# Oxymorons/los oximoron



## cuchuflete

If anyone is interested, we could begin the Official WordReference multilingual list of oxymorons, in whatever languages you please.

Here's a beginning:

                               Juegos de guerra/war games

and one of my favorites:
military intelligence

and let us not forget...                               Honorarios legales razonables

or Non-stop flight.

What are your favorites?

saludos,
Cuchuflete


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## timpeac

Pretty ugly.


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## timpeac

Tax relief.
Artificial life.
Reality TV.
Cat fish (etc) (not sure if that one counts as not completely opposite)
Stress relief.

Say, this is fun!! 

By the way, why does "non-stop flight" count? I´m guessing that you put this in because what else could a flight  be but non-stop (unless you´re very unlucky ). This is tautological but not an oxymoron I think (I thought this was an apparent contradiction in terms). Could you please just provide a definition so we´re all on the same page.

Great idea!


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## OlivierG

I'd add a few, in French:
guerre propre / clean war
champagne californien / Californian champagne
discrimination positive / positive discrimination
riposte préventive / preemptive defense? (not sure about this one)


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## cuchuflete

timpeac said:
			
		

> Tax relief.
> Artificial life.
> Reality TV.
> Cat fish (etc) (not sure if that one counts as not completely opposite)
> Stress relief.
> 
> Say, this is fun!!
> 
> By the way, why does "non-stop flight" count? I´m guessing that you put this in because what else could a flight be but non-stop (unless you´re very unlucky ). This is tautological but not an oxymoron I think (I thought this was an apparent contradiction in terms). Could you please just provide a definition so we´re all on the same page.
> 
> Great idea!



Thanks for the contributions and the question.  To me an oxymoron contains contradictory words.  As all flights must have at least one stop, the point of landing at a destination, 'non-stop' contradicts 'flight', which implies a point of take-off and a point of landing.  

I'll post some definitions, as that may help provoke more of this good wordplay.

thanks,
Cuchu

PS- here's one that's not an oxymoron, but maintains the spirit...

"There is no such thing as an *excess of moderation*."


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## cuchuflete

Definiciones [de oximoron.com]



> *·                            Oxímoron.* (Del gr. oxymoron)._ m.                            Ret._ Combinación en una misma estructura                            sintáctica de dos palabras o expresiones de                            significado opuesto, que originan un nuevo sentido;                            p. ej., _un silencio atronador_._                            (Según el Diccionario de la Real Academia Española                            de la Lengua)_
> 
> *· Oximoron.*                            (Etim. del gr.oxymoron) m. Ret. Figura que consistía                            en ocultar un agudo sarcasmo bajo un aparente absurdo.                            _(Enciclopedia Espasa)_
> 
> *· *"En                            la figura que se llama *oximoron*, se                            aplica a una palabra un epíteto que parece contradecirla;                            así los gnósticos hablaron de una luz                            oscura; los alquimistas, de un sol negro". _("El                            Zahir"; J. L. Borges)_
> 
> *· ¿Cuál                            es el pural de "oxímoron"?*Oxímoron permanece invariable en plural:_                            los oxímoron_.



*oxymoron* [ɑ:ksi:mɔrɑ:n]*A*_noun_
*1 **oxymoron*

_conjoining contradictory terms (as in `deafening silence')_  del diccionario de WR.

Saludos,
Cuchuflete


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## timpeac

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Thanks for the contributions and the question. To me an oxymoron contains contradictory words. As all flights must have at least one stop, the point of landing at a destination, 'non-stop' contradicts 'flight', which implies a point of take-off and a point of landing.


 
Ah yes, I see what you mean now, yes you´re absolutely right. I was reading it as "non-stopover flight" which would be tautological but not an oxymoron.


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## cuchuflete

timpeac said:
			
		

> Ah yes, I see what you mean now, yes you´re absolutely right. I was reading it as "non-stopover flight" which would be tautological but not an oxymoron.



Hola Tim,
If one hangs around these pages long enought, it's almost certain that he will stumble across a tautologically redundant circumlocution! Perhaps with

_partial success_

cheers,
Cuchu


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## cuchuflete

* Felizmente casados* ???


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## timpeac

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Hola Tim,
> tautologically redundant circumlocutioin


 
LOL tautologically redundant. Very clever


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## timpeac

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> * Felizmente casados* ???


 
¡¡Si tienes mujer espero que no leya eso!!


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## VenusEnvy

Bitter sweet
Unbiased opinion
Clearly misunderstood
Diet chocolate
Virtual reality
Silent scream


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## cuchuflete

Actuar con naturalidad


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## el alabamiano

dark shadows


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## cuchuflete

Felicidades por los 500 caballero de Alabama!!

 Creacionismo científico


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## vic_us

Compassionate Conservatism


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## Sev

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> and one of my favorites:
> military intelligence


 
Other ones in French :
croissance zéro (zero economic growth)
mondialisation à visage humain (stg like : humanisitic globalization ?)
silence eloquent (eloquent silence ? i think i'm wrong  )
armes non letales (non-killing weapons)

Feel free to correct my translation mistakes


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## el alabamiano

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Felicidades por los 500 caballero de Alabama!!
> 
> Creacionismo científico


¡gracias!

perishable goods

¿dark shadows?


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## Manuela

This is my favourite:

Secure job!!!

As IF


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## cuchuflete

el alabamiano said:
			
		

> ¡gracias!
> 
> perishable goods
> 
> ¿dark shadows?



No hay de qué.  

                               Neo-retro

saludos,
C


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## vic_us

Tough love
Managed care ethics


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## Cath.S.

lumière noire (black light)
(éteins la lumière noire, qu'on y voie plus clair!)
(turn off the black light, so we can see more clearly!)


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## vic_us

Guerra santa

(I still don't know what exactly an oxymoron is. I think that some of the examples we posed don't quite live up to the definition and we would need some true New Englander to sort things out. However, I find it more amusing and entertaining than the game between the Spurs 75 and Miami Heat 78 (fourth quarter at 8:30')! )


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## cuchuflete

vic_us said:
			
		

> Guerra santa
> 
> (I still don't know what exactly an oxymoron is. I think that some of the examples we posed don't quite live up to the definition and we would need some true New Englander to sort things out. However, I find it more amusing and entertaining than the game between the Spurs 75 and Miami Heat 78 (fourth quarter at 8:30')! )



A true New Englander was not born in Wisconsin, and is likely a Red Sox and Pats fan, so I certainly do not qualify.  However, I am please to suggest that you read post #6 of this thread between foul shots.

Cuchu

Military Music
Thundering silence


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## vic_us

Let me rephrase my question: Are all the examples that have been suggested oxymorons? Do all examples live up to the definition given above? 

I've always struggled with this word. The only way I could make sense of it before and even after reaching the stage of formal operations (Piaget) was by picturing a moron (I have always been surrounded by them) sitting on an ox.


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## Paulina

I ate yummy 'JUMBO SHRIMP' last week. 

He he. 

-Paulina


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## cuchuflete

Paulina said:
			
		

> I ate yummy 'JUMBO SHRIMP' last week.
> 
> He he.
> 
> -Paulina



je je  Same Difference


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## cuchuflete

*found missing*


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## Paulina

<clearly misunderstood>

-Paulina


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## gaer

My favorite:

common sense

Is there anything LESS common? If it were so common, wouldn't most people have it?


