Taipei's mayoral campaign has slipped into name-calling wordplay, a light but telling sign of how the race is being fought.

• A Taipei city research chief mocked DPP candidate Puma Shen with puns, painting him as a lawmaker shielded by minders who dodges questions.
• The jabs twist Shen's name into Chinese soundalikes for a bottled tonic drink and for "star fruit," slang for running away.
• Shen answered with a pun of his own, riffing on Mayor Chiang Wan-an's name to say the other side just doesn't listen.
• Behind the jokes sits a real demand: Shen has yet to answer seven questions on a tainted cooking-oil case put to him five days ago.
• Chiang himself has long been accused of answering a different question than the one asked, which is where the tonic-drink nickname started.

Outlook: Expect more pun-driven sniping as the campaign heats up, with the cooking-oil questions likely to stay the main pressure point on Shen.