriam-Webster.com describes the Tom Swiftie as a way of "turning adverbs into punchlines."   Quite a few variations of Tom Swifties have evolved from the original formula.

The history of  how a language fad like Tom Swifties came into being is intriguing. In the first part of the 20th century, books based on a fictional character named Tom Swift, a young scientist and inventor, were popular with younger readers (much like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew).

TIME Magazine ran a contest in May of 1963 requesting original examples of Tom Swifties. This contest contributed to the general popularity of Tom Swifties.

The writing style of Tom Swift books included an overabundance of adverbs, often ending in "ly." The Tom Swiftie (or Swifty) was a parody on this writing style.  Notice also that "swiftly" in the original example morphed into "swiftie."

But on to the enjoyment of Tom Swifties.  Are you ready to chuckle, smile, or maybe groan? The following examples, and many more, are from Christine Sneed  (Notice that Tom is referred to as just "he" or "she.")

"Unlike you, I've always been a dog person,"  he barked.

"This pencil tip is dull,"  she said pointedly.

"I don't like going to museums,"  he said artlessly.

Merriam-Webster.com  gives one of the best Tom Swifties as follows:

"I just dropped the toothpaste,"  said Tom crestfallenly.

And this Tom Swifty image was on line.

Even mathematicians can have fun with Tom Swifties. I got a kick out of these on the pleacher.com site.

"The average class age is seventeen,"  said Tom meanly.

"Everyone stand in line by age!" Tom ordered.

Here is another Tom Swiftie with a mathematical pun.

But the most enjoyment from Tom Swifties comes from creating your own. How might you complete the following January themed statements?  I'll be sure to publish your contributions. ("Send in your contributions," said Tom generously.)

"I'm going to keep my new year's resolutions this year," said Tom _______.
"The scales say I weigh how much?" said Tom _______.
"How long is it until springtime?" said Tom ________.

I hope this post on Tom Swifties brings a smile to your lips.  If  the Tom Swiftie bug has bitten you, search for more examples at this amazing  collection of Tom Swifties.