Hypozeuxis (hyp-o-zook’-sis): Opposite of zeugma. Every clause has its own verb.
I arrived at the grocery store. It was around 4.00pm. The vegetables were in the process of being misted. I wondered why eggplants needed misting. Well, I guess the person who tends the vegetables knows the answer. So I asked: “Why do you mist the eggplants?”
“The quick answer is they are related to tomatoes. I know that’s not a very good answer, but nobody would ever question the propriety of misting tomatoes.”
“I would” said the man standing behind me wearing a Burpee Seed hat and dirty overhauls.
“Uh oh” I thought to myself, there’s going to be some kind of misting showdown in the produce section!
I grabbed an eggplant and took off for the seafood section before something regretful happened.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
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