Is there a special term for an unintended oxymoron?
Merriam's online dictionary describe oxymoron as "the deliberate juxtaposing of seemingly contradictory words." Some of the examples given there, however, don't appear to be deliberate:
"The phrase 'Broadway rock musical' is an oxymoron. Broadway doesn't have the
nerve to let the really hard stuff in the house."
I would argue that "Broadway rock musical" isn't an oxymoron, because the term was not meant to be one. If I am correct, and we are to take the word "deliberate" seriously as an element of oxymoron, what do we do call Thurber's "naive domestic Burgundy"? Is it just a "contradiction in terms," or is there a nice Greek word for it?
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Merriam's online dictionary describe oxymoron as "the deliberate juxtaposing of seemingly contradictory words." Some of the examples given there, however, don't appear to be deliberate:
"The phrase 'Broadway rock musical' is an oxymoron. Broadway doesn't have the
nerve to let the really hard stuff in the house."
I would argue that "Broadway rock musical" isn't an oxymoron, because the term was not meant to be one. If I am correct, and we are to take the word "deliberate" seriously as an element of oxymoron, what do we do call Thurber's "naive domestic Burgundy"? Is it just a "contradiction in terms," or is there a nice Greek word for it?
single-word-requests
asked 6 mins ago
remarklremarkl
825
add a comment |
Merriam's online dictionary describe oxymoron as "the deliberate juxtaposing of seemingly contradictory words." Some of the examples given there, however, don't appear to be deliberate:
"The phrase 'Broadway rock musical' is an oxymoron. Broadway doesn't have the
nerve to let the really hard stuff in the house."
I would argue that "Broadway rock musical" isn't an oxymoron, because the term was not meant to be one. If I am correct, and we are to take the word "deliberate" seriously as an element of oxymoron, what do we do call Thurber's "naive domestic Burgundy"? Is it just a "contradiction in terms," or is there a nice Greek word for it?
single-word-requests
asked 6 mins ago
remarklremarkl
825
Merriam's online dictionary describe oxymoron as "the deliberate juxtaposing of seemingly contradictory words." Some of the examples given there, however, don't appear to be deliberate:
"The phrase 'Broadway rock musical' is an oxymoron. Broadway doesn't have the
nerve to let the really hard stuff in the house."
I would argue that "Broadway rock musical" isn't an oxymoron, because the term was not meant to be one. If I am correct, and we are to take the word "deliberate" seriously as an element of oxymoron, what do we do call Thurber's "naive domestic Burgundy"? Is it just a "contradiction in terms," or is there a nice Greek word for it?
single-word-requests
single-word-requests
asked 6 mins ago
remarklremarkl
825
asked 6 mins ago
remarklremarkl
825
asked 6 mins ago
remarklremarkl
825
asked 6 mins ago
remarklremarkl
825
asked 6 mins ago
remarklremarkl
825
825
add a comment |
add a comment |
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