Puns by Tolkien

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Tolkien's quite modest description of himself, among the probably better known phrase, "I am a Hobbit (in all but size)" in Letter #213..

Nice to see you around Bêth.

I am surprised Tolkien didn't honor the Hobbits as inventors of the "dad joke". And in that vein. it's the surprise asides as you are casually reading the books that I find hilarious.

Out of nowhere, you get Bullroarer Took swinging his wooden club and decapitating the Goblin King's head, which proceeded to fly 100 yards and land in a rabbit hole. According to Gandalf, "thus the battle was won and the game of Golf invented at the same time," with the name "golf" coming from the dead goblin king -- Golfimbul.

It's one of those, "wait...what?" moments that happen throughout The Hobbit, LoTR and Farmer Giles of Ham.