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## Lancel0t

bukas-sara / close-open


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## cuchuflete

old news


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## Artrella

_Tensa calma , los sonidos del silencio

Quiet riot_
_From Romeo and Juliet   
_ 
"... Why then, O brawling love! O loving hate!
O anything! O nothing first create!
O heavy lightness! serious vanity!
Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms!..."


"En la figura que se llama Oximoron, se aplica a una palabra un epíteto que parece contradecirla; así los gnósticos hablaron de una luz oscura; los alquimistas, de un sol negro......  "*Jorge Luis Borges*


"Nella figura retorica chiamata ossimoro, si applica ad una parola un aggettivo che sembra contraddirla; così gli gnostici parlavano di una luce oscura; gli alchimisti di un sole nero” *Jorge Luis Borges*


 OriginalCopy 
 DoctaIgnorantia (Sant'Agostino, Epistole 130,28)
 RandomOrder 
 DolceAmaro 
 RealtàVirtuale 


Bye!!


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## timpeac

Chaos theory.


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## VenusEnvy

Butthead    ???


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## Artrella

VenusEnvy said:
			
		

> Butthead    ???





It seems so...   I've never thought of that word!!!


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## timpeac

Family planning (not sure if that counts - I've put it because it means planning not to have one!)


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## Cath.S.

prison ouverte
liberté surveillée
cité rurale


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## cuchuflete

tedious provocation


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## ITA

M i preferido es:Gracias a dios soy atea


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## timpeac

Live recording.


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## cuchuflete

up-to-date history


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## timpeac

Sweet and sour (sauce)


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## timpeac

European union - oooh controversial....


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## belén

"Se me olvida recordártelo" 
Guerra preventiva????


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## timpeac

Seriously funny.


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## timpeac

"he stared blindly"
"the living dead"
slightly fat
Lieder ohne Worte


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## timpeac

Motion picture
Starvation diet.

Has everyone else given up??


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## vic_us

True lies.


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## VenusEnvy

"It's a definite maybe"
Alone together
Dry ice
Freezer burn
"Same difference" (Gosh, I say this too much . . .  )
Terribly good
"Eyes Wide Shut"


Apparently: Oxymoron. The word oxymoron is itself an oxymoron! It is derived from two Greek words: oxus meaning "sharp" and moros meaning "dull."


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## gaer

timpeac said:
			
		

> "he stared blindly"
> "the living dead"
> slightly fat
> Lieder ohne Worte


 
Ah, "Songs without Words", a whole bunch by Mendelssohn. 

I think it's great fun. But I gave up after "common sense". I thought I might at least get a smile from that.


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## Cynethrith

A friend of mine once said that "the beauty of mathematics" is the ultimate oxymoron.
(I share her opinion.  )


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## Benjy

maths IS beautiful.. and the queen of all the sciences


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## Cath.S.

> Apparently: Oxymoron. The word oxymoron is itself an oxymoron! It is derived from two Greek words: oxus meaning "sharp" and moros meaning "dull."


Thanks for teaching us that interesting etymology, VenusEnvy.


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## gaer

Cynethrith said:
			
		

> A friend of mine once said that "the beauty of mathematics" is the ultimate oxymoron.
> (I share her opinion.  )


 
Bad experiences in school? Do you think that perhaps we end up likely or disliking many things, not because we have a natural attraction or lack of attraction to them, but because we are lucky or unlucky in the teachers we have?

Papierkrieg, literally paper-warfare, means "red-tape".

It's not a exactly an oxymoron, but I love the image of little paper planes flying around, firing paper bullets and dropping paper bombs!


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## Cynethrith

Benjy said:
			
		

> maths IS beautiful.. and the queen of all the sciences


 
perhaps sciences should live in a republic 

(I didn't have bad math teachers btw, it's only that I think that most people will never need 99% of what they learn in high school, and some parts of math are the most useless things I've ever knew... coordinate geometry, matrices, sinus, cosinus, discrete math, etc. the time I wasted on these would have been better spent with learning a new laguage.)

not to be offtopic, two oxymorons I found today:
military intelligence
Microsoft antivirus software


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## Benjy

Cynethrith said:
			
		

> Microsoft antivirus software


lol.. quality.

and to contribute

airline food!


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## gaer

Cynethrith said:
			
		

> (I didn't have bad math teachers btw, it's only that I think that most people will never need 99% of what they learn in high school, and some parts of math are the most useless things I've ever knew... coordinate geometry, matrices, sinus, cosinus, discrete math, etc. the time I wasted on these would have been better spent with learning a new laguage.)


I agree with you generally, but I feel I have never needed about 99% of EVERYTHING I was forced to learn in high school!!!


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## Cath.S.

gaer said:
			
		

> I agree with you generally, but I feel I have never needed about 99% of EVERYTHING I was forced to learn in high school!!!


Which makes me think of another oxymoron:
école libre


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## el alabamiano

living nightmare
hidden expression
politically correct
George Bush


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## Benjy

el alabamiano said:
			
		

> living nightmare
> hidden expression
> politically correct
> George Bush



may i ask why george bush is an oxymoron? i mean if you take away the oxy then maybe there would be grounds for a discussion...


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## lsp

Benjy said:
			
		

> may i ask why george bush is an oxymoron? i mean if you take away the oxy then maybe there would be grounds for a discussion...


ROFL


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## gaer

Benjy said:
			
		

> may i ask why george bush is an oxymoron? i mean if you take away the oxy then maybe there would be grounds for a discussion...


 
No comment. I just want to remind all of you in this discussion, "We're doin' hard work".


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## te gato

Some more....

Clear as mud
Inside Out
Upside Down

I hope you know I wil be racking my brain trying to think of more!!!
te gato


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## zebedee

lsp said:
			
		

> ROFL



Please explain what ROFL means to the rest of us language learners!

Thanks,
zeb


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## timpeac

zebedee said:
			
		

> Please explain what ROFL means to the rest of us language learners!
> 
> Thanks,
> zeb


 
rolling on the floor laughing


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## timpeac

How about these? Not traditional oxymorons - more oxymorons of thought -

"Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff." 
--Mariah Carey 

```````````` 
"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life," 
--Brooke Shields, during an interview to become Spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign. 
````````````````````````````````````````````````` 
"I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body," 
--Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball forward. 
````````````````````````````````````````````` 

"Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country," 
--Mayor Marion Barry, Washington, DC. 
`````````````````````````````  

"That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass, and I'm just the one to do it," 
--A democratic congressional candidate in Texas. 
```````````````````````````` 

"Half this game is ninety percent mental." 
--Philadelphia Phillies manager, Danny Ozark 
`````````````````````````````````` 

"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it." 
--Al Gore, Vice President (DUH) 
``````````````````` 
"I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix." 
--Dan Quayle 
`````````` 

"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?" 
--Lee Iacocca 
``````````` 
"The word 'genius" isn't applicable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein." 
--Joe Theisman, NFL football quarterback &sports analyst. 
```````````````````````````````````````````` 
"We don't necessarily discriminate. We simply exclude certain types of people." 
--Colonel Gerald Wellman, ROTC Instructor. 
````````````````````````````````` 
"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure." 
--Bill Clinton, President 
`````````````````` 
"We are ready for an unforeseen event that may or may not occur." 
--Al Gore, VP (man he's smart) 
```````````````` 
"Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas." 
--Keppel Enderbery 
`````````````````````` 
"Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances." 
--Department of Social Services,Greenville, South Carolina 
```````````````````````````````````````````` 
"If somebody has a bad heart, they can plug this jack in at night as they go to bed and it will monitor their heart throughout the night. And the next morning, when they wake up dead, there'll be a record." 
--Mark S. Fowler, FCC Chairman
```````````````````````````````````````````` 
Question: If you could live forever, would you and why?​​Answer: "I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever," 
​
--Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USA contest. 

