Wellerism

noun

Wel·ler·ism | \ˈwe-lə-ˌri-zəm

\

Definition of Wellerism

: an expression of comparison comprising a usually well-known quotation followed by a facetious sequel (such as "'every one to his own taste,' said the old woman as she kissed the cow")

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about Wellerism

Listen to Our Podcast about Wellerism

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries near Wellerism

well/far along in years

Statistics for Wellerism

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for Wellerism

The first known use of Wellerism was in 1838

See more words from the same year

Comments on Wellerism

What made you want to look up Wellerism? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

repartee

amusing and light sparring with words

Test Your Vocabulary

Late Autumn 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Which is a synonym of yahoo?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games