Adnominatio (ad-no-mi-na’-ti-o): 1. A synonym for paronomasia [punning]. 2. A synonym for polyptoton. 3. Assigning to a proper name its literal or homophonic meaning.
1. You write like you’re using a pig pen.
2. Your empty promises promise to undermine what seemed to me to be a promising career.
3. Headline: “Cocaine Charge Served on Trey”
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu). Bracketed text added by Gorgias.
Posted in adnominatio
Tagged adnominatio, cocaine charge, elocutio, example, figures of speech, homophone, paronomasia, polyptoton, rhetoric, Trey Radel, trope
Skotison (sko’-ti-son): Purposeful obscurity.
We will never meet again, but we’ll see the sun go down together–one, two, three! Killing time and making history–a fallen dove, an endless mystery.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in skotison
Tagged elocutio, example, figures of speech, purposeful obscurity, rhetoric, secret plot, skotison, trope
Epistrophe (e-pis’-tro-fee): Ending a series of lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences with the same word or words.
Your promises are broken. My heart is broken. I wish your nose was broken.
Posted in epistrophe
Tagged elocutio, epistrophe, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, The Daily Trope, trope
Protrope (pro-tro’-pe): A call to action, often by using threats or promises.
If you don’t eat your spinach your ears will fall off and you may have a heart attack! Ha! Ha! Just kidding! Actually, you’ll be grounded for life without parole. Eat the spinach! Now!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Paenismus (pai-nis’-mus): Expressing joy for blessings obtained or an evil avoided.
I am blessed: the drugstore is well-stocked with gallon-sized bottles of Malox. Now I’m ready to drink mint-flavored liquid chalk and ride out “Brinky Boehner and the Conserva-Nuts” cacophonus rendition of “Bye Bye American Pie.”
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in paenismus
Tagged brinky boehner, bye bye american pie, conserva-nuts, elocutio, example, figures of speech, Malox, paenismus, rhetoric, trope
Aganactesis (ag’-an-ak-tee’-sis): An exclamation proceeding from deep indignation.
You cheated. You lied. You broke my heart. Now, my father’s going to break your legs.
Crawl to hell, you worthless bag of DNA!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Synaloepha (sin-a-lif’-a): Omitting one of two vowels which occur together at the end of one word and the beginning of another. A contraction of neighboring syllables. A kind of metaplasm.
Shutdown, meltdown, showdown, fall down.
Screw up, mess up, give up, throw up.
Up or down, down or up, one thing’s for sure: Those politicians are headed straight t’election day with hell to pay–a debt with no ceiling eternally funding the wages of their sins.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in synaloepha
Tagged debt ceiling, elocutio, eternal punishment, example, figures of speech, hell to pay debt, rhetoric, synaloepha, trope, wages of sin
Bdelygmia (del-ig’-mi-a): Expressing hatred and abhorrence of a person, word, or deed.
“Negotiate” has lost its lustre as politicians shamelessly defame it in their obscene media machinations, as if refusing their cynical call to “negotiate” somehow signifies a Presidential character flaw.
Do we negoitiate with terrorists? No.
Do we negotiate with hostage takers? No.
Do we negotiate with highjackers? No.
We say that it’s a sign of courage to do one’s duty and refuse to negotiate when there’s a metaphorical gun to one’s head.
We say give back “negotiation’s” promising and hopeful meaning so it may further our shared democratic project. Let’s negotiate so that we may fill the political fissure with a common ground wherupon we may charitably pursue the common good.
Put down the gun.
Pick up the phone.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in bdelygmia
Tagged bdelygmia, elocutio, example, guns, machinations, negotiation, pick up the phone, rhetoric, trope
Inopinatum (in-o-pi-na’-tum): The expression of one’s inability to believe or conceive of something; a type of faux wondering. As such, this kind of paradox is much like aporia and functions much like a rhetorical question or erotema. [A paradox is] a statement that is self-contradictory on the surface, yet seems to evoke a truth nonetheless [can include oxymoron].
What exactly does the US House of Representatives represent?
Constipated regularity?
Sincere insincerity?
Adult adolescence?
Who exactly does the US House of Representatives represent?
John Galt?
John Birch?
John Calvin?
John Belushi?
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu). Bracketed text added by Gorgias.
Mempsis (memp’-sis): Expressing complaint and seeking help.
When the US government shuts down tomorrow, the US Congress will be paid as usual and the US military will get government I.O.U.s.
You can’t pay a utility bill with an I.O.U.
