Wednesday, August 17, 2011

A paraprosdokian....

A paraprosdokian (from Greek "παρα-", meaning "beyond" and "προσδοκία", meaning "expectation") is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part.
"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate." — Henry J. Tillman
"I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat." — Will Rogers
"She got her good looks from her father, he's a plastic surgeon." — Groucho Marx
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it." — Groucho Marx
"One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas I don't know." — Groucho Marx
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." — Groucho Marx
"When I was 10 I beat up the school bully. His arms were in casts. That's what gave me the courage." — Emo Philips
"If I could say a few words, I would be a better public speaker." — Homer Simpson
"If I am reading this graph correctly, I would be very surprised." — Stephen Colbert
"Mark my words. No, Mark, I really need my words." — Stephen Colbert
"I show up at the party, bear with me. That's it. I get there and I have a bear with me." — Little Britain
"If all the girls at Vassar were laid end to end, I wouldn't be surprised." — Dorothy Parker
"I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out." — Bill Hicks

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