Dearest Punners,
While we all love creating the works of art that are Puns, one must never forget our great Punning Forefathers; those giants upon whose shoulders of genius we stand today. It is for this reason that I hereby institute a recurring feature of this blog - Great Puns from History.
Every so often, I shall post some of the greatest Puns known to man. Puns that have stood the test of time. Puns with heritage and breeding. Puns that know how to use those extra bits of cutlery, and with flair, dammit.
So today, the first. So much the better for being a famous LATIN pun ;D
In the 1840's, the British were expanding their control in India. Nevertheless, there were those in Britain who doubted the wisdom of too rapid an advance, and in particular, the capture of the province of Sindh, which was thought likely to lead to an over-extension of lines of communication.
Charles James Napier, the major general of the army in the relevant area, was therefore under express orders not to capture the territory of Sindh. Once he discovered, however, how little resistance there was, he took the province with ease.
He sent back to Britain a famous, legendary one-word telegram:
PECCAVI.
This is Latin for "I have sinned", which of course also meant..."I have Sindh."
"Perhaps a perfect pun." (Mark Burnyeat, NY Times). Hard to disagree really! The play on the English use of the verb "to have" just tickles me right.
Peace out hombres x
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