Some people ask why I sometimes say, “No pun, pun intended.” It’s very simple, really.
Imagine you saying something, and then going back in your head thinking, “Hmmm, that’s a pun, but I didn’t really mean that as a pun.” You could say, “No pun intended.”
But what if you could go back in time and say it again? This time realizing it’s a pun and saying, “Pun intended.”
So saying, “No pun, pun intended” is basically saying, I didn’t mean what I said as a pun, but if I were to go back in time and say it again, I’d claim it as one.
Or you can be like this guy on Twitter:
If you publish a phrase appended by "no pun intended," the truth is you very much did intend for me to read that pun, you humblebraggart.
— Orion Burt (@oburt) August 22, 2013