Metonymy (me-ton’-y-my): Reference to something or someone by naming one of its attributes. [This may include effects or any of the four Aristotelian causes {efficient/maker/inventor, material, formal/shape, final/purpose}.]
Palm Beach Fats sat on his golf cart throne surveying his swimming pool, sipping a Diet Coke, and slopping away at a double large breakfast burrito supreme. He held the big burrito with his well-manicured baby-size grippers.
He had told 20 lies already and it was only 9.30 in the morning.
He was warming up for the night’s rally in Virginia with his loyal lump. “They love me more than God,” he muttered as he vigorously scratched his rear end with his smaller-than-average index finger.
Definition courtesy of “Sliva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu). Bracketed text added by Gorgias.
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. A Kindle edition is available for $5.99.
Comments Off on Metonymy
Posted in metonymy
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
Ominatio (o-mi-na’-ti-o): A prophecy of evil.
I say, the world will become a terrible place: Wild-eyed, uncaring, ignorant, belligerent people will go into retail sales at a place named after a River. Their mantra will be “the customer is an ass” as they pack boxes and envelopes and load them on trucks in a filthy windowless warehouse outside Seattle. They will delight in sending empty packages from time to time knowing the vexations it will cause customers who can’t understand the arcane refund policies.
Lo, shopping will become ‘on-line’ and people will be required to have credit cards, ensnared by banks in the cashless internet. “MasterCard” or “Visa” accepted will replace “come on in” as face-to-face commerce fades and the human touch is replaced by filling in an order form and offering your account number to nobody—a bot without a soul.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. A Kindle edition is available for $5.95.
Comments Off on Ominatio
Posted in ominatio
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
Onedismus (on-e-dis’-mus): Reproaching someone for being impious or ungrateful.
You act like God is a pimp, there to procure whatever you desire. Your prayers are like telling Santa what you want for Christmas. You’re too self-absorbed to ever be considered a person of faith. Stop calling yourself Godly. Reflect and reconsider your life’s trajectory.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.ed).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. A Kindle edition is available for $5.99.
Onomatopoeia (on-o-mat-o-pee’-a): Using or inventing a word whose sound imitates that which it names (the union of phonetics and semantics).
When Trump walked quickly, his XXL adult diaper made a sloshing sound signaling Melania it was time for a change. Given that they were in Florida, she called Gov. DeSantis. “You promised,” Melania said in a threatening tone of voice. “No is not an option for you little man. He stinks and Junior is nowhere to be found. Do you want to stay Governor? Do you want to see sunrise tomorrow?”
DeSantis came in by chopper 15 minutes later—you could hear it’s budda budda budda as it circled Mar-a-Lago. He hopped out wearing rubber gloves and a gas mask and carrying a big plastic bag filled with XXL butt wipes. “Let’s do this” he said as he snapped his rubber gloves around his wrists.
As he walked in, he saw a sleeping Trump laying in his diaper on a large custom-built changing table decorated with gold angels and rhinestones.
“He’s sedated,” Melania informed DeSantis. “Thank God for that!” DeSantis exclaimed as a reached for the diaper’s Velcro tab. It made a scrooching sound as he pulled it open. Then, DeSantis tightened his gas mask and went in. He pulled out one of the baby-blanket size butt wipes when suddenly Trump woke up, and leaving his soiled diaper behind, jumped off the table, and walked quickly toward the swimming pool. His white terrycloth spa slippers softly flip-flopping on the tile floor.
“Don’t worry, sometime he want to clean himself. He uses pool,” Melania told DeSantis.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. A Kindle edition is available for $5.95.
Comments Off on Onomatopoeia
Posted in onomatopoeia
Tagged elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
Optatio (op-ta’-ti-o): Expressing a wish, often ardently.
As I wish upon a star, I would love to have a Cuban cigar. The orange glow on a warm summer night, the delicious aroma, the flavor, and the perfect ash. Romeo y Juliette wherefore art thou?
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetorica” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. Also available in Kindle format for $5.95.
Orcos (or’-kos): Swearing that a statement is true.
I swear to all I revere and hold holy that I am about to tell the truth. You have my assurance that I won’t lie about something as important as this. Prevarication is off the table as are fibbing, bs’ing, telling whoppers, and bearing false witness.
What was the question, again?
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. There is a Kindle edition for $5.99.
Comments Off on Orcos
Posted in orcos
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
Oxymoron (ox-y-mo’-ron): Placing two ordinarily opposing terms adjacent to one another. A compressed paradox.
She was a beautiful mess: simultaneously attractive and repelling, like durian, like deadly nightshade. I loved her and I hated her. I was torn in half, and fought with myself to embrace the better half.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. A Kindle edition is available for $5.99.
Paenismus (pai-nis’-mus): Expressing joy for blessings obtained or an evil avoided.
Wee haaa! Another sunny day! Let’s try to finish painting the house today.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99.
Comments Off on Paenismus
Posted in paenismus
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
Palilogia: Repetition of the same word, with none between, for vehemence. Synonym for epizeuxis.
Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! He stole my wallet! Credit card! Cash! Shit! Your brother is a criminal bastard. We never should’ve taken him in. I’m calling the police—they can take him in now!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99.
Comments Off on Palilogia
Posted in palilogia
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
Parabola (par-ab’-o-la): The explicit drawing of a parallel between two essentially dissimilar things, especially with a moral or didactic purpose. A parable.
