What is a word worth? Did Wordsworth every wonder? Do words have value? Does its meaning affect what you think of it? Is it worth any fuss from you for any reason? Does it matter in the greater scheme of things? Maybe yes, maybe no.

Do you ever think of a word and wonder how its meaning came about? Have you ever in that mindless state of daydreaming had a word do a flash dance on your mind and you can’t get rid of it? And after an eternity of trying to lose it you settle and are now intrigued and decide it is a funny word, both in sound and meaning and you wonder why?

Humor ultimately depends on words. And timing. It’s a delicate balancing act between a common word and its juxtaposition with another in a setting ripe for plucking. If done correctly it sneaks up on you and surprises the hell out of you and leaves you with a smile on your face if not a chuckle in your throat. If not done right it elicits a groan and the rolling of the eyes, or the blank stare of one humor-challenged. Puns do the latter for some people, but to my mind they just don’t appreciate the sophistication of a play on words. The mind actually relishes such surprises, such playfulness with things that usually pass through the fields of our minds leaving a dust trail on their travels beyond the borders of imagination.

However, one caution needs to be issued here: It is risky to make jokes about musicians – Some of them take notes…