Apagoresis (a-pa-gor’-e-sis): A statement designed to inhibit someone from doing something. Often uses exaggeration [or hyperbole] to persuade. It may combine an exaggeration with a cause/effect or antecedent/consequence relationship. The consequences or effects of such a phrase are usually exaggerated to be more convincing.
“If you don’t stop drinking that crap it will turn your kidneys green.” Uncle Phil was sure he would get me to put down my favorite beverage and never pick it up again. He was wrong. So what if my kidneys turned green? Nobody would see them, and their colorization did me no harm. I was a running, jumping, climbing, healthy kid.
My beverage of choice, “Lime Lip,” came in 2” high wax bottles in a handy little six-pack. You bit off the top of the little wax bottle, and downed the contents—lime-flavored green sugar syrup. It was the heaviest hit of “sweet” that could be had from any candy. My uncle should’ve pointed out that it turned your lips and tongue an other-worldly green—like a diseased putting green. It became a sort of membership display. You’d see another kid on the street with green lips and you’d give each other a little wave of acknowledgement, without saying a word. It was so cool.
I scraped up all my money and went to the candy store: The Sugar Bowl. Mr. Metcalf, the store’s owner, had the usual dazed expression on his face, accented by his green lips and hardly visible green drool. I told him I wanted a case of “Lime Lip.” He went into the back room and came back to the counter holding a case of “Lime Lip.” He said, “Watch out for this stuff kid, if you drink more than three bottles a day, your kidneys will turn green.” I said, “So what. Who cares what color my kidneys are?” He said: “You should care. Eventually your blood will turn green. If you bleed in public, you will create panic among people unfamiliar with ‘Lime Lip’ and there will be stampedes and people will be crushed. Many of them will believe you are a space alien and try to kill you.”
Holy crap! How can that be true? If it was true “Lime Lip” would be banned by the FDA. All I could see was Mr. Metcalf’s demented face and the “Lime Lip” dripping from his chin. Why was he telling me this? I didn’t want to be killed by a mob, but now I knew there was some kind of conspiracy afoot. I concluded that Mr. Metcalf is from outer space, but I couldn’t tell anybody or they would think I’m crazy. But, one way or the other, I determined never to drink another drop of “Lime Lip.” I also wondered briefly, how my Uncle knew it would turn my kidneys green. I was hesitant to confront him. I don’t want to die.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)
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