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}.]
Don’t iron your ideas so flat that they sound like cicadas humming somewhere in Kansas!
Damn! I don’t even know if they’ve got cicadas in Kansas–but you get my point, right?
Go for TA-DA instead of HMMMMM–more people will listen, and that’s half the battle!
Definition courtesy of “Sliva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu). Bracketed text added by Gorgias.
Posted in metonymy
Tagged elocutio, example, figures of speech, metonymy, rhetoric, The Daily Trope, trope
Ominatio (o-mi-na’-ti-o): A prophecy of evil.
Lo unto you, I prophecy:
A bleak darkness shall enwrap merry Olde England in a stinking miasma of bigoted gasses and shattered dreams, fanned throughout the land by droll talking heads and political buskers.
Many Pounds will be shed on an unwanted diet of economic deprivation as the Exchequer lies abed, gasping for hard currency, all skin and bones, yet unrepentant, as the marketplace turns to fire and our brave Investors hose it with Euros in a vain attempt to quell its catastrophic flames.
BREXIT has, shall, and will spell cold hearths, broken hearts and empty purses. Our children will suffer. Our economy will burn out like a super nova, leaving us to observe only smoke and ruin.
As the Crown shall surely fall, an independent Scotland will ascend to its former glory, as its Auld Alliance is resurrected and it stands proudly alongside France, a dire threat to England once again!
Beware! The worm is turning.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in ominatio
Tagged Auld Alliance, BREXIT, current-events, elocutio, example, figures of speech, France, rhetoric, Scotland, The Daily Trope, trope
Onedismus (on-e-dis’-mus): Reproaching someone for being impious or ungrateful.
“I built a real-estate empire.” “I” is your favorite word. What about “We?” We never hear “We.” Is it because “We” don’t matter?
It is obvious–so obvious–that you could not have done it alone! Every once in awhile you acknowledge your children or your wife, but they’re just an extension of you!
If you want my vote, I need to hear you start saying “We” when you refer to “your” accomplishments. Show some gratitude around the circle of others who have supported you, advised you, guided you and made you a success–give US a place in the limelight. WE are tired of living in your shadow.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.ed).
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).
YOU: Yes sir, that’s my baby. No sir, I don’t mean maybe. Hubba Hubba Hub cap. That’s my gal. Boo poopie doo.
ME: Dave! Your hubcap collecting has gotten out of control. Nobody wants to see you dancing naked on the front porch with a hubcap duct-taped to your crotch.
Put down the beer. Get inside! Put on some clothes! Call it a day!
YOU: Yes sir, that’s my wife. No sir, I do mean strife. Yes sir, she’s a major zip in my ass right now!
Hey wife! Hubcaps have one function: to cover lug nuts.
So, what’s my hubcap doing?
Ha! Ha!
ME: Dave, there’s a crowd gathering on our front lawn. I think I hear the woo wah woo wah of police cars headed up the street.
Get the hell inside!!!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)
Posted in onomatopoeia, Uncategorized
Tagged elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, The Daily Trope, trope
Optatio (op-ta’-ti-o): Expressing a wish, often ardently.
Y: I wish I could lift 300 pounds. It would be so cool to be a strong man. I could lift the front of a car, or a ATM, or all the crap piled up in your bedroom. I could be called “King Crap Lifter.” Your friends would probably build a monument to me!
OH! How I wish, I wish, I wish!
Z: Go for it dad. It’s about the only thing you’ve wished for since I was born. Your daydreams are like specks of dirt on a cracked camera lens. What you make wishes for are like specks of dirt on the specks of dirt.
So: Go for it King Hernia! And while you’re blowing out an intestine, I wish you’d pay me an allowance; then I might start picking things up.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetorica” (rhetoric.byu.edu)
Posted in optatio
Tagged elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, The Daily Trope, trope
Orcos (or’-kos): Swearing that a statement is true.
X: Where is my red shirt?
RAY: I have no idea.
X: You lie you die!
RAY: I swear on my mother’s grave: I DO NOT KNOW.
X: Your mother is alive and well in Miami.
RAY: Well then, I swear on your mother’s grave.
X: That does it. Put up your hands. I’m taking you in.
RAY: Hello, 911? My roommate has flipped his widget–what’s that? His widget! It’s just a figure of speech, like flipping one’s wig, or flipping out.
Now, please send somebody over! He’s threatening me–he is pointing his cheap Chinese spatula at me. He’s waving it around. HURRY!
