Sunday, February 24, 2013

Rhetoric - zeugma



zeugma [ˈzugmə] n.

1.) The use of a word in the same grammatical relation to two nearby words, one having a metaphorical sense and the other a literal sense (Garner's Modern American Usage 3rd Edition).

Etymology: modern Latin, adoption of Greek ζεῦγµα, a yoking, from ζευγνύναι, to yoke, related to ζυγόν, yoke (of land).

"This day, black Omens threat the brightest Fair,
That e'er deserv'd a watchful spirit's care;
Some dire disaster, or by force, or slight;
But what, or where, the fates have wrapt in night.
Whether the nymph shall break Diana's law,
Or some frail China jar receive a flaw;
Or stain her honour or her new brocade;
Forget her pray'rs, or miss a masquerade;
Or lose her heart, or necklace, at a ball;
Or whether Heav'n has doom'd that Shock must fall."
(The Rape of the Lock, Alexander Pope, 1717)


(Plöjningen, Carl Larsson, 1905)

4 comments:

E. said...

Is this too hard for the layman to understand or have I had too much wine?

p.s: only when there's no or little traffic

Bibi said...

I was going to second Evi's comment, but then I got it. Clever! Wouldn't think of that, but that's why I'm not a writer.

A Beer for the Shower said...

As I am not nearly clever enough for zeugma in my own writing, I will substitute with heavy doses of flatulent humor to compensate.

Poke The Rock said...

I think I got it, will I remember it? Probably not!

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