It is widely known the use of punning by Shakespeare to create humouristic effects, and the delight he found in playing with forms and meanings. This paper focuses on the use of punning by ladies-in-waiting in three different Shakespearean comedies: i.e., Lucetta in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Maria in Twelfth Night and Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing, as a source of information about the punning processes that take place. The paper shows how the use of punning far from being a rethorical device is a powerful discourse manipulation strategy, and a way of satirizing pretentious interlocutors.