X: I see my shirt under the couch. Sorry.
RAY: Dumb ass.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in orcos
Tagged current-events, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, trope
Oxymoron (ox-y-mo’-ron): Placing two ordinarily opposing terms adjacent to one another. A compressed paradox.
Hilary is exuberantly pessimistic about Trump’s chances of being elected. Trump, on the other hand, is caustically optimistic that he’s going to win.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in oxymoron, Uncategorized
Tagged current-events, elocutio, example, figures of speech, Hilary vs. Trump Caustic Optimism, rhetoric, trope
Paenismus (pai-nis’-mus): Expressing joy for blessings obtained or an evil avoided.
Hark! I bring tidings of comfort and joy!
My new underpants from Duluth Trading Post are all they’re ‘cracked’ up to be.
I walk in comfort. I sit in comfort. I stand in comfort. I live in comfort.
Oh the comfort and joy! No more binding or chafing.
These underpants are my salvation.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in paenismus, Uncategorized
Tagged current-events, elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, The Daily Trope, trope
Palilogia (pa-li-lo’-gi-a): Repetition of the same word, with none between, for vehemence. Synonym for epizeuxis.
Money! Money!
Money! Money!
Isn’t there anything in the world you give a damn about except money?
Money in the morning.
Money in the afternoon.
Money in the evening.
Money at night–we sleep with money, dream with money, make love with money, wake up with money!
Money! Money! Money!
Put your mind and you mouth on something besides money, or I’m putting my ass on a taxi seat headed to the airport.
Got it? Shut up about money!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in epizeuxis, palilogia, Uncategorized
Tagged elocutio, example, figures of speech, palilogia, rhetoric, trope
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.
We are ready to eat!
We hear that we’re having chicken noodle soup made out of freshly slaughtered, coarsely-chopped, boiled chicken meat and boiled & diced chicken organs, with some chicken bones, broth, noodles & maybe a few carrots, salt, pepper, and parsley.
Yech.
(For the sake of the diners, it would seem that sometimes it may be better to just call the chicken noodle soup “chicken noodle soup.”)
Accordingly, sometimes no detail is enough detail.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in parabola, Uncategorized
Tagged elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, trope
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.
It would be ridiculous mentioning your obsession with i-Hop’s dessert pancakes as your only real direct engagement with anything remotely international as in the “International House of Pancakes.” I won’t mention how your negotiating skills consistently earn you a double dollop of cream cheese icing on your beloved red velvet pancakes. Why won’t I mention it? It is totally beside the point.
Now, back to reality! How do you think your experience as a negotiator will preclude a nuclear war or, on a less apocalyptic note, a renewal of the cold war?
I know I’m probably asking you to compare securing extra pancake toppings with saving Western Civilization as we know it, but hey, I’m a journalist and the American people deserve a double-dollop of claptrap as much as you deserve a double dollop of cream cheese icing.
So, Mr. Trump: pancakes or apocalypse? Which is it? The American people have a right to know.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)
Posted in paralipsis
Tagged current-events, Donald Trump, elocutio, example, figures of speech, i-Hop, rhetoric, trope
Paramythia (pa-ra-mee’-thi-a): An expression of consolation and encouragement.
You can’t win ’em all. Look, you’re only 17 years old. Forget about politics for the next 20 years!
Look, Uncle George wasn’t anything at all his whole life until he was in his 40s, then, presto, like magic he was Governor of Texas and President of the USA. Like your uncle, you ought to dedicate your youth to cocaine, alcohol, Country Western Dancing, and screwing up oil companies. These are developmental experiences and will prepare you for a later life of public service.
Now, chin up. Have a beer. Relax.
Ha Ha!
Have another beer!
You’ll get there–take it from your Grand Daddy (do not listen to your Aunt Laura–she’s a stick in the mud & doesn’t know the difference between a bad time, lunch time, and happy hour).
Here’s to you, boy! “May your youthful indiscretions prepare you to lead the United States of America into the next Cold War.”
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)
Posted in paramythia
Tagged current-events, elocutio, example, figures of speech, George Bush, Laura Bush, rhetoric, trope
Paraprosdokian: A figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase [or series = anticlimax] is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe the first part. . . . For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists. An especially clever paraprosdokian not only changes the meaning of an early phrase, but also plays on the double meaning of a particular word.(1)
“A house divided can be sublet.” Abraham Linkedin (St. Petersburg Address: 1 Dali Blvd. 33701)
1. “Paraprosdokian.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 4 Jan 2008, 03:30 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 9 Jan 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraprosdokian>.
