25¢ Word of the Week - Paraprosdokian

Paraprosdokian. It's a great word, isn't it? It's derived from Greek, meaning "a figure of speech that ends despite expectation".

The examples from Wiki are fantastic! And they show that Winston Churchill was a speaker who was fond of the use of paraprosdokian turns of phrase:

• "He was at his best when the going was good." - Alistair Cooke on the Duke of Windsor.
• "There but for the grace of God— goes God." - Winston Churchill

• "If I am reading this graph correctly—I'd be very surprised." - Stephen Colbert

• "You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing—after they have tried everything else." - Winston Churchill

• "If all the girls who attended the Yale prom were laid end to end, I wouldn't be a bit surprised." - Dorothy Parker

• "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx

• "A modest man, who has much to be modest about." - Winston Churchill

• "She looks as though she's been poured into her clothes, and forgot to say 'when'." - P.G. Wodehouse

• "I like going to the park and watching the children run around because they don't know I'm using blanks." - Emo Phillips

• "If I could say a few words, I'd be a better public speaker." - Homer Simpson

• "I haven't slept for ten days, because that would be too long." - Mitch Hedburg

• "I sleep eight hours a day and at least ten at night." - Bill Hicks

Have you learned any new, fun, 25¢ words this week?

Chrissi, Cyber School Mom