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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread paraprosdokian #205929 05/30/2012 6:27 PM Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague BranShea Carpal Tunnel BranShea Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague From a friend: "I had to look up "paraprosdokian". Here is the definition : "Figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently used in a humorous situation." "Where there's a will, I want to be in it," is a type of paraprosdokian. A choice of examples: 1. Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience. 2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on my list. 3. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak. 4. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong. 5.. War does not determine who is right - only who is left. 6. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. 7. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research." Link Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: paraprosdokian BranShea #205939 06/02/2012 2:31 AM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Jackie Carpal Tunnel Jackie Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky I LOVE these! The statements, that is; I'm not convinced that paraprosdokian is a legitimate word. I ran it through Onelook, and I'm not satisfied. But on the one acronym site I saw a statement that made me curious: You know, there are only a few thousand natural languages in use by humans today, yet among these, there are a few in which the child's word for father is mama. Does anybody know whether this is true? mama Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: paraprosdokian Jackie #205941 06/02/2012 2:50 AM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass if you don't believe the research done by the wiki guys, how about this from Michael Quinion - I'd particularly note this: The phrase para prosdokian occurs in classical Greek literature, meaning “contrary to expectations”, but at some point the two words have been run together. well, that doesn't happen much, does it‽ [note interrobang, used often now for rhetorical questions] edit: I predict that we'll some day soon see both paraprosdokian and epicaricacy in the OED[online] Last edited by tsuwm; 06/02/2012 2:55 AM. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: paraprosdokian Jackie #205942 06/02/2012 10:48 AM Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague BranShea Carpal Tunnel BranShea Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague Besides looking to the OneLook collection, I always put a word in my general browser. There's 10 pages of entries about paraprosdokian. ( no, OneLook does not have it ) Your mama-link gives a list of words starting with P . Where am I supposed to go from there to get to pappa? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: paraprosdokian Jackie #205943 06/02/2012 11:10 AM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Originally Posted By: Jackie But on the one acronym site I saw a statement that made me curious: You know, there are only a few thousand natural languages in use by humans today, yet among these, there are a few in which the child's word for father is mama. Does anybody know whether this is true? According to this paper it is. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: paraprosdokian BranShea #205946 06/02/2012 5:57 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass >OneLook does not have it I can remedy that! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: paraprosdokian tsuwm #205947 06/02/2012 9:13 PM Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague BranShea Carpal Tunnel BranShea Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague I know this is only a matter of time. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: paraprosdokian BranShea #205950 06/03/2012 1:32 AM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Jackie Carpal Tunnel Jackie Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky [bow] Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. 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