Effictio (ef-fik’-ti-o): A verbal depiction of someone’s body, often from head to toe.
Note: This figure was used in forensic rhetoric for purposes of clearly identifying an alleged criminal. It has often been adapted to poetical uses.
He had spiky yellow-gray hair with a red stripe running through it. His big blue eyes were bloodshot. He was skinny, slumped, and dressed in a black t-shirt with a big leering skull on it, torn blue jeans, and dull black boots. He had an empty styrofoam cup in his shaking hand. He pushed it at me as I walked toward him.”Spare change?”
His scratchy voice sounded familiar.
Unbelievable! My best buddy from high school–class of 1998! He didn’t recognize me. I barely recognized him. He looked right through me. I hauled out my wallet and . . .
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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
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