Opposite of "oxymoron"

[Patti Kurtz]

Hi.  Some colleagues of mine in the English department are curious as to
whether a term exists for word pairs that are the opposite of oxymoron--
that is, instead of contradictory, they mean the  same thing but are used
together, like "puppy dog" and "kitty cat."

One of my colleagues suggested "baby talk," but I was wondering if there's
an actual term for this sort of thing.

Thanks.

(you can reply off list if you like)

Patti J. Kurtz
Assistant Professor, English
Advisor, Kilikilik


An intellectual snob is someone who can listen to the William Tell Overture
and not think of The Lone Ranger.

-- Dan Rather