The Greatest Double Entendre Ever

Over the course of the past week, I found myself flipping through the Oxford English Dictionary for no real reason. (Actually there was a reason, I was looking up "ocher" because I wasn't sure of what color it stands for.) Now I'm the kind of guy who can get infatuated with a dictionary, following a chain of noteworthy words like links in a Wikipedia article.

Now most of us, especially in this community, are likely aware of the primary definition of the word "mare", implying a female member of an equine species. However, I was overjoyed to find another definition, which is quite technical and probably little known, yet creates what is perhaps the greatest pun I have ever seen in popular fiction.

The second definition of "mare" goes as follows: a flat plain of lower elevation on the surface of the moon, appearing darker than the rest of the moon as viewed from Earth (Italics added). In fact "mares" (although the technical plural is actually "maria") form the underlying image that is colloquially referred to as the Man in the Moon.

So, you know, that whole deal with the "Mare in the Moon" from the first two episodes? Turns out it was also a literal mare, by the definition above. Whether or not the writers were aware of this when creating that plot device, it is still a freaking AWESOME pun.

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[Super_Big_Mac]

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