MTA (More Trouble Ahead) nicknames

[Fred Shapiro]

On Wed, 30 Mar 2005, Laurence Horn wrote:

> >>  fielding a powerhouse Division II football team.
> >              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >Surely this is an oxymoron (FSVO "oxymoron")?
> >
> Are "large mouse", "small elephant", and similar relativized modifier
> constructions considered oxymoronic?

Certainly expressions like "powerhouse Division II football team" are
commonly used in sports.  Like "ace of the Colorado Rockies pitching
staff."

I should note, though, that "jumbo shrimp," which is similar to "large
mouse,"  is considered to be a classic oxymoron.

(I nominate "moderate Republican" as a new classic oxymoron.)

Fred Shapiro


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
Associate Librarian for Collections and     YALE DICTIONARY OF QUOTATIONS
  Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press,
Yale Law School                             forthcoming
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu               http://quotationdictionary.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------