Zeugma and Syllepsis

I was introduced to Zeugma and Syllepsis today while reading Neil Gaiman's Journal. They are a confused couple. If I could find some agreement between different dictionaries on what their meanings are, I'd tell you. For now let me just talk about a grammatical construct that might be called zeugma and/or syllepsis. ("Syllugma" will do for the moment if you need to put a name to the concept.)

What it means is to use a single word in conjunction with two (or more) other words but where the single word has a different meaning in relation to each. One example here would be better than me trying to cobble up more words about words, so: "Mr. Pickwick took his hat and his leave."

So what use is it? It's just another way to play with words, isn't it?

Yes! And it sounds to me like an excellent way to squeeze more meaning (and confusion) into an economy of words. Since it also demands the ambiguous use of a word, it sounds ideal for inserting humour. I decided to set myself the challenge of writing a limerick containing examples of zeugmata and/or syllepses.

The Bitch

She had days and a fortune to spend
at the roulette wheel and a loose end.
She carelessly wrote
off her car and a note
to her shame and her husband's best friend.

The Pugilistic Poet

He was short of a quid and with words
when he lived for each day and with nerds.
He, to make matters worse,
knocked out thugs and light verse
'cause it picked up his mood and the birds.

View More Limericks