Translations:Wiktionnaire:Actualités/021-décembre-2016/35/en

We all know what plays on words are. They are mainly based on the phonetical resemblance of some words. But there are plays on words based on the resemblance or layout of graphical notations of words (letters, glyphes, ideograms, etc.)

For languages with alphabets, they are mostly associated with rebuses. For example in French:

D$\quad \quad$I$\quad \quad$NER = diner sans cérémonie
(diner sans cérémonie means « dinner without formality ». But you can cut sans cérémonie into céré mon ie, that sounds exactly like sans serrer mon I, which means « without squeezing my I ».
Then, the word diner without tightenning the letter I gives D$\quad \quad$I$\quad \quad$NER.)
DU BRDEAUX A VORE : du Bordeaux sans eau à votre santé
(sans eau sounds like sans O which means « without O », and santé sounds like sans T which means « without T ». Then you just have to write Du Bordeaux without the letter O and à votre without the letter T. Over all, this sentence means « some Bordeaux wine without water, and cheers (literally "to your health") ».)
L’ N : L’oncle Sophocle
(L’oncle Sophocle means « uncle Sophocles ». But Sophocle sounds like sauf ocle, which means « except ocle ». If you write l’oncle without the letters of ocle, you get L’ N.)

English speakers, if you know any plays on words of this kind in your language, let us know !