Question

Algernon. [Raising his hat.] You are my little cousin Cecily, I’m sure. Cecily. You are under some strange mistake. I am not little. In fact, I believe I am more than usually tall for my age. –The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde The pun in this passage relies on which two definitions of the word little?

“narrow”
“younger”
“unimportant”
“brief”
“small in size”

Answer 1

-younger

-small in size

Answer 2

Answer:

“small in size”

“younger”

Explanation:

The pun works because Algernon speaks about his cousin as being younger than him, and Cecily undrestood the comment as her being smaller in size than him, and she had already grown, it´s in those two meanings that Oscar Wilde relies to make the pun.