My latest big word - paraprosdokian

@JudyEv (340216)
Rockingham, Australia
September 8, 2016 8:50am CST
I like words. I like the way some sound, the way some look. I like big words – as long as I can pronounce them. My latest big word took a bit of learning but I think I have it now – paraprosdokian. Isn't that a beauty? Now maybe you've heard of it but it's a new one to me. A paraprosdokian is a 'figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently humorous'. It's much easier to explain by providing a few examples, and some can be very funny. For instance, 'where there's a will, I want to be in it'. Or 'war does not determine who is right – only who is left'. One I've known for a long time and always liked is 'I used to be apathetic but now I don't care'. I'm sure most of us have heard 'I usually wake up grumpy – but sometimes I let him sleep in'. Vince sometimes says 'I take my sleeping bag with me wherever I go. She doesn't like staying home'. Now it's a race between Vin and I to see who can bring it into the conversation first. Can you come up with your own paraprosdokians? The photo is of my mother's boab tree
34 people like this
35 responses
James Higgins
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
8 Sep 16
Sounds like the kind of remarks that comedian Rodney Dangerfield used so much in his routine, Don Rickels too. I never heard the word and it is an interesting one. I will give that some thought while I mow the lawn this morning.
3 people like this
James Higgins
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
9 Sep 16
@JudyEv Ohhh she was gone this afternoon. I'll test her with it!
2 people like this
James Higgins
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
9 Sep 16
@JudyEv Odd thing: I went to dictionary.com to hear it pronounced and they don't list it even.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Sep 16
I wonder if Anne has heard it? It would be one-up-manship to have a word you know and she doesn't but being an English teacher, she probably does know it. :)
3 people like this
crazyhorseladycx
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
9 Sep 16
what an interestin' word, thankfully such doesn't require bein' used'n said sentences, eh? lol. i love the 'xamples that'cha gave. still gigglin' o'er the one mr. vince uses :)
3 people like this
crazyhorseladycx
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
9 Sep 16
@JudyEv yes ma'am, i did's well, jest don't reckon i figured there t'was a name fer such? 'f course, there's names fer most all thingies, eh? i'm gigglin' o'er those folks who're taken back by such. they obviously don't know y'all's wonder sense 'f humor :)
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Sep 16
@crazyhorseladycx The other one I like to use is when I get out of the shower and come in all clean and shiny and say to Vince "I feel like a new man". He never laughs as much as I do. :)
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Sep 16
I knew about the technique if I can call it that but didn't know it had a name. If Vince talks about his sleeping bag with people we don't know too well, they always look a bit askance at me to see how I'm taking it!
2 people like this
Belle Starr (Iz)
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
9 Sep 16
Too funny but too late for me to think of one, I will think about it tomorrow. lol
3 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Sep 16
Now you know about them, you will no doubt pick up examples here and there.
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cmoneyspinner
@cmoneyspinner (9219)
• Austin, Texas
9 Sep 16
Nice photo. Love the paraprosdokian about being apathetic. Can't think of any expressions at the moment. Sorry. I have to laugh at myself because the only thought that came to my mind when I saw that word was how could I work it into a Scrabble game. My husband has beaten me way too many times in Scrabble. Almost 40 years of marriage. I just want to win one game! It's an obsession!
3 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Sep 16
We used to play Scrabble a lot too. A word game I enjoy even more is Upwords where you get the chance to change words by building on top of them. Perhaps you could beat your husband at that one!
3 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Sep 16
@thelme55 My Mum was very good with words and especially enjoyed cryptic crosswords.
1 person likes this
Thelma
@thelme55 (77081)
• Germany
9 Sep 16
@JudyEv I love playing scrabble and I can´t win if my 79 years old aunt is here playing with us. She is so brilliant with words.
3 people like this
Jekca
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
9 Sep 16
I didnt know there was a word to describe those funny turn of phrases! Here is a new word for you, Eleemosynary. I learned that one in college, and how to spell it. Which is good cause there are odd letters in there. It has to do with charity, and where I think, the word alms, ie alms for the poor, etc, came from
3 people like this
DE
@DaddyEvil (137259)
• United States
9 Sep 16
That is correct, Jess! Early in their history, English people chopped that word down in size! They did us all a favor with that word!
1 person likes this
Jekca
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
12 Sep 16
@JudyEv ehl-uh-moss-uh-nary, not hard once youve heard it a few times!
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Sep 16
What a beauty - and another difficult one to pronounce!
1 person likes this
Valerie J. Routhieaux
@just4him (317089)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
8 Sep 16
That's a new one on me, but a very interesting one. I like your examples and have used a couple many times.
3 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Sep 16
I didn't know such sayings had a name - certainly not such a big one! I have a book of literary terms. I must see if it's in that.
3 people like this
Koalemos
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
8 Sep 16
One of my favourites has always been, “If at first you do not succeed, cheat”.
3 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Sep 16
I like that one.
3 people like this
Hazel Vee
@epiffanie (11326)
• Australia
9 Sep 16
Oh what fun twisting all these sayings .. ...
2 people like this
Hazel Vee
@epiffanie (11326)
• Australia
11 Sep 16
@JudyEv Yes indeed.. some people are very witty ..
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Sep 16
They're very clever aren't they? I read once that comedy is about expecting something to happen or be said but then the event takes off at a tangent.
