In part 1 I discussed different types of puns and hinted at their long history, back to Roman times and even before then.
My own particular favourite puns are those based on shop or business names. In the county I live in, Leicestershire, lies the site where the Battle of Bosworth was fought in the fifteenth century during the Wars of the Roses and where Richard III was defeated and slain. Hence a local fish and chip shop in Market Bosworth is called the Batter of Bosworth.
Others in the United Kingdom include:
Alexander the Grate (fireplace retailer in Belfast)
All Cisterns Go (plumbing company in York)
Beauty and the Beach (spray tan and beauty salon in London)
Beddy Buyz (furniture shop in London)
The Codfather (restaurant and takeaway in London)
Cycloanalysts (bicycle shop in Oxford)
Fond Ewe Fine Cheeses (Keswick)
Iron Maiden (professional ironing service)
Jack The Clipper (barber shop in London)
Jack The Stripper (wood stripping shop in London)
Junk and Disorderly (furniture shop in Nottingham)
Planet of the Grapes (wine and spirits shop in London)
R. Soles (boot and shoe store in London)
Thai Me Up (Thai restaurant in Edinburgh)
Thistle Do Nicely (souvenir shop in Edinburgh)
William the Concreter (concrete contractor in Durham)
But the UK does not have the monopoly on this form of humour as shown in the following North American examples:
Avant-Card (stationery shop in Berkeley, California)
Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors (Amarillo, Texas)
Carl’s Pane in the Glass (window services in Garland, Texas)
Cosmopoli-Tan (tanning salon in New Orleans)
Custard’s Last Stand (ice cream shop in Boulder Dam, Nevada)
Lettuce Souprise You (restaurant in Atlanta)
Pullet Surprise (southern and soul restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas)
Sofa So Good (furniture store in Vancouver)
The Stalk Market (flower shop in Seattle)
Syriandipity (Syrian restaurant in Toronto)
Tiecoon (men’s clothing store in Dallas)
Finally, it seems that they are also at it in Australia:
A Salt and Battery (fish and chip shop in Brisbane)
C U Latte (coffee shop in Brisbane)
Grillers in the Mist (fish restaurant in Katoomba)
Lord of the Fries (restaurant in Melbourne)
Pulp Kitchen (restaurant in Canberra)