Questions tagged [oxymoron]
Conjoining contradictory terms
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What is the term/phrase in academic English Literature given to idioms/figure-of-speech/proverbs/narratives that are oxymorons/self-contradictory? [closed]
Unless the employer stuffs my mouth with gold until I gag, I will Not work for them.
What is the term/phrase in academic English Literature given to idioms/figure-of-speech/proverbs/narratives that ...
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Is there a term for two words together that would be an oxymoron, but aren't due to context or usage? [duplicate]
Like 'pretty ugly'. The most used meaning of 'pretty' is contradictory to 'ugly', and it could feasibly be used to mean something like (if it were an oxymoron), 'someone who may be considered ugly, ...
user485424
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Is freak of nature an oxymoron?
My question is, is the term "freak of nature" a oxymoron?
I feel as if it is a oxymoron due to freak and nature being contradictions of each other, but I am not sure.
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Is "one-sided conversation" an oxymoron?
A conversation is thought to be between 2 or more people, who both talk (loose definition). If only one person spoke, did a conversation take place?
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What device is "lullabies and battle cries", phrases that show two opposite ends of a scale? [duplicate]
In lyrics to a poem, the author is commenting on a group of people and mentions their "lullabies and battle cries".
My other half belives this is an oxymoron, however I don't think this is ...
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Why do some people say “negative growth” instead of using a single word indicating a decrease?
I am not a native English speaker, nor am I an economist.
I have heard the term "negative growth" used in the context of Gross National Product (GNP), and it seems that it is also used in ...
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Is "delightfully shambolic" an oxymoron or not? [closed]
A friend has claimed the term "delightfully shambolic" is an oxymoron. I disagree as I don't see that they're contradictory as such, more just strange bedfellows. Surely something along the ...
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Can I use “both” and “each” together in a sentence? [closed]
A has one house, and B has one house.
Is
Both of them have one house each.
Grammatically correct?
I think it’s incorrect because it can be converted into ‘They have one house for each and for both’, ...
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"Permanent Suspension"
The Twitter statement about disabling President Trump's account mentions a "permanent suspension":
[...] we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of ...
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Is “complete conjecture” an oxymoron?
I use these two words together fairly often as it has a nicer ring to it than “conjecture” on its own, but it recently occurred to me that it may make no sense at all. Thoughts?
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Is the term "self-supervision" an oxymoron?
I was suddenly curious because I had always thought that "supervision" implied there being two separate entities.
For example, when I search the definition of "supervision," I get a few results along ...
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Can I use "parallel myriad" in a sentence and would that be an oxymoron? [closed]
The sentance is:
Task: Add two APIs to the ESB.
Info: Parallel Myriad task which involves all seven systems to work together and deliver this.
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How long has the expression 'underage woman' been in use, and is it an oxymoron?
A blog entry posted today at The Atlantic online—"The Myth of the 'Underage Woman'," by Megan Garber—argues that "underage woman" is an oxymoron:
The phrase is wrong in every sense: There is no such ...
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Oxymoron structure - best way to structure [closed]
Writing a short story in which a young person finds a new friendship in an older person. And invites the older person to an event with a lot of young, long term friends.
I'm blanking out on what is ...
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What does "unanimously disagreed" mean?
The complete sentence runs as follows:
The judges unanimously disagreed that he was fit to compete.
What does it mean?
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