Daily Archives: August 1, 2021

Metalepsis

Metalepsis (me-ta-lep’-sis): Reference to something by means of another thing that is remotely related to it, either through a farfetched causal relationship, or through an implied intermediate substitution of terms. Often used for comic effect through its preposterous exaggeration. A metonymical substitution of one word for another which is itself figurative.


Your tongue is mightier than the spoon. It’s like there are professional wrestlers doing battling inside your mouth. Who will win? The peas or the carrots? Crazy meal! Your dinner’s but a load of freight packed between your jaws.


Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

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