Well there's no arguing with that, is there?


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## cuchuflete

timpeac said:
			
		

> Question: If you could live forever, would you and why?Answer: "I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever,"
> ​ --Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USAcontest.
> 
> Well there's no arguing with that, is there?


I don't accept the underlying premise of the statement that there's no arguing with that.


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## timpeac

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> I don't accept the underlying premise of the statement that there's no arguing with that.


 
 Sorry Cuchuflete, what do you mean?


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## cuchuflete

Hi Tim...I was just, oxymoronically, arguing with the statement that, 'there's no arguing..."

Fighting for peace!

C-


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## timpeac

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Hi Tim...I was just, oxymoronically, arguing with the statement that, 'there's no arguing..."
> 
> Fighting for peace!
> 
> C-


 
Ooh double double bluff (too deep and meaningful for little 'ol me! )


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## cuchuflete

"I can fly!" he said, falling off/for the bluff.


THUD


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## maltravieso

my favourite, with computers

window works


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## timpeac

Open and shut case.


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## AutumnOwl

Little Big Man


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## rolmich

I think that most foreros not fluent in french will understand this one :
*clair-obscur*


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## timpeac

Hot chilli sauce (well it _sounds _like an oxymoron!)
A plastic glass.
A running jump.


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## Natalisha

A deadly toy. 
Sweet death.
A low skyscraper.
Crowded loneliness.
And my favourite Russian one _*страшно красивый*_ (awfully beautiful).


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## rolmich

From _Jean de La Fontaine _(Le lièvre et la tortue - The hare and the turtle)
"Elle se hâte avec lenteur" (It rushes at a slow pace)


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## doinel

My favorite:
Le rock français: French rock (music)!


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## bondia

One I heard today

I'm not racist, but .....


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## swift

Lu ici : _j'avance à reculons_.


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## elineo

Turista iraquí


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## ilocas2

Natalisha said:


> A deadly toy.
> Sweet death.
> A low skyscraper.
> Crowded loneliness.
> And my favourite Russian one _*страшно красивый*_ (awfully beautiful).



In Czech also people say *strašně* (awfully, terribly, horribly) before positive words. It's very virulent nowadays.


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## Sidjanga

_Be spontaneous!_


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## Fidencio

maltravieso said:


> my favourite, with computers
> 
> window works




I saw this one on the door of a history professor's office.  However, it was Worded differently: 

*Microsoft Works* (The application bundle similar to Microsoft Office). 

Mac lover?

Oh, and what I've been since 2003: 
*
Permanent Resident Alien*


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## winegrower

"Σπεύδε βραδέως"= Hasten slowly (Chilon of Sparta, 6th century BC)


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## cirrus

If only I had a pound for every time I heard someone saying _very unique_..

Don't get me started on some twit brightly proclaiming they are giving 110% ;-)


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## rusita preciosa

cirrus said:


> If only I had a pound for every time I heard someone saying _very unique_..
> 
> Don't get me started on some twit brightly proclaiming they are giving 110% ;-)


These are not oxymorons. The first is a tautology and the second is a hyperbole.


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## rolmich

winegrower said:


> "Σπεύδε βραδέως"= Hasten slowly (Chilon of Sparta, 6th century BC)


 This reminds me of _Le Lièvre et la Tortue _(Jean de la Fontaine) :
...... _*Elle se hâte avec lenteur*..._


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## timpeac

rolmich said:


> This reminds me of _Le Lièvre et la Tortue _(Jean de la Fontaine) :
> ...... _*Elle se hâte avec lenteur*..._


As it did in your post 79 last October!


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## rolmich

Well.... at least it proves that someone is reading the previous posts in this Forum !


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## Δημήτρης

χειμερινά θέρετρα (winter summer-resorts)


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## nelliot53

I haven't read all the pages yet, but I just thought of one: *shot dead*.  Does it qualify?  How about *the living dead*?  *Crystal clear*?


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## rolmich

nelliot53 said:


> I haven't read all the pages yet, but I just thought of one: *shot dead*. Does it qualify? How about *the living dead*? *Crystal clear*?


 An oxymoron beeing a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms (intentional or inadvertent) :
*shot dead *Does not qualify (beeing shot dead and preferring to be somewhere else would) 
*crystal clear *Does not qualify (crystal is really clear)
*the living dead *is indeed an oxymoron.


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## winegrower

International *sleep day*?!!


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## Harry Batt

genuine failure 
downtown outpost
smooth punch [boxcr]


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## rolmich

This one belongs to Packard who launched a new thread on Café Culture with : 
*Perfectly honest lies.*


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## KaRiNe_Fr

rolmich said:


> This one belongs to Packard who launched a new thread on Café Culture with :
> *Perfectly honest lies.*


And what about this French version: *pieux mensonge* ?


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## rolmich

KaRiNe_Fr said:


> And what about this French version: *pieux mensonge* ?


 Which could also be translated as *White lies *(also an english rock band), but the oxymoron is lost in the translation.


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## Metzaka

muerto en vida
llorando a carcajadas
pequeño gigante
soñar despierto


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## rolmich

Heard on the National Geographic TV channel concerning a well known British car manufacturer :
*J....r*, *looking back on its future.*


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## Nanon

Natalisha said:


> And my favourite Russian one _*страшно красивый*_ (awfully beautiful).


I also know this as *ужасно красивый* (horribly beautiful).
Which reminds me of French *horriblement délicieux* and of Spanish *Te quiero horrores*.


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## timpeac

Quantum leap. I have the feeling that when this was first coined it either meant a tiny, but meaningful, step or was a deliberate oxymoron - but over time it seems to have come to mean "a great leap".


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## Natalisha

One more
"устал отдыхать" (I'm tired of relaxing).


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## catlady60

One more in English:

Purebred mutt


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## rolmich

This is a beautiful one from James's _The Ambassadors _quoted by Azar Nafisi in _Reading Lolita in Tehran _:
*A perfectly equipped failure.*


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## rolmich

Seen on a billboard for an ice cream add :
*J..a The hottest ice cream ever !*


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## Grop

Heard after the security at a concert stopped a fight : *bombe lacrymo format familial* (family size tear gaz spray).


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## catlady60

I'm surprised nobody mentioned *holy war.*


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## Mate

In case nobody said it before: una _tensa calma_ (antecede la tormenta).

Ah! someone posted something similar more than 6 years ago!