Posted in paraprosdokian
Tagged elocutio, example, figures of speech, rhetoric, trope
Paregmenon (pa-reg’-men-on): A general term for the repetition of a word or its cognates in a short sentence. Often, but not always, polyptoton.
Today, tonight, tomorrow. Today, the election. Tonight the results.
Tomorrow, perhaps there will be sorrow, but that sorrow will be assuaged by our gratitude and our hope–our gratitude for how far we were able to come and our hope for a future filled with the echoes of our voices, and responsive to the critical insights that our continued solidarity engenders and demands.
But tonight may be the most joyous night we have seen, felt, or known in our entire lives. Let us hope–hope for the fulfillment of our dream–a dream made real by promises kept and a faith well-formed by ideals of human togetherness sweetly resonant with the fundamental tenet of virtually all orders of faith–whether secular or sacred, or something else: Love your neighbor.
So, regardless of whether we laugh or cry tonight or tomorrow, we are made whole by the power of love–by the power of love, love, love. Love today. Love tonight. Love tomorrow. The power love.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in paregmenon
Tagged current-events, elocutio, example, figures of speech, polyptoton, rhetoric, trope
Pareuresis (par-yur-ee’-sis): To put forward a convincing excuse. [Shifting the blame.]
I tried my hardest to keep from telling the truth–I did everything I could to misrepresent Bernie’s basic platform as a paean to neo-facist-socialist-racism, only to be thwarted by David Duke’s conversion to the Church of the Later-Day Saints and fervent support of what he calls Bernie’s “nice-guy agenda.”
I tried my best to paint Donald Trump as connected to the Church of Satan as one of the Evil One’s minions, but Anton LaVay spilled the hot coals and claimed that Donald Trump makes him want to sing songs from “Annie.” After singing “Tomorrow” continuously for 12 hours and raising $1,000,000.00 for Mr. Trump, Mr. LaVay left for Rome and a private audience with Pope Francis and Vince, the spokesperson for Shamwow.
Given the opposition’s fluidity, credibility, and willingness to go 360, there’s no way I can besmirch Bernie or Donald–even with the truth!
Accordingly, I think the time has come!
We better call Bill: the world’s greatest truth-twister, accusation generator, and umbrage taker. He can spin innuendo faster than Duke or LaVay can detect it and deal with it, and he can dance around the truth with more gusto, flash, sensuality, and clarity than Maria Pagés does with her soul-trancing tangos.
Call the massage parlor & tell him to get his slap-happy campaign butt over here!
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu). Bracketed text added by Gorgias.
Posted in pareuresis
Tagged :, Anton LaVay, Bill Clinton, current-events, elocutio, example, figures of speech, Hillary Clington, Maria Pagés, Pope Francis, rhetoric, Sanders, The Daily Trope, trope, Trupm, Vince shamwow
Paroemia (pa-ri’-mi-a): One of several terms describing short, pithy sayings. Others include adage, apothegm, gnome, maxim, proverb, and sententia.
“When the going gets tough, the tough get life insurance.” Anon.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Paroemion (par-mi’-on): Alliteration taken to an extreme where nearly every word in a sentence begins with the same consonant. Sometimes, simply a synonym for alliteration or for homoeoprophoron [a stylistic vice].
Ted’s facial tic taps tarnished truths too terrible to try to tell to trendsetters, tattletales, Trumpers, torqueheads, ticket takers, taxi trippers, troublemakers, totalitarians, tapdancers, truckdrivers, tippers, timekeepers, trackers, trappers, techies, turncoats or his mommy, who will spank him.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Paromoiosis (par-o-moy-o’-sis): Parallelism of sound between the words of adjacent clauses whose lengths are equal or approximate to one another. The combination of isocolon and assonance.
I look out my hard frosted window.
I take my eyes to the soft darkening glow.
I watch the tinted crust of weeks-old snow.
No man. No husband. No father. No lover. No daughter. No son.
Empty. Untrodden. Pristine. Untouched. He will not come.
What is done, is done.
I am a widow gouged by my loss.
You are the “grateful nation”
who “appreciate my husband’s service”
and see his death as a warranted cost.
Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).
Posted in isocolon, paromoiosis
Tagged current-events, elocutio, example, figures of speech, isolcolon, rhetoric, trope, war
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