Lexical Compendium
Wait... what is this? Sometimes I come across a word, phrase, idiom, quote, reference, bit of slang, person of interest, etc that either I don't know or I find amusing, interesting, etc. This is a collection of those items so that I can refer back to them in emails, texts, etc.
Recent Entries:
- : defenestration
- : fridging
- : groyper
elision
An elision is the omission of a sound or syllable when speaking (i.e. "I'm" for "I am"). It can also refer to the deliberate omission of something.
The word comes from the Latin elisio meaning "a striking out."
Examples:
- His account of the events was marked by a conspicuous elision of blame.
- I shoulda called you yesterday.
The Seinfeld episode "The Yadda Yadda" uses an elision to skip over the best part.
(link to this entry)
References:
- Definition: elision Reference ID definition-elision
- IMDB: Seinfeld S8-E19 "The Yadda Yadda" Reference ID imdb-seinfeld-s8-e19-the-yadda-yadda
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litotes
Do you have the habit of expressing a positive statement by negating its opposite (or vice-versa)? For example, saying something is "Not bad" when you mean that it's good?
This is called a litotes (pronounced LIE-tuh-teez). The word comes from the Greek lítotēs, meaning simplicity. Litotes can be used to soften something, i.e. saying "I'm not bad at this" seems less boastful than saying "I'm pretty good at this." It can also be used for humorous effect, for example saying "I don't hate it!" instead of saying that you like something.
(link to this entry)
References:
- Wikipedia: Litotes Reference ID wikipedia-litotes
- Definition: litotes Reference ID definition-litotes
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metonymy
A metonymy is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is substituted with another closely associated with it. For example, in the sentence "Hey, who are all the suits?" the word suit is a metonymy for "business people."
The word comes from the Greek metōnymía, meaning "a change of name."
I heard the word in an episode of PBS' Otherwords.
(link to this entry)
References:
- YouTube: Otherwords - The Ancient Origins of Body Words Reference ID youtube-otherwords
- Wikipedia: Metonymy Reference ID wikipedia-metonymy
- grammarly.com blog entry - Metonymy: How to Use This Literary Device Reference ID grammarlycom-blog-entry
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