Word of the Day

: June 30, 2010

Wellerism

noun WELL-uh-riz-um

What It Means

: an expression of comparison comprising a usually well-known quotation followed by a facetious sequel

Wellerism in Context

My father's favorite Wellerism is "'We'll have to rehearse that,' said the undertaker as the coffin fell out of the car."

Did You Know?

Sam Weller, Mr. Pickwick's good-natured servant in Charles Dickens' The Pickwick PapersK, and his father were fond of following well-known sayings or phrases with humorous or punning conclusions. For example, in one incident in the book, Sam quips, "What the devil do you want with me, as the man said, w[h]en he see the ghost?" Neither Charles Dickens nor Sam Weller invented that type of word play, but Weller's tendency to use such witticisms had provoked people to start calling them "Wellerisms" by 1839, soon after the publication of the novel.