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| Mrs. George Swinton,by John Singer Sargent (Art Institute of Chicago) |
On this particular day, this past week, she was wearing white linen pants, a robin's egg blue knit top, and a sort of a shirt-jacket that brought the blue and the white together. A very soigné ensemble. I thought of taking a photo; then thought better, and didn't. A private person, she.
As much as I like to use the word soigné — French, for "elegant, put together" — I did not say that. What I did say was, "You look very summery ..."
The next thought came to me, and I manfully resisted it for a fraction of a second, then gave in to the inevitable, adding, "...if you will forgive a summery judgment."
We both froze a moment.
A pun, for you non-lawyers, on "summary judgment," when a party asks the judge to, in essence, decide a case before it goes to trial, based on some aspect of the facts and the law.
Yes, she groaned. But it was a good groan. A groan of appreciation. Or so I tell myself.
A pun, for you non-lawyers, on "summary judgment," when a party asks the judge to, in essence, decide a case before it goes to trial, based on some aspect of the facts and the law.
Yes, she groaned. But it was a good groan. A groan of appreciation. Or so I tell myself.
Aww, you earned that groan. Preferable to the dreaded stare decisis. Clearly your sweet tort was well received.
ReplyDeleteImpressively quick-witted at 7:30 am! I hang with a group of couples that includes several men - it's almost always the men - who can't help but deliver plays on words during conversation. Their utterances always produce groans (and eye-rolls from the wives) very often followed by appreciative chuckles for their cleverness.
ReplyDeleteThat's why she married you.
ReplyDeleteMy wife has said she married me because I make her laugh. She also says she married me to put gas in the car.
Most of us are old enough to recall Sanka. An early brand of de-caf coffee. My Dad would request Sanka at the end of dinner if we were eating out. The waitress would deliver his Sanka and of course he would say to her, "Sanka very much!" I guess you had to be there. It was, after all, 1966.
ReplyDeleteI’m surprised ay you, Neil. I didn’t think you were so clothes- minded.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the "groaner." These days, we need humor anywhere we can find it.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping someone else would mention it, but "judgement" is English style; "judgment" is the spelling most American lawyers use.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't spoil the puns though, at least for me.
Tate
Corrected, thanks Tate — you know I always answer your emails. Perhaps they've been going to spam.
DeleteYes
DeleteAt least there was no summary punishment.
ReplyDeletei'd say baruch's response was the top rated-though sweet tort might have been going a bridge too far
ReplyDeleteMy husband was the King of Pun in our family. After he passed away, we created a family text pun group. We try to out pun each other in his honor with some really Groan Worthy Puns. I'm sure he would be proud.
ReplyDeleteConfirms Tolstoy's allegation that every happy family is happy in its own way.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I have been trading puns for decades. Too many of mine are repeats. She says I can use them on my third wife, after our divorce. And then I remind her that there are no new jokes, just new audiences.
ReplyDeleteWith three degrees between us (two in English and one in journalism), it would be surprising if we did NOT use puns. We have made each other laugh since the night we first met... on a blind date when we were both 18. I am a very lucky man.