There are many web-sites which are informative and educational. But only some of them are intelligent and a few of these are required reading and a very,very few of them are a just a delight to read.
Dr. Goodwood’s language blog is one of them.
Alphadictionary.com
And the story of paraprosdokians is something I learned today:
Paraprosdokian is not an Armenian writer or football coach but a figure of speech characterized by an abrupt change of direction at the end. It is a phrase that intentionally leads us down the garden path, that misleads us into thinking one way, then suddenly ending on an unexpected twist. Stand-up comedians who like one-liners use lots of them because the setup and punchline are all in a single line.
Here are some examples: …
- There but for the grace of God goes God. —Sir Winston Churchill, a comment on Sir Stafford Cripps, British socialist philosopher
- Two wrongs don’t make a right—but three lefts do.
- Now, you take my wife . . . PLEASE! —Henny Youngman
- Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
- If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong.
- War does not determine who is right—only who is left.
- The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese.
- ……..
- Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go. —Oscar Wilde
The k2p blog 