Life is a cardboard box: Sometimes it’s empty, sometimes it’s not. Either way, full and empty don’t mark it as better or worse.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99.
Comments Off on Parabola
Posted in parabola
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
Paragoge (par-a-go’-ge): The addition of a letter or syllable to the end of a word. A kind of metaplasm.
I got so smartarola playing Popper Knock! It’s way too complicated to explain, but there is popping and knocking involved. I say, give it a try-o! Just get yourself a pair of leather gloves and a face shield and you’re almost there. Popper Knock!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. Also available in Kindle format for $5.99.
Comments Off on Paragoge
Posted in paragoge
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
Paralipsis (par-a-lip’-sis): Stating and drawing attention to something in the very act of pretending to pass it over (see also cataphasis). A kind of irony.
God knows we’ve talked about universal health care enough. It’s not like we haven’t had this conversation—this conversation about raising taxes on the rich—making a micro-scratch on the surface of their glittering wealth, while freeing billions of dollars to save lives and keep us healthy—our eyes, our insides, our teeth—everything!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99.
Comments Off on Paralipsis
Posted in paralipsis
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, examples, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
Paramythia (pa-ra-mee’-thi-a): An expression of consolation and encouragement.
I’m so sorry your son Jr. is giving drug-fueled speeches on your behalf. It’s like having an overflowing porta-potty on your otherwise gleaming sweet-smelling team. But you’ve been through worse—Stormy Daniels is your benchmark for the bottom, and you got through that with only a scratch. Oh, we can’t forget the impeachments—they didn’t make a dent. Oh yes—and the kids in cages at the border: hardly a ripple. Really, the only thing slowing you down is the truth. Just keep telling lies, the bigger the better, and you’ll be our first Dictator by the end of August. Relax and enjoy the sidelines for a little while. Everything’s going to be ok.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. A Kindle edition is available for $5.99.
Comments Off on Paramythia
Posted in paramythia
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
Paraprosdokian: A figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase [or series = anticlimax] is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe the first part. . . . For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists. An especially clever paraprosdokian not only changes the meaning of an early phrase, but also plays on the double meaning of a particular word.(1)
I turned Right on the Highway of Life and it was full of potholes.
1. “Paraprosdokian.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 4 Jan 2008, 03:30 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 9 Jan 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraprosdokian>.
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. Available from Kindle for $5.99.
Comments Off on Paraprosdokian
Posted in paraprosdokian
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
Paregmenon (pa-reg’-men-on): A general term for the repetition of a word or its cognates in a short sentence. Often, but not always, polyptoton.
Trump. Trump. Trump. His name sounds like a flat tire slapping the pavement. And like a flat tire, he’s a pain in the ass. When is he going to go far, far, far, far away? Maybe like Napoleon he should be exiled to an island. Coney Island fits his character. But North Brother Island in New York’s East River might be the right place.
The island operated until 1943 as a “quarantine station for people suffering from infectious diseases like tuberculosis, smallpox, measles, and typhoid fever.” ( https://interactive.wttw.com/urbannature/new-yorks-deserted-island#!/)
I think it is appropriate to view Trump as a vector—as a carrier of immorality and criminal tendencies. Getting him out there alone without social media in the middle of the East River will save a lot of gullible people from being conned and robbed.
Exile! Exile! Exile!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. Available from Kindle for $5.99.
Comments Off on Peregmenon
Posted in paregmenon
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope, tropes
Paroemion (par-mi’-on): Alliteration taken to an extreme where nearly every word in a sentence begins with the same consonant. Sometimes, simply a synonym for alliteration or for homoeoprophoron [a stylistic vice].
I’m digging deep in the dense dirt, displaying determination. Done! Now we plant the little peach tree, hoping it will grow and flourish like the little apple tree we planted years ago. You were a child, and I was pretty old already.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. Also available on Kindle for $5.99.
Comments Off on Paroemion
Posted in paroemion
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
Paromoiosis (par-o-moy-o’-sis): Parallelism of sound between the words of adjacent clauses whose lengths are equal or approximate to one another. The combination of isocolon and assonance.
Time’s passing cuts up my life
With the stained blade of strife
Dulled by hope, apathy, mania, and fear
It’s painful drag makes me a seer
I see the inevitable future with total certainty, but I don’t know when
Time will stop inside my head and they’ll bury me in the glen
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. A Kindle edition is available for $5.99.
Paromologia (par-o-mo-lo’-gi-a): Conceding an argument, either jestingly and contemptuously, or to prove a more important point. A synonym for concessio.
Yeah, you’re right about something for the first time since I’ve known you! But how trivial does it get? So what if I took the batteries out of your stupid toy? I needed them for my flashlight so I could fix the sink drain. Instead of calling it “stealing” you should think of another way of putting it—how about “took”? I’m not a thief, but you are an idiot. We need a little more trust around here. Ok, I’m sorry I called you an idiot. Maybe I’m an idiot for not asking to borrow the batteries.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. A Kindle edition is available for $5.99.
Comments Off on Paromologia
Posted in paromologia
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
Paronomasia (pa-ro-no-ma’-si-a): Using words that sound alike but that differ in meaning (punning).
My porpoise in life is to just squeak bye.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. Also available from Kindle for $5.99.
Comments Off on Paronomasia
Posted in paronomasia
Tagged definitions, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, schemes, trope
The Daily Trope 