We continuously hear from Congress how it owes the military a debt of gratitude. Clearly, Congress has already gone into default on that debt.
As far as I can see, Congress can pay its biggest debt today by offering the entire US an APOLOGY for failing to govern, and by donating their bloated paychecks to the men and women in uniform who actually deserve to be paid!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in mempsis
Tagged Cogress donate paychecks, default, elocutio, example, figures of speech, government shut down, I.O.U., mempsis, rhetoric, trope
Anapodoton (an’-a-po’-do-ton): A figure in which a main clause is suggested by the introduction of a subordinate clause, but that main clause never occurs.
Anapodoton is a kind of anacoluthon, since grammatical expectations are interrupted. If the expression trails off, leaving the subordinate clause incomplete, this is sometimes more specifically called anantapodoton. Anapodoton has also named what occurs when a main clause is omitted because the speaker interrupts himself/herself to revise the thought, leaving the initial clause grammatically unresolved but making use of it nonetheless by recasting its content into a new, grammatically complete sentence.
If you think I’m going to shop my head off . . .
Or:
Marriage is always an option–living in a two-person cage, having to share everything, tripping over each other’s dirty clothes, entertaining each other’s friends until one of us dies–an option that seems bleak until you realize that, no matter what, we are here together and that there’s something singularly beautiful about love’s desolation and the spacious emptyness it provides for the negotiation of our otherness in a spirit of endless openness.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
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Posted in anapodoton
Tagged anacoluth, anapodoton, complete sentence, desolation, dirty clothes, elocutio, example, figures of speech, love, rhetoric, shopping, subordinate clause, trope
Amphibologia (am’-fi-bo-lo’-gi-a): Ambiguity of grammatical structure, often occasioned by mispunctuation. [A vice of ambiguity.]
I held a meeting in my tank top.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu). Bracketed text added by Gorgias.
Posted in amphibolgia
Tagged ambiguity, amphibologia, elocutio, example, figures of speech, funny, grammatical structure, rhetoric, tank top, trope
Procatalepsis (pro-cat-a-lep’-sis): Refuting anticipated objections.
The opposition believes that our proposal is not warranted by what it believes is moral or by what it believes is practical. We believe, in this particular case, that the opposition’s got it wrong. So wrong, in fact, that their reasoning will take us to a place where none of us want to go be: standing on the side of immorality, mired in a twisted vision of what we should do next, as we waste material and human resources in pursuit of yet another blunder.
Contrary to their vision of what’s expedient and good, our proposal is grounded in what will work and is guided by principles that are pertinent to brining our hoped-for outcome to fruition. All this, without underming our status as a morally sound, reasonable, and forward-looking assembly. In short, our proposal explicitly and prudently assesses the likely pitfalls and prospects that lie ahead, and ecompasses them with a principled and productive plan.
First, as far as our proposal’s practicality is concerned . . .
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)
Posted in procatalepsis
Tagged current-events, elocutio, example, expediency, figures of speech, human-rights, morality, objections, politics, practicality, principles, procatalepsis, rhetoric, trope
Sarcasmus (sar’kaz’-mus): Use of mockery, verbal taunts, or bitter irony.
Look, it’s the amazing Whining Weiner! How tony! How tasty! How trendy! How cheap!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Diasyrmus (di’-a-syrm-os): Rejecting an argument through ridiculous comparison.
Denying global warming is like sticking a knitting needle in your eye and claiming it’s not there.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in diasyrmus
Tagged comparison, diasyrmus, elocutio, example, figures of speech, global warming denial, knitting, rhetoric, trope
Anacoluthon (an-a-co-lu’-thon): A grammatical interruption or lack of implied sequence within a sentence. That is, beginning a sentence in a way that implies a certain logical resolution, but concluding it differently than the grammar leads one to expect. Anacoluthon can be either a grammatical fault or a stylistic virtue, depending on its use. In either case, it is an interruption or a verbal lack of symmetry. Anacoluthon is characteristic of spoken language or interior thought, and thus suggests those domains when it occurs in writing.
Police who kill peaceful demonstrators–who commands them?
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)
Posted in anacoluthon
Tagged anacoluthon, elocutio, example, figures of speech, kill, peaceful demonstrators, police, rhetoric, shoot, trope
Catacosmesis (kat-a-kos-mees’-is): Ordering words from greatest to least in dignity, or in correct order of time.
From the Tesla Model S, to the Nissan LEAF, to my humble E-Z Go; from grand sedans to golf carts, the electrics are here to stay!
Hello quiet and clean! Goodbye, gasoline!