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## aldonzalorenzo

Una amiga argentina me dijo el otro día: _¡Qué joven tu vieja!_


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## Ben Jamin

catlady60 said:


> I'm surprised nobody mentioned *holy war.*


 Yes, it was mentioned (this thread has become so long, that most people do not read the whole).

By the way, what is "oxymoronic" in *holy war*? Please explain.
A "peacuful war" is much more "oxymoronic", but still not impossible to imagine: a war that has been oficially declared, but no actual military actions have been taken (see French-British war against Germany september 1939 - april 1940). 

Most of the expressions proposed in this thread are only apparent oxymorons, as they lack the inherent generally accepted paradox. The paradoxes assumed are mostly limited to small groups of people. Often they are considered oxymorons due to some individual understanding of one of the terms, or even misunderstanding.


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## XiaoRoel

La retórica clásica define el *oxímoron* (*ὀξύμωρον* en griego, *oximora uerba* en latín) como una _antítesis de palabras aisladas_ (no de frases u oraciones) en el que entre los dos miembros de la antítesis se da una _paradoja intelectual_. Hay *tres tipos*:
a) El oxímoron es el resultado de una *tensión significativa* entre el portador de la cualidad (substantivo, verbo, sujeto) y la cualidad en sí (adjetivo, adverbio, predicado). P. ej.: Horacio, _rerum concordia discors_ (discorde concordia de las cosas), Agustín de Hipona, _in istam dicam mortalem uitam an mortem uitalem_ (¿Cómo llamare a ésta, vida mortal o muerte vital?, Shakespeare, _O brawling love! O loving hate? _(¡Amor pendenciero! ¡Inquina amorosa!).
b) El oxímoron es el resultado de la *tensión entre cualidades* (adverbios, adjetivos). P. Ej.: Camoens (o Camões como escriben en portugués moderno), _aquela leda e triste madrugada_ (aquella triste y alegre madrugada).
c) El oxímoron es el resultado de la *distinción enfática*, que afirma la *existencia e inexistencia simultáneas* de una misma cosa. P. ej.: Camoens, _Não levais de vencer-me grande glória. Maior a teve eu de ser vencido_ (no lleváis de vencerme gran gloria, mayor la tuve yo de ser vencido).


----------



## Ben Jamin

XiaoRoel said:


> La retórica clásica define el *oxímoron* (*ὀξύμωρον* en griego, *oximora uerba* en latín) como una _antítesis de palabras aisladas_ (no de frases u oraciones) en el que entre los dos miembros de la antítesis se da una _paradoja intelectual_. Hay *tres tipos*:
> a) El oxímoron es el resultado de una *tensión significativa* entre el portador de la cualidad (substantivo, verbo, sujeto) y la cualidad en sí (adjetivo, adverbio, predicado). P. ej.: Horacio, _rerum concordia discors_ (discorde concordia de las cosas), Agustín de Hipona, _in istam dicam mortalem uitam an mortem uitalem_ (¿Cómo llamare a ésta, vida mortal o muerte vital?, Shakespeare, _O brawling love! O loving hate? _(¡Amor pendenciero! ¡Inquina amorosa!).
> b) El oxímoron es el resultado de la *tensión entre cualidades* (adverbios, adjetivos). P. Ej.: Camoens (o Camões como escriben en portugués moderno), _aquela leda e triste madrugada_ (aquella triste y alegre madrugada).
> c) El oxímoron es el resultado de la *distinción enfática*, que afirma la *existencia e inexistencia simultáneas* de una misma cosa. P. ej.: Camoens, _Não levais de vencer-me grande glória. Maior a teve eu de ser vencido_ (no lleváis de vencerme gran gloria, mayor la tuve yo de ser vencido).



In which category  would you put 'holy war'?


----------



## XiaoRoel

En la categoría a).


----------



## Ben Jamin

XiaoRoel said:


> En la categoría a).


 Cual es la antitesis entre "sagrada" y "guerra"? Esos adjetivos describen categorias distintas. Para obtenir una antitesis se debe utilisar adjetivos que describen la misma calidad, por ejemplo la grandeza: "un pequeño gigante".


----------



## SPQR

Legal ethics
Ethical lawyer


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## Ben Jamin

SPQR said:


> Legal ethics
> Ethical lawyer


These are not oxymorons, they do not meet the requirements. An oxymoron must combine contradictory terms. These must be logical contradictions, not your own personal idiosyncrasies, based on a subjective point of view. To call them oxymorons you should first prove logically that there is a contradiction in definition.

If you are a vegetarian, the expression "tasteful meat" is an oxymoron. But this is your subjective, idiosyncratic oxymoron. It is not linguistic and it is not universal. An example of a true oxymoron is 'true lie', which is purely based on logic and lexical definitions.


----------



## XiaoRoel

En el pensamiento ético del cristianismo *santo* (no _sagrado_, que es mala traducción) está claramente opuesto a *guerra*, desde la más antigua patrística. En este contexto son absolutamente contradictorios. Lo *santo* es lo acorde al mensaje de dios, lo propio de la _ciuitas dei_, de la _ciudad de dios_, y la *guerra destructora* lo propio de la _ciuitas hominum_, de la Roma pagana (Agustín de Hipona,_ De ciuitate dei_).


----------



## Ben Jamin

XiaoRoel said:


> En el pensamiento ético del cristianismo *santo* (no _sagrado_, que es mala traducción) está claramente opuesto a *guerra*, desde la más antigua patrística. En este contexto son absolutamente contradictorios. Lo *santo* es lo acorde al mensaje de dios, lo propio de la _ciuitas dei_, de la _ciudad de dios_, y la *guerra destructora* lo propio de la _ciuitas hominum_, de la Roma pagana (Agustín de Hipona,_ De ciuitate dei_).


 Pero el mundo Cristiano hacía la guerra santa muchas veces. Por otra parte, el concepto de guerre santa no debe ser cristiano. Otras religiones, especialmente el Islam, conocen y aprecian el concepto de guerra santa.
Pues, no hay ninguna contradiction *linguistica* en la expresión 'guerra santa', solo contradicciones *ideologicas* o *filosoficas* de *algunos* hombres, pero no todos. La contradiccion debe ser *linguistica* y *universal* para llamar una expresión 'oxymoron'. En otros casos hay solo 'idio-oxymorones' de los individuales.


----------



## XiaoRoel

> La contradiccion debe ser linguistica y universal para llamar una expresión 'oxymoron'


Esta afirmación tan taxativa es, como mínimo, no exacta. Los hechos culturales, por definición, siempre tienen un tiempo y un espacio y se incardinan en una serie de parámetros ideológicos, propios de la sociedad que produce esos hechos. En las cosas humanas nada hay universal (ni el dinero). Creer esto es pecar del más puro transcendentalismo.
Para tí, ¿la semántica y la estilística no son hechos lingüísticos? Si así piensas, no hay más que hablar. Para tí la perra gorda.


----------



## Ben Jamin

XiaoRoel said:


> Esta afirmación tan taxativa es, como mínimo, no exacta. Los hechos culturales, por definición, siempre tienen un tiempo y un espacio y se incardinan en una serie de parámetros ideológicos, propios de la sociedad que produce esos hechos. En las cosas humanas nada hay universal (ni el dinero). Creer esto es pecar del más puro transcendentalismo.
> Para tí, ¿la semántica y la estilística no son hechos lingüísticos? Si así piensas, no hay más que hablar. Para tí la perra gorda.


