Figures of Speech Served Fresh

Quote:  "Our megaphone is just not as large as their megaphone, and we have a harder time getting that message out, even when people are on the same page." John Kerry, in the New York Times.

Figure of Speech:  catachresis (cat a KREE sis), the metaphor gone wild.

John Kerry sums up the Democrats' problem in a catachresis (Greek for "misuse"), the ridiculous or mixed metaphor.

The quote renders a vivid image of self-pitying hand-wringers who try to read a message on a fluttering page.  They take turns reading the message on their little megaphone, and sadly, heartbreakingly, no one is listening.

Snappy Answer:  "The problem isn't the megaphone. It's what's on that page."