Tag Archives: rhetoric

Medela

Posted on August 10, 2021 | Comments Off on Medela

Medela (me-de’-la): When you can’t deny or defend friends’ faults and seek to heal them with good words.

Look, nobody’s perfect. Twelve minor traffic accidents in twelve months. Nobody got killed. That’s a blessing. It’s probably not a record either. The traffic around here is crazy anyway. I’m surprised everybody doesn’t have more accidents. Chin up! Everything will be ok. While you’re waiting to hear whether your license is revoked, consider Uber. It’ll make things way easier. Why not let somebody else drive you around? You can work on your laptop in the back seat!

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

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Meiosis

Posted on August 9, 2021 | Comments Off on Meiosis

Meiosis (mei-o’-sis): Reference to something with a name disproportionately lesser than its nature (a kind of litotes). This term is equivalent to tapinosis.

You can take your engagement ring and shove it. It’s a cigar band for bozos. After what you did to me, I’m outta here.

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

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Mempsis

Posted on August 8, 2021 | Comments Off on Mempsis

Mempsis (memp’-sis): Expressing complaint and seeking help.

Stogle Bridge has been falling down for the past three months. It is unconscionable for the town council to let this happen. If that crack widens a little more, and we keep the bridge open, plain and simple, people will die. Please close the bridge, allocate the funding to repair it, and REPAIR it! I need your help. We need your help. Please do the right thing. Thank-you.

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

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Merismus

Posted on August 7, 2021 | Comments Off on Merismus

Merismus (mer-is’-mus): The dividing of a whole into its parts.

Rep. Greene’s trustworthiness can be divided into three parts: (1) Liar; (2) Prevaricator; and (3) Mythomaniac. Yep, she’s three times as full of crap as a mentally stable person.

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

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Mesarchia

Posted on August 6, 2021 | Comments Off on Mesarchia

Mesarchia (mes-ar’-chi-a): The repetition of the same word or words at the beginning and middle of successive sentences.

I am lost and struggling to find my way. I am lost and hoping to find the trail. I am lost and I look toward the sky to find the North Star. I look, I seek, I hunt, I struggle, all to no avail. Now, I will make a bed of pine boughs and wait for dawn. It is a warm summer night. I will be ok . In the morning I will walk toward the rising sun, eat some berries, and drink from the crystal clear creek. I will survive.

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

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Mesodiplosis

Posted on August 5, 2021 | Comments Off on Mesodiplosis

Mesodiplosis (mes-o-dip-lo’-sis): Repetition of the same word or words in the middle of successive sentences.

I got myself a new set of cookware. Yep, I got a new set of pots and pans. I’m gonna use that new set to make the most magnificent meals. First: canned bean soup with just the right amount of water dumped in. Second: scrambled eggs with milk and sardines. Third: pimentos and prunes. The list goes on! Please stop by and try one of my creative recipes. Tonight, we’re having kale and mashed potatoes with fish sauce, gnocchi, and snappy grillers. Mmmmm!

See you tonight?

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

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Mesozeugma

Posted on August 3, 2021 | Comments Off on Mesozeugma

Mesozeugma (me’-so-zyoog’-ma): A zeugma in which one places a common verb for many subjects in the middle of a construction.

I was hungry. It was late at night. I went down to the kitchen, did a moon walk across the linoleum floor, opened the refrigerator and grabbed a hard-boiled egg, a bottle of hot sauce, a piece of cheese and 6 anchovies; the makings of my “Midnight Special.” All I needed now was two slices of bread and some cinnamon.

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

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Metabasis

Posted on August 2, 2021 | Comments Off on Metabasis

Metabasis (me-ta’-ba-sis): A transitional statement in which one explains what has been and what will be said.

Now that I’ve told you and everybody else on board three times to wear a mask on this aircraft, if you continue to fail to comply, next, I will tell you to exit the aircraft. That means deplane.

Stop yelling and creating a disturbance Ms. Greene. Out of 100 passengers, you’re the only one not not willing to comply with my request.