 
I hope you don't mind my answering in English. (This way more people will be able to follow, and for me it's easier to write English.)
I think, that the question you rise is very interesting. An oxymoron is a stylistic device, and like all stylistic devices should be used by the author with care and reflection about who the readers are. You have to decide if you wish that your writing should be read and understood by all people that have a command of the language you use (the language here means for instance English, Spanish, etc, not the writer's personal variety of langauge), or if you want to reach only a narrow group that already shares your convictions. 

If you write exclusively for vegetarians, then you can use the expression "delicious meat" as an oxymoron, but if you write for general public, this oxymoron won't work. Here comes the factor of ideology that is not necessarily shared by all speakers of a given language. Ideology is, such as I understand it, not a linguistic phenomenon, as it is not common for all people using the same language. If you write only for socialsts, than 'honest capitalist' will be a good oxymoron, in other case not. 
By universal I meant common for all speakers of a language, as for example anybody speaking English will regard 'cold fire' as a contradiction, but this is certainly not true in the case of 'delicious meat'.

At the end: i commented this thread because i found that the contributors stream in the direction of more and more idiosyncratic 'oxymorons'. The end will be reached with somebody having a nasty neighbour named NN will send his proposal for an oxymoron: 'nice NN'.


----------



## XiaoRoel

Contrariamente a lo que piensas la historia de la palabras, la semántica diacrónica, nos enseñan que lengua e ideología social son algo íntimamente unido. Es sumamente interesante la historia de los prestamos y de los calcos. En el libro de Vendryes, *Le langage*, part III _Le Vocabulaire, sp. _cpts. 1, 2 y 3, verás una lúcida exposición de la conexión entre ideología y semántica.
Por extenso que sea el ámbito cultural (incluso dentro de una lengua no tiene por que afectar a todos los "dialectos") en el que un oxímoron es estilísticamente efectivo, siempre tendrá sus límites. Lo cual no impide la propagación cultural extensa de elementos estilísticos, aunque nunga llegarán al total de la humanidad y tendrán límites temporales para su eficacia (al menos el de origen _a quo_).


----------



## Ben Jamin

XiaoRoel said:


> Contrariamente a lo que piensas la historia de la palabras, la semántica diacrónica, nos enseñan que lengua e ideología social son algo íntimamente unido. Es sumamente interesante la historia de los prestamos y de los calcos. En el libro de Vendryes, *Le langage*, part III _Le Vocabulaire, sp. _cpts. 1, 2 y 3, verás una lúcida exposición de la conexión entre ideología y semántica.
> Por extenso que sea el ámbito cultural (incluso dentro de una lengua no tiene por que afectar a todos los "dialectos") en el que un oxímoron es estilísticamente efectivo, siempre tendrá sus límites. Lo cual no impide la propagación cultural extensa de elementos estilísticos, aunque nunga llegarán al total de la humanidad y tendrán límites temporales para su eficacia (al menos el de origen _a quo_).


 
Your answer is formulated on a high level of abstraction, and I hardly can deduce from it what could be your opinion on the concrete examples that I gave in my last posting.


----------



## grubble

cuchuflete said:


> ... 'non-stop' contradicts 'flight', which implies a point of take-off and a point of landing.


Hmm... The same could be said about any mode of travel. Indeed any action at all has to have a beginning and an end. I suggest we delete the expression  from the English language entirely as, logically, it can never be used.

We are all different!


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## rolmich

From Raphaël Delpard written for Metula News Agency :
_La pérennité des Coptes menacée en Egypte_
Il s'agit tout simplement d'un ethnocide rampant, qui se poursuit dans le *silence assourdissant *du Quai d'Orsay, de l'Union Européenne et de l'Onu.....
silence assourdissant = deafening silence.


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## rolmich

*Deafening whisper
*Seen in an Israeli newspaper to describe what was supposed to be a very private exchange between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama in which the two leaders were overheard making critical remarks on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.


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## duvija

Asociación ilícita para delinquir (that's how the military government in Uruguay, called an urban guerrilla in the 70's. Clearly, it implies there are 'licit' associations for delinquency).


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## Ben Jamin

duvija said:


> Asociación ilícita para delinquir (that's how the military government in Uruguay, called an urban guerrilla in the 70's. Clearly, it implies there are 'licit' associations for delinquency).


This is not an oxymoron. There is no opposition, logical or emotional between "Asociación ilícita" and "para delinquir". One could argue, that the expression is pleonastic or tautological (with redundant elements), but is it really?
An illicit association is a breach of law in itself, before it defines its objective which is to commit more illicit acts.


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## uchi.m

honest politician
shemale
good drug


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## Ben Jamin

honest politician: emotional opposition, idiosyncratic just for you, not a logical opposition
shemale: never heard of
good drug: 'drug' means also 'medicine', all "drugs" (narcotics), by the way, are also used as medicines, no logical opposition


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## uchi.m

Is _never say never_ a logical contradiction for you, Mr. Ben Jamin?


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## atcheque

In French, from Pierre Dac:
_"Parler pour ne rien dire et ne rien dire pour parler sont les deux  principes majeurs de tous ceux qui feraient mieux de la fermer avant de  l'ouvrir ."_
"Talk to say nothing and say nothing to talk are the both majors principles of those who should better shut it up before open it"


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## Ben Jamin

uchi.m said:


> Is _never say never_ a logical contradiction for you, Mr. Ben Jamin?



No, it is not. Is it for you?


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## LilianaB

Black snow in Antarctica, hot ice, sweet salt, soothing pepper, calming hot pink, cold orange, might be examples of oxymorons.

Black snow in some places may not be an oxymoron any more.


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## rolmich

*Back to the Future
*1985 sci-fi adventure film
www.imdb.com/title/tt0088763/


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## aldonzalorenzo

"Ay, mi morena,* morena clara*. Ay mi morena. ¡Qué gusto da mirarla!" (Zarzuela, _Luisa Fernanda_).


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## Ben Jamin

rolmich said:


> *Back to the Future
> *1985 sci-fi adventure film
> www.imdb.com/title/tt0088763/



Works fine if you can believe in possibility of time travelling.


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## rolmich

Ben Jamin said:


> Works fine if you can believe in possibility of time travelling.


OK I agree, but the intention of the creator of this title was clearly to use the impact of the oxymoron (and he succeeded)


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## turkjey5

unbiased reporting


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## LilianaB

This is not a real oxymoron. It is very subjective. Some reporting may well be unbiased, and a lot of it is, whereas snow cannot be black in natural environment, unless close to a factory.


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## Anja.Ann

Hello everybody 

Two oxymorons I like very much: "silenzio eloquente" and "ghiaccio bollente" ("eloquent silence" and "hot ice")


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## uchi.m

Ben Jamin said:


> Works fine if you can believe in possibility of time travelling.


Time travelling does not exist. Unless you are a subatomic particle yourself. And you can only more forwards in time, never backwards.


