Adianoeta: An expression that, in addition to an obvious meaning, carries a second, subtle meaning (often at variance with the ostensible meaning).
“Think about it.” Sometimes it was an invitation to wonder together. Other times it was an admonition focused on my failure to think about consequences. It was her favorite catch phrase—same words different meanings: one, a happy joining of mental resources, the other a painful put-down shattering my self-confidence.
I decided I needed a catch phrase too, so I could seem smart and win points by mimicking her “same words, different meanings” gambit. I nearly drove myself crazy. I saw how good irony could work—where I would mean the opposite of what I said. I could say “Your poetry is beautiful,” meaning “Your poetry sucks.” But, I was looking for a signature utterance that stood on its own as a dual-duty word or sentence.
I have a hearing problem and I say “what” a lot when I don’t hear what a person says. I realized that “what” said with a sarcastic tone, can express displeasure, or disbelief—a sort of critical jab at the speaker’s utterance fraught with negative nuances. Now, I made point of saying “What” with an ironic tone.
People started staying away from me because my intentions were unclear, and our conversations were fraught with mixed message—they didn’t know whether I didn’t hear or didn’t agree.
My girlfriend told me to think about it, and it wasn’t an invitation to wonder together—my “what” was an easy and dysfunctional way into the realm of dual meanings. I was ashamed. If I couldn’t do any better than “what” she was gone. She said again “Think about it,” and I did!
I went on a walking tour of the US. Each step I took, I tried to hit on a catch phrase with dual meanings. My shoes were wearing out and my money was running out. I had gotten half-way across Pennsylvania when some guy in a purple shirt wearing a straw hat, rode past me in a horse and buggy. I said to myself “Well Fu*k me! What the hell was that?” The guy in the buggy circled around and came back. He said “I will ride you to the bus stop.” I said, “Well, fu*k me, let’s go.”
We were clomping along to the bus stop, when I got it. After all the anguishing. After a simple episode, I found “Well, fu*k me!” as my saving catch phrase. It brought my own personal two meanings into my life and settled my heart. I was truly saved on the road to Altoona!
“We’ll fu*k me” can be an expression of joy and wonder. Or, it can be an expression of self- reproach. On the down side, its scope of use is limited. The “F” word makes it hard to use whenever you feel like it, unless you live in New York City, or anywhere in New Jersey. I lived in New Jersey!
My girlfriend thinks it’s brilliant. After a few glasses of wine she gives it a third meaning, a literal meaning that makes our time together meaningful and beautiful. Well, Fu*k me.
Definitions courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
The Daily Trope is available on Amazon in paperback under the title of The Book of Tropes for $9.95. It is also available in Kindle format for $5.99.
The Daily Trope 