About This Site

Figaro rips the innards out of things people say and reveals the rhetorical tricks and pratfalls. For terms and definitions, click here.
(What are figures of speech?)
Ask Figaro a question!

This form does not yet contain any fields.

    « Words Cannot Describe Their Ability | Main | Bonds Spits...Grabs His Crotch...Takes a Call from His Agent... »
    Monday
    Sep192005

    He Probably Just Ate a Bad Wing

    arlen.jpgQuote:  "To commit suicide in Buffalo would be redundant." Harold Arlen

    Figure of Speech:  paraprosdokian (pah rah proze DOKE ee an), the unexpected ending

    Hard as it is to pronounce, the paraprosdokian is one of the best figures for instant wit.  It usually starts with a banal clause or cliche and ends with a surprise.  ("I love work; I can sit and watch it for hours.")

    Arlen was a songmeister who wrote "Over the Rainbow" and "Stormy Weather," but not "Shuffle Off to Buffalo."

    Snappy Answer:  “It beats staying alive in Syracuse.”

    PrintView Printer Friendly Version

    EmailEmail Article to Friend

    Reader Comments

    There are no comments for this journal entry. To create a new comment, use the form below.

    PostPost a New Comment

    Enter your information below to add a new comment.

    My response is on my own website »
    Author Email (optional):
    Author URL (optional):
    Post:
     
    All HTML will be escaped. Hyperlinks will be created for URLs automatically.