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## uchi.m

Ben Jamin said:


> uchi.m said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is _never say never_ a logical contradiction for you, Mr. Ben Jamin?
> 
> 
> 
> No, it is not. Is it for you?
Click to expand...

Yes, it is.


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## uchi.m

Countably infinite


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## gvozd

Живой труп (living corpse). The living corpse is a play by Leo Tolstoy. Now this expression means a scum (a man) but it is rarely used as far as I can see.


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## Ben Jamin

uchi.m said:


> Yes, it is.


Could you explain why?


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## Explorer41

uchi.m said:


> Countably infinite


C'est vraiment faux!

"Countably infinite" does not contain a contradiction and therefore is not an oxymoron; but "countably finite" is. Countability of a set means that one can establish an one-to-one correspondance between elements of the set and natural numbers. The set of natural numbers is infinite, therefore a finite set cannot be countable.

By the way, to me, "artificial life" is not an oxymoron either.


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## Forero

The usual definition of _countable_ in mathematics is "that can be placed in a one-to-one correspondence with a subset of the natural numbers". In this sense, both finite and infinite sets can be countable.

But outside of mathematics _countable_ means "that can be counted, one at a time, until finished". In this sense, "countably infinite" is an oxymoron.


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## Explorer41

Well, OK... I have read in my student textbook another thing... But of course, working as a mainframe systems programmer, you should know better!


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## catlady60

Right-wing reforms.  

Reforms are supposed to be changes for the better, but anything the right wing comes up with amount to changes for the worse.


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## Ben Jamin

catlady60 said:


> Right-wing reforms.
> 
> Reforms are supposed to be changes for the better, but anything the right wing comes up with amount to changes for the worse.



If this is oxymoron then anything can be oxymoron, based on a person's own idiosyncrasy. I propose "good butter" to match your oxymoron.


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## LilianaB

There are poetic oxymorons and just regular oxymorons. There is more freedom in devising poetic oxymorons. If somebody is writing a book about  a place which produces only bad butter, even good butter could be a poetic oxymoron in a particular context.Some of the oxymorons mentioned in this thread to dot qualify for to be categorized as oxymorons: they are more of poetic oxymorons.


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## RM1(SS)

"Good morning."


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## duvija

RM1(SS) said:


> "Good morning."



, 
( particularly it today's snowstorm)


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## Omada

Me he leído el hilo enterito!! Aquí van algunos, aunque bueno, no se si pasarán el control de calidad:
Accidente provocado
oídos sordos
emoción contenida
peso pluma
la cuadratura del círculo


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## Ben Jamin

Omada said:


> Me he leído el hilo enterito!! Aquí van algunos, aunque bueno, no se si pasarán el control de calidad:
> Accidente provocado
> oídos sordos
> emoción contenida
> peso pluma
> la cuadratura del círculo



Accidente provocado: la palabra *accidente *tiene dos sentidos: lo que ocurre par azar y un desastre. Cuando se habla del Accidente provocado se significa "una crimen que parece ser un accidente (sin un culpable)"
no es un oximoron vero, solo aparente

emoción contenida: es una emoción que queda dentro de la alma de una persona, no se manifesta con ningun acción violente
no es un oximoron vero, solo aparente

peso pluma: un peso muy pequeño
no es un oximoron vero, solo aparente

la cuadratura del círculo: se trata de una tarea matematica de hallar un cuadro con la misma área que un circulo, con los metodos solamente geometricos
no es un oximoron, absolutamente, es un malentendido


----------



## Omada

Ben Jamin said:


> Accidente provocado: la palabra *accidente *tiene dos sentidos: lo que ocurre par azar y un desastre. Cuando se habla del Accidente provocado se significa "una crimen que parece ser un accidente (sin un culpable)"
> no es un oximoron vero, solo aparente
> 
> emoción contenida: es una emoción que queda dentro de la alma de una persona, no se manifesta con ningun acción violente
> no es un oximoron vero, solo aparente
> 
> peso pluma: un peso muy pequeño
> no es un oximoron vero, solo aparente
> 
> la cuadratura del círculo: se trata de una tarea matematica de hallar un cuadro con la misma área que un circulo, con los metodos solamente geometricos
> no es un oximoron, absolutamente, es un malentendido



Umm... no estoy de acuerdo, a tus explicaciones les falta subjetividad y yo entiendo que precisamente el oxímoron surge de la necesidad de expresar algo subjetivo. Objetivamente las cosas o son una cosa o son la contraria, pero no las dos a la vez.

Accidente provocado es un oxímoron entendiendo precisamente que accidental implica que ocurre de forma casual, sin que intervenga la voluntad de nadie, y provocado justo lo contrario, que ha habido voluntad. Por eso cuando se dice "ha sido un accidente provocado" (que lo que parecía un accidente en realidad no lo es porque alguien -que sí se puede saber quién es- así lo ha querido) se están usando dos términos con significados opuestos. SI es accidental no es provocado y si es provocado no es accidental.

Una emoción contenida es como una explosión que no llega a explotar. La emoción contenida quizás no sea un oxímoron auténtico, pero la expresión sí, porque emoción y contención sí son opuestos (_asistió al espectáculo mostrando emoción_ - asistió al _espectáculo mostrando contención_)

Con peso pluma pasa lo mismo. Está claro que lo que significa es un peso muy pequeño, pero por eso se usa la palabra "pluma" como símbolo de lo que no pesa, frente a "peso", que sí pesa.

Y la "cuadratura del círculo" a parte de la geometría, es una expresión que se usa precisamente para expresar la imposibilidad de algo precisamente por considerarse subjetivamente (no geométricamente) que el cuadrado y el círculo son conceptos contrapuestos.


----------



## Nanon

"Oídos sordos" no es un oxímoron.
Infelizmente .


----------



## Ben Jamin

Omada said:


> Umm... no estoy de acuerdo, a tus explicaciones les *falta subjetividad*



Este es precisamente el error de muchas personas que han entendido mal la idea de oxímoron: un oxímoron no es un simple par de términos que algunas personas creen que son mutuamente excluyentes. Un oxímoron es un par de palabras que se contradicen entre sí por su *significado inherente,* *firmemente basado en el lenguaje*.
A veces, un par de términos se afirma que es un oxímoron por quienes se sostiene la opinión de que los dos son mutuamente excluyentes. Es decir, a pesar de que no existe ninguna contradicción inherente entre los términos, el orador expresa la opinión de que los dos términos implican las propiedades o características que no pueden ocurrir juntos. 
Estas opiniones pueden a veces hacerse puramente para el efecto chistoso, con muchos ejemplos como la _inteligencia militar_, _luchadores por la libertad_, la _ética empresarial_, y así sucesivamente.
Otro ejemplo es el término _guerra__ civil_, que no es un oxímoron, pero se puede afirmar que lo sea para el efecto chistoso, si “civil” se interpretará en el sentido de “no militar”, en lugar de “entre los ciudadanos de un mismo estado”. Tales afirmaciones también pueden reflejar una opinión genuina o una posición ideológica. Ejemplos bien conocidos incluyen afirmaciones hechas en contra de "trabajador público", "intermediario honesto", "televisión educativa”, y así sucesivamente.
También hay algo que podemos llamar “oxímoron popular", que se basa solamente en la falta de erudición y la incomprensión del propio término, como "cuadratura del círculo".

