I’m not much of a linguist, but I think there’s something interesting about the phrase “no pun intended.” It seems to be used primarily as a way for someone to call attention to the very pun they don’t intend to make, and at the same time, deflect responsibility for the pun. But is that really fair? Shouldn’t we hold them accountable for the pun precisely because they’ve called it to our attention?

This occurred to me today, when a FoxNews anchor, reporting on US contributions to the World Food Program, comment that the government had “really stepped up to the plate, no pun intended.” Cheese man, cheese.