I will count to three. If you’re not on your way to the aircraft’s exit after that, if necessary, you will be forcibly ejected. Or, if you put on a mask, fine.

1-2-3.

Marshall, remove this woman from the aircraft. Be careful, she may be in need of psychiatric intervention. I’ll call ahead so medical personnel can meet you and you can take her take her to the airport medical facility for a brief examination.

Please quiet down Ms. Greene. It’s not the end of the world.

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

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Metalepsis

Posted on August 1, 2021 | Comments Off on 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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Metallage

Posted on July 31, 2021 | Comments Off on Metallage

Metallage (me-tal’-la-gee): When a word or phrase is treated as an object within another expression.

I’m sick of your “I’m sorry” all the time.

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

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Metaphor

Posted on July 30, 2021 | Comments Off on Metaphor

Metaphor (met’-a-phor): A comparison made by referring to one thing as another.

Your hope is a blindfold keeping you from seeing what’s actually possible. Your hope for wealth and fame can’t be realized by hoping. You must have a plan, and the means, and the opportunity and much, much more. Take off the blindfold and do something.

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

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Metaplasm

Posted on July 29, 2021 | Comments Off on Metaplasm

Metaplasm (met’-a-plazm): A general term for orthographical figures (changes to the spelling of words). This includes alteration of the letters or syllables in single words, including additions, omissions, inversions, and substitutions. Such changes are considered conscious choices made by the artist or orator for the sake of eloquence or meter, in contrast to the same kinds of changes done accidentally and discussed by grammarians as vices (see barbarism). See: antisthecon, aphaeresis, apocope, epenthesis, paragoge, synaloepha.

I had high hopes for our romance, but our love has turned into leave. You don’t listen to me. You don’t talk to me. We stay three feet apart. You go out every night. You come home at 4.00 a.m. smelling of gin and cigarettes. We don’t eat together. We don’t go out. No sex. We might as well have separate lives—stupid solo-ites sitting at a bar with a glass full of blues and a bitter heart looking for love again. I am damnfounded as to how it all fell apart.

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

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Metastasis

Posted on July 28, 2021 | Comments Off on Metastasis

Metastasis (me-tas’-ta-sis): Denying and turning back on your adversaries arguments used against you.

Incite? I think you meant insight. This is what I think: Your hearings are doing the inciting. As patriotic Americans hear your lies about the peaceful visitors on a guided tour of the Capitol on January 6th, who were met and ejected from the building by force, by order of Nancy Pelosi, they have become very angry and mistrustful of the federal government’s role in all of this. They might even think the right thing to do at this point is to burn down the Capitol with all the Democrat Representatives, and the two Republican traitors, locked inside.

I’m not inciting anything here today with my remarks, and, by the way, I’m just speculating like you are. You’re running a guessing game, so can I. But my guesses are based in facts. Yours are based in lies about a group of innocent tourists who were violently ejected from the Capitol by overzealous police, who attacked them on orders from Pelosi. She’s the one you should be questioning and charging with crimes against the American people. She’s the one who should go to prison. She’s a disgrace.

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

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Metonymy

Posted on July 27, 2021 | Comments Off on Metonymy

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.

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Ominatio

Posted on July 25, 2021 | Comments Off on Ominatio

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).

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Onedismus

Posted on July 24, 2021 | Comments Off on Onedismus

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).

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Onomatopoeia

Posted on July 22, 2021 | Comments Off on Onomatopoeia

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).

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Optatio

Posted on July 21, 2021 | Comments Off on Optatio

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).

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Orcos

Posted on July 20, 2021 | Comments Off on Orcos

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).

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Oxymoron

Posted on July 19, 2021 | Comments Off on Oxymoron

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).

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Paenismus

Posted on July 18, 2021 | Comments Off on Paenismus

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).

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Palilogia

Posted on July 17, 2021 | Comments Off on Palilogia

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).

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Parabola

Posted on July 16, 2021 | Comments Off on Parabola

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).

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Paragoge

Posted on July 15, 2021 | Comments Off on Paragoge

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).

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Paralipsis

Posted on July 13, 2021 | Comments Off on Paralipsis

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).

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