(Fuente: Wikipedia)


----------



## timpeac

Ben Jamin said:


> Este es precisamente el error de muchas personas que han entendido mal la idea de oxímoron: un oxímoron no es un simple par de términos que algunas personas creen que son mutuamente excluyentes. Un oxímoron es un par de palabras que se contradicen entre sí por su *significado inherente,* *firmemente basado en el lenguaje*.



No sé si esto es verdad para el español, pero para el inglés no es correcto. En inglés todo lo que falta es que los dos términos tengan una significación aparamente en conflicto. Así que sí "civil war" es un oxímoron en inglés. Estoy de acuerdo con tí en que "military intelligence" no lo es, sino un puro chiste.


----------



## Ben Jamin

timpeac said:


> No sé si esto es verdad para el español, pero para el inglés no es correcto. En *inglés todo lo que falta es que los dos términos tengan una significación aparamente en conflicto*. Así que sí "civil war" es un oxímoron en inglés. Estoy de acuerdo con tí en que "military intelligence" no lo es, sino un puro chiste.



Crea lo, o no, pero mi fuente es Wikipedia inglés.


----------



## timpeac

Ben Jamin said:


> Crea lo, o no, pero mi fuente es Wikipedia inglés.



He verifiado en cuatro diccionarios, y ninguno admite esta definición "estricta". De hecho, dos subrayan que es una contradicción "aparente".

Grammar @about subraya que



> Keep in mind that an *oxymoron* is an _apparent_ contradiction.
> 
> Here are some common examples of oxymoronic expressions: _act  naturally, random order, original copy, conspicuous absence, found  missing, alone together, criminal justice, old news, peace force, even  odds, awful good, student teacher, deafening silence, definite  possibility, definite maybe, terribly pleased, ill health, turn up  missing, jumbo shrimp, loose tights, small crowd,_ and _clearly misunderstood_.



Si Wikipedia inglés dice lo contrario parece que no esté de acuerdo con muchas otras fuentes (incluso la significación comúnmente aceptada).


----------



## Ben Jamin

timpeac said:


> He verifiado en cuatro diccionarios, y ninguno admite esta definición "estricta". De hecho, dos subrayan que es una contradicción "aparente".
> 
> Grammar @about subraya que
> 
> 
> 
> Si Wikipedia inglés dice lo contrario parace que no esté de acuerdo con muchas otras fuentes (incluso la significación comúnmente aceptada).



Me parece, que los diccionarios que tu mencionas son relativamente nuevos, y ademas de un tipo que solo registra como “la gente” habla, es decir el *uso popular*. El oximoron literario, fundado en la tradición, es una cosa diferente. 
La lista de los oximoron aparentes contiene¸ sin embargo, solo expresiones que serían tratado como mutuamente excluyentes basado en su significación *lexical* malentendida, pero no basado en una consideración *sujetiva*.


----------



## Omada

Yo había entendidoque se trataba de aportar oxímoron que fueran expresiones comunes en las distintas lenguas. Pero si ha de ser más literario, esta estrofa humorística que he encontrado, creo humildemente que encaja:

_Ponente el oponente
tan pedantemente natural
Talando las palabras con cuchillo
porque dice que han brotado mal._​


----------



## timpeac

Ben Jamin said:


> Me parece, que los diccionarios que tu mencionas son relativamente nuevos, y ademas de un tipo que solo registra como “la gente” habla, es decir el *uso popular*. El oximoron literario, fundado en la tradición, es una cosa diferente.


http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oxymoron
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/oxymoron

El Merriam-webster es quizás el diccionario más respetado del inglés norteamericano, y lo mismo para el Oxford para el inglés británico.
Ninguno menciona esta definición estricta y el Oxford subraya que se trata de términos _aparentemente _contradictorios. El Merriam habla de "incongruous", término que me parece querer decir más o menos lo mismo que "aparentemente contradictorio".


----------



## velisarius

I saw in an English Only thread today "spartan comforts", describing a hotel's facilities.


----------



## Ben Jamin

timpeac said:


> http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oxymoron
> http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/oxymoron
> 
> El Merriam-webster es quizás el diccionario más respetado del inglés norteamericano, y lo mismo para el Oxford para el inglés británico.
> Ninguno menciona esta definición estricta y el Oxford subraya que se trata de términos _aparentemente
> _contradictorios. El Merriam habla de "incongruous", término que me parece querer decir más o menos lo mismo que
> "aparentemente contradictorio".


La definición de "incongruous" en Merriam Webster no da ningún razón para que se pudiera transladar con "aparentemente".


----------



## timpeac

Ben Jamin said:


> La definición de "incongruous" en Merriam Webster no da ningún razón para que se pudiera transladar con "aparentemente".


No he dicho otra cosa. Dije que "incongruous" quiere decir más o menos lo mismo que "aparentemente contradictorio".


----------



## Nanon

Hablando de Oxford y de M-W, aquí no pueden faltar "sumptuary expenses".


----------



## doinel

It should be in jokes that make you groan.
House MD episode 6 last season.
He's asking his team about their having children.
One doctor starts:
I had good parents.
House:
Wrong , it's an oxymoron.


----------



## Ёж!

Another one: 'cult of freedom'. (Either it's a cult or it is freedom.)  Applications are especially interesting when people strive to impose  order for the sake of freedom…


----------



## Ben Jamin

doinel said:


> It should be in jokes that make you groan.
> House MD episode 6 last season.
> He's asking his team about their having children.
> One doctor starts:
> I had good parents.
> House:
> 
> Wrong , it's an oxymoron.


Which it is not, of course, House is just sarcastic, as usual. Or else you could say that any pair of an adjective and a substantive is an oxymoron.


----------



## mirifica

doinel said:


> It should be in jokes that make you groan.
> House MD episode 6 last season.
> He's asking his team about their having children.
> One doctor starts:
> I had good parents.
> House:
> Wrong , it's an oxymoron
> 
> J'adore !
> Cela me rappelle l'anecdote suivante : une mère très inquiète demande à Freud comment faire pour éléver ses enfants. Il lui répond : "De toute façon, vous ferez mal"...


----------



## King Crimson

And, if Latin has a place in this thread (why not?), I would add to the list the classical adage _festina lente _(make haste slowly).


----------



## learnerr

King Crimson said:


> And, if Latin has a place in this thread (why not?), I would add to the list the classical adage _festina lente _(make haste slowly).


If it means the same as the Russian "торопись не спеша" (~ "do quickly without haste") or "поспешайте медленно" (the same, but the structure is exactly like in Latin), then I would not say it is an oxymoron, because the two parts refer to very different things. The first refers to the speed of action (whether you lose time while making a thing, and whether you make the thing in time), the second refers to the mood of action (whether you make unnecessary and not well thought of actions while working).


----------



## King Crimson

You can read it that way, certainly. Wiki tells more (here) and offers an additional translation (_more haste, less speed_) which is close to the meaning of the Russian saying you are mentioning. As to the Latin adage not being an oxymoron, however, I beg to disagree: aside from being classified as such by Wiki (but that's not a clincher, I agree), I think that most oxymorons have a logic/meaning that is often hidden behind the screen of _apparently _contradictory elements (indeed a case in point is this Latin adage). These multiple layers of interpretation, I believe, are exactly the reason why we are captivated by this figure of speech.


