wordplay

noun3

1. •
   A humorous play on words; such plays on words collectively.

   • Even this modest wordplay was an outlier: Sagers counted only three backronyms across the ’70s and ’80s. — 2022
2. •
   A witty verbal exchange; such exchanges collectively.
3. •
   The part of a cryptic clue that indicates but does not define the solution.

   • However, some clues include words that do not form part of the wordplay or the definition. — 2014