Double meanings can make for hilarious story.
I remember in one of my favorite movies, the boy next door met the vampire next door. The boy had done all he could to keep the vampire out of his house, only to find his mother had invited that vampire over for a drink. One of the most hilarious scenes I’d ever beheld, yet filled with menace and genuine fear on the part of the boy unfolded, when the vampire with great charm said he’d never come over if not invited, however, he would now be dropping over whenever he wished.
Can you guess what this movie was? :)=
Double meanings were used again with vampires on a TV show I loved in the 1990s, involving a vampire cop show. The vampire’s mortal partner, long in the dark, had finally realized what his partner was. He ended up confronting his partner’s vampire master, voicing all his complaints and concerns, mentioning in particular, finding blood in his fridge.
The vampire master, long concerned about his child’s questionable eating habits (not feeding upon humans and his whole mortal lifestyle) asked if it was human blood.
The mortal partner said it was the blood of a steer.
The vampire master groaned. The mortal partner, misunderstanding, emphatically agreed how bad that was.
How I laughed at that scene.
Can you guess what TV show this was?
These were but two examples I learned of humor and horror going hand in hand. The double-meanings added a lot to this.
I’ve often laughed at double-meanings in comics, television, plays, movies, books; delighting in the play on words.
I’ve also been cut with them.
Recently. I ran out of sage honey, a natural honey I get at the Farmer’s Market.
This reminded me that I’d also lost my Sage honey, a beloved cat of thirteen years.
This particular double-meaning made me cry, rather than laugh.
I realized double-meanings could also be cruel, if the joke is on you. I’ve often played with double-meanings, but this time is stung.
I found myself thinking about the duality of double-meanings, something which fascinates me, which I’ve played with in my own work, often appreciating in others. How double-meaning can make us laugh, yet also cry.
What about you, dear reader? Do you use double-meanings in your own work? Have you enjoyed them in the work of others, or have you been stung?