A a ΣΝ Punning or Allusive Phrases in English. By Otto Jespersen. In the popular speech of all nations are found instances of a peculiar class of round-about expressions, in which the speaker avoids the regular word, but hints at it in a covert way by using some other word, generally a proper name, which bears a resemblance to it or is derived from it, really or seemingly. The proper name used may be that of a place or of a person; it may be a name of real existence or one made only for the sake of the punning allusion. Thus in Danish to express that a person after receiving a hearty welcome at one place was cold-shouldered by somebody else the people will say: han kom fra A#jertling til Kolding‘, Hjerting and Kolding being two towns in Jutland the names of which resemble the words /yerte (heart) and /Æo!d (cold). A swell (Dan. flot) is often called en flottenheimer as if from some imaginary German place called Flottenheim; der er Tomas i pungen‘ means that the purse is empty (tom), etc. A German to avoid the word er ist borniert will say "Borneo ist sein vaterland‘; instead of Κοίξοπ he will say ”Kotzebue’s werke studieren‘, etc. According to Mérimée (Colomba) in Corsica se vouer à sainte Nega, c'est nier tout de parti pris‘ (negare), and the same idea is expressed in French by "prendre le chemin de Niort“. These examples! will be sufficient to show the reader the nature of the following collection, which makes no pretensions either to completeness or to scientific value. ! Further examples will be found in Wackernagel, Die deutschen appellaticnamen, Kleinere Schriften III 59 ff., Tobler, Verblümter ausdruck und wortspiel in altfranz. rede, i Verm. Beitr. II 192 ff., Kr. Nyrop, Forblommede Ord, i Tskr. f. filologi n. r. VII 119 ff. Nord. tidsskr. f. filol. 3die række. IX. 9