Originally Posted By: zmjezhd
Time was when an oxymoron was probably intentional.

Yes, it is a rhetorical figure, making it a usage concern, and not a solecism.

Yes in its purest sense an oxymoron is intentional rhetoric, not accidental. But through popular usage it has come to mean also any contradiction in terms, especially one that is unintentionally ironic.

Last edited by The Pook; 07/08/2008 4:23 AM.