1 person likes this
Inlemay
@Inlemay (17713)
• South Africa
8 Sep 16
pretty much a distorted pun on words - love them those paraprosdokians
3 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Sep 16
Yes, you're right. Some are very clever. I only put a couple in my post.
3 people like this
Susan
@HazySue (39268)
• Gouverneur, New York
8 Sep 16
@JudyEv I like that word. Let me think for a second or two for a good one....... Ok, If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong. How is that one?
3 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Sep 16
That's a beauty. Well done!
3 people like this
L. Jenkinson
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
9 Sep 16
Well who knew there was a special name for that kind of humorous phrase? I also want to tell you that there is a very precious oil that comes from the Baobab tree and it is anti-aging, and repairs skin, hair, etc. Great for sun=damage too! You'll have to get your mother to harvest it somehow. Love that word too- you say what?
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Sep 16
Mum was very pleased with being able to grow a boab tree. It was quite an achievement. I didn't know about the oil that comes from them. I'll have to research it more.
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Sep 16
@MarymargII They are difficult to grow where my Mum was living. They are native to Australia and Africa and there are several types. Apparently millions of years ago Australia was joined to Africa and Asia which accounts for some of the similar plants and animals we share.
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L. Jenkinson
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
12 Sep 16
@JudyEv Yes, I wrote an article about it once- for content. You can buy the oil and it is great for many things. So are they native to Australia? Are they difficult to grow?
1 person likes this
Ruby Hawk
@RubyHawk (99405)
• Atlanta, Georgia
9 Sep 16
I've heard those phrases but I didn't know they had a name. I looked in my college dictionary and couldn't find it. it must be a word that isn't used frequently. Neither do I know how pronounce it. I love your mom's boab tree.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Sep 16
@RubyHawk I love the way the trunk swells so much.
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Ruby Hawk
@RubyHawk (99405)
• Atlanta, Georgia
9 Sep 16
@JudyEv My dictionary might be a little out of date, I've had a few years. I've only seen the boab trees in pictures. It has a different look than other trees.
2 people like this
Ruby Hawk
@RubyHawk (99405)
• Atlanta, Georgia
10 Sep 16
@JudyEv It's unusual and completely different from trees growing here.
1 person likes this
Thelma
@thelme55 (77081)
• Germany
9 Sep 16
This is the first time I have heard this word but the funny phrases you have examples are not new to me.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Sep 16
I think we've all heard examples of this figure of speech even if we didn't know they had a name.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Sep 16
@thelme55 And it's a very big name too isn't it?
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Thelma
@thelme55 (77081)
• Germany
11 Sep 16
@JudyEv yes, I didn't really know that they had a name.
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5th House
@5thHouse (1678)
• Sheffield, England
9 Sep 16
You learn something new every day. My mum used to often say: "I've just been weeding the garden in my pyjamas. What a funny place to have a garden." Does that count?
2 people like this
DE
@DaddyEvil (137259)
• United States
9 Sep 16
Yes, that certainly does count, @5thhouse . Hmmm... you are a newbie to me. Hello! It is my pleasure to meet you here on myLot! I do hope you are having a great time playing here while making new friends, as well!
DE
@DaddyEvil (137259)
• United States
9 Sep 16
@5thHouse That is great! I am happy to hear you are having a good time. What name did you go by on Bubbs? I was RJBRES and added DaddyEvil once the management allowed us to add to what we were called. Did we meet on Bubbs?
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5th House
@5thHouse (1678)
• Sheffield, England
9 Sep 16
@DaddyEvil Yes, I've been here about a week. Before that I was on Bubblews for a while and some other writing sites. Enjoying Mylot so far.
2 people like this
Silvermist
@silvermist (19702)
• India
9 Sep 16
That is a nice photograph.Well,I am hearing this word for the first time.I do not know any examples.I found out this one online. 'Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.'
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Sep 16
That is a great saying too. I think people would be wise to remember that from time to time. Then there might be a few more wise people around.
1 person likes this
Yalul
@yalul070 (1713)
• Manila, Philippines
9 Sep 16
first time I heard of this word. when i first saw it I thought it's some pokemon and I didn't know there's actually that kind of figure of speech. thanks.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Sep 16
It is a bit different isn't it? I found it a very unusual word.
1 person likes this
Anna
@LadyDuck (471459)
• Switzerland
8 Sep 16
We use the same word in Italian, in the sense of unexpected. This is one of the phrase that my husband likes to repeat when I try to discuss with one of my friends: Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Sep 16
That is very clever. It is the unexpectedness of the second part that makes it funny.
2 people like this
Anna
@LadyDuck (471459)
• Switzerland
9 Sep 16
@JudyEv I agree, but it is so true.
2 people like this
@acelawrites
@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
8 Sep 16
First time I heard of the word. It's funny and people are so smart to tweak on some quotations.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Sep 16
Yes, just tweaking the last bit can make for a very funny saying.
1 person likes this
Betty Belekis
@BettyB (4117)
• Summerville, South Carolina
8 Sep 16
I like that kind of humor but I didn't realize it had its own title/name. I keep looking at the word and trying to figure out how to pronounce it.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Sep 16
I didn't know it had a name either. :) So I was a bit intrigued.
1 person likes this
Radha S
@radhruv (135)
• New Delhi, India
9 Sep 16
I haven't heard it before. Thanks for enlightening me with the word
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Sep 16
You have learnt something for today!