Or:
We are born, we live, we die. End of story?
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged birth, cars, catacosmesis, death, E-Z Go, Electric cars, electric golf carts, elocutio, example, figures of speech, gasoline, life, Nissan LEAF, rhetoric, Tesla Model S, transportation, trope
Synathroesmus (sin-ath-res’-mus): 1. The conglomeration of many words and expressions either with similar meaning (= synonymia) or not (= congeries). 2. A gathering together of things scattered throughout a speech (= accumulatio [:Bringing together various points made throughout a speech and presenting them again in a forceful, climactic way. A blend of summary and climax.])
He was cruel, vicious, wicked, violent. A monster. A killer. A human stain! He got what he deserved. Now that he’s dead, we can put our lives back together again.
Or:
He’s a robber, a philanthropist, a farmer, a preacher, a sinner, a gambler, a winner, a saint, a liar, and my best friend. Am I in trouble?
Or:
In summer, he spent his days digging worms and feeding them to Ed (his pet Robin), practicing his acrobatics (he loved cartwheels and backflips), knitting what he called “nose warmers,” and sometimes pushing a shopping cart around in the basement, pretending he was at the grocery store and complaining about the cost of bread and milk and caviar.
At night he would go into the woods behind his home, strip naked, pound his chest, and spit at the starry sky.
Every morning he would get up, go to the kitchen, put his left hand in the toaster oven and sing the theme song from the musical “Annie.” Then, he would put two slices of bread into the toaster oven, turn it on, and wait. When the toast was ready, he took it out of the toaster oven, held one piece in each hand over his head and yelled (in French), “Let them eat cake!”
It was during the fall, winter, and spring that he worked at night in his office, and during the day, in his laboratory at M.I.T. He had won two Nobel Prizes in two entirely different fields: Physics and Literature. His teaching evaluations were through the roof. Over the course of his career he had landed nearly $20,000,000 worth of grants to support his scholarly and creative endeavors.
In short, the guy was a totally weird Nobel Prize winning genius nutcase. Not only that, he was my father and our whole family loved him. So did his colleagues. If only they knew!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)
Posted in synathroesmus
Tagged accumulatio, birds, butterflies, climax, congeries, creative endeavors, elocutio, example, figures of speech, literature, Nobel Prize, Physics, rhetoric, synathroesmus, synonymia, toaster oven, trope, two nobel prizes
Hypozeuxis (hyp-o-zook’-sis): Opposite of zeugma. Every clause has its own verb.
As Lincoln said, “If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could better judge what to do, and how to do it.”
Last night, President Obama gave a speech on Syria, the pundits yelled at each other, Chris Matthews went nuts, and I turned off my TV.
The House is divided. Whither are we tending?
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)
Posted in hypozeuxis
Tagged Chris Matthews, current-events, elocutio, example, figures of speech, hypozeuxis, Lincolc, politics, President Obama, rhetoric, speech, Syria, trope
Correctio (cor-rec’-ti-o): The amending of a term or phrase just employed; or, a further specifying of meaning, especially by indicating what something is not (which may occur either before or after the term or phrase used). A kind of redefinition, often employed as a parenthesis (an interruption) or as a climax.
This is war. It’s not a threat, a nightmare, or some stupid kid’s macho video game. This is about killing, killing, more killing, and much, much more filthy, disgusting, remorseless, relentless, unforgettable, stench-filled, shrieking killing. This is war. Let’s go! Let’s kill! Let’s do the right thing!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)
Prolepsis (pro-lep’-sis): (1) A synonym for procatalepsis [refuting anticipated objections]; (2) speaking of something future as though already done or existing. A figure of anticipation.
1. They’re going to say that $12,000 is a lot of money to spend: period! We’re going to say that what we’re proposing to purchase today will give us at least, at a minimum, 15 years of service–15 years of enabling good things to happen here year after year after year.
We’re going to say: “Do the math, that’s $800 per year! If you’re willing to spend $15,000+ for a one-time event that’s here tonight and gone in the morning, is rowdy and raucus, leaves the lawn littered with trash, sends people to the emergency room, and is the herald of morning-after booze-induced pain–all in the name of FUN, you should certainly be willing to invest $12,000.00 in 15 years of quiet, clean, safe, and painless FUN.
2. I can’t believe you posted our video on YouTube. We better start writing our obituaries. We are dead!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu). Bracketed text added by Gorgias.
Posted in prolepsis
Tagged aviation, elocutio, example, figures of speech, procatalepsis, prolepsis, rhetoric, transportation, trope
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