ADS-L Digest - 5 Jun 2012 to 6 Jun 2012 (#2012-159)

[Laurence Horn]

On Jun 7, 2012, at 10:09 AM, Arnold Zwicky wrote:

> On Jun 7, 2012, at 6:29 AM, Geraldine Hizer wrote:
>
>> Can anyone tell me the meaning of--or correct spelling
>> of--"paraprosdokian"?
>> Merriam-Webster search returned nothing.
>> Allegedly, Winston Churchill favored them: a familiar phrase but  ending
>> changed. Ex: "Where there's a will - I want to be in it."
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraprosdokian
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

I'm surprised they don't include any of those (actual or apocryphal) Dorothy Parkerisms, e.g. "If all the girls at Vassar were laid end to end I wouldn't be a bit surprised."

LH

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org