----------



## learnerr

King Crimson said:


> I think that most oxymorons have a logic/meaning that is often hidden behind the screen of _apparently _contradictory elements (indeed a case in point is this Latin adage).


That depends on what one means by an oxymoron, and this is certainly a matter not even of agreement, but of an individual definition.  Not being a philosopher or a linguist and therefore having nothing to lose, I would risk the following statement about not exactly philosophy, but rather about approaches to philosophy: most of actual philosophy is philosophy of words. I mean that one seeks knowledge by establishing something already considered known, and dancing around in search of extension to the field of known; for a philosopher, as far as I can gather, things to establish are statements in words. At least, this explains to me why philosophy appears so weird to my mind and not only to mine but to minds of a great many other laymen of philosophy as well; for me, things to establish have always been my ideas & feelings of things, they have been a real object of saying anything of. All this lengthy digression was in order to say that this is of course a reason why _an oxymoron_ for me is not a statement where _words contradict one another_ (I don't even quite understand what it means for words to contradict one another, this is like a dark matter), but a statement where _the ideas_ that I have out of it _contradict one another_, and thus always a lie by definition.


----------



## King Crimson

learnerr said:


> That depends on what one means by an oxymoron, and this is certainly a matter not even of agreement, but of an individual definition. .



Er... I'm not quite with you on that one (and frankly speaking I'm not even sure I understood all of your post, but that's me). Anyway, as I think we are going OT, as to the definition of oxymoron just refer to those given in Wiki or the dictionaries mentioned earlier in this thread.

P.S. as a matter of fact I see that a number of posts in this thread revolves around the definition of oxymoron, so maybe the thread title should be changed to "Definition of oxymoron"


----------



## learnerr

King Crimson said:


> (and frankly speaking I'm not even sure I understood all of your post, but that's me)


I would say that that's me, but bear with me. 
All in all, I meant that, okay, this saying does indeed make an apparent contradiction, but why should we put special value on that? Because this contradiction is made of primary meanings of words? Does not work for me, simply counter-intuitive. The question whether philosophy treats words or something else behind them was off-topic, I agree.


----------



## franknagy

The name of a Hungarian political party: "Lehet Más a Politika" = "The Politics May Be Different".


----------



## mirifica

King Crimson said:


> Er... I'm not quite with you on that one (and frankly speaking I'm not even sure I understood all of your post, but that's me). Anyway, as I think we are going OT, as to the definition of oxymoron just refer to those given in Wiki or the dictionaries mentioned earlier in this thread.
> 
> P.S. as a matter of fact I see that a number of posts in this thread revolves around the definition of oxymoron, so maybe the thread title should be changed to "Definition of oxymoron"



Bonjour,

Dans le contexte cité, "antithèse" ne conviendrait-il pas mieux ?


----------



## franknagy

mirifica said:


> Bonjour,
> 
> Dans le contexte cité, "antithèse" ne conviendrait-il pas mieux ?



The standard form of oxymoron is 
_adjective+noun_
where *the adjective expresses a property which cannot have the noun*,
like _"tiny elephant"_.

My example is not so simple because it contains
_noun+verb+adjective_
but* it matches to the definition *that the adjective expresses property which cannot have the noun.

I have to explain the disillusion of the people from the politics. Many people are convinced that politics is inherently scoundrelism. When such people see the party name_ "Politics May be Different"_ they think that even the name of party is a bald lie --> in one word: *oxymoron*.


----------



## classoneguy

Soft rock
Good lawyer (a generalization I know)
Honest politician (possibly another one)
Microsoft Works (found elsewhere)


----------



## eno2

C'est du jamais déjà vu.

Bijvoorbeeld als een ezel zich twee keer aan dezelfde steen stoot, want een ezel stoot zich geen twee keer aan dezelfde steen, zegt de spreuk in het Nederlands.


----------



## Packard

I heard "More pregnant" on a TV show.  She meant that she was further along in her pregnancy (which is what she should have said).

pregnant
pregnanter
pregnantest


----------



## JamesM

Rumsfeld's "known unknowns" always struck me as an oxymoron, although I understood what he was trying to communicate.


----------



## Sense

One of the most famous uses of the word "oximoron" in the Spanish Literature.
Actually, I learned it there.
"Beatriz era alta, frágil, muy ligeramente inclinada: había en su andar (si el oximoron es tolerable) una como graciosa torpeza..." (_El Aleph_) (Jorge Luis Borges, 1949)


----------



## zwim

into the void (if i'm inside it, it's not void anymore)
locked up outside
serious games
a predictable accident
intelligent idiot
everybody should aim at a grade above average (it's not gonna work you know... yet i hear that often, in so many different domains, gasp!)
fair trade (if it's fair, you have been scamed)
a smart bomb (yeah, what's smarter than a weapon, this thing just explodes and spray mayhem...)
a real size miniature
slow blow
a published essay (so it's definitive after all ?)
a temporary tax (don't bother, everybody knows it'll last forever)
a giant poney (are giant dwarf horses normal horses ?)
a sharp photography of a nebula
organized disorder
a secret of public interest
to stir a coffee with a tea spoon (in french: touiller son thé avec une cuillère à café).
lyophilized water
0% fat butter (i still wonder what's in there dammit!).
instant dry (yet don't touch it for hours...)
drive-in (but please stay outside)
AMT: automated manual transmission (they called it FreeChoice, i see the irony).


----------



## eno2

JamesM said:


> Rumsfeld's "known unknowns" always struck me as an oxymoron, although I understood what he was trying to communicate.


 It's just a play of words, a word and it's denial, and it makes perfect sense (so it cannot be an oxymoron)


----------



## Ben Jamin

zwim said:


> into the void (if i'm inside it, it's not void anymore) But it was before you entered
> locked up outside
> serious games
> a predictable accident
> intelligent idiot
> everybody should aim at a grade above average (it's not gonna work you know... yet i hear that often, in so many different domains, gasp!)
> Everybody can try, not everybody can achieve, nothing impossible
> fair trade (if it's fair, you have been scamed)
> a smart bomb (yeah, what's smarter than a weapon, this thing just explodes and spray mayhem...)
> a real size miniature
> slow blow
> a published essay (so it's definitive after all ?)
> a temporary tax (don't bother, everybody knows it'll last forever)
> a giant poney (are giant dwarf horses normal horses ?)
> a sharp photography of a nebula
> organized disorder
> a secret of public interest
> to stir a coffee with a tea spoon (in french: touiller son thé avec une cuillère à café).
> lyophilized water
> 0% fat butter (i still wonder what's in there dammit!).
> instant dry (yet don't touch it for hours...)
> drive-in (but please stay outside)
> AMT: automated manual transmission (they called it FreeChoice, i see the irony).


The lines marked red are false oxymorons.
A real oxymoron must be based on contradiction inherent to the definition of the concept, not on your subjective view.


----------



## XiaoRoel

XiaoRoel said:


> La retórica clásica define el *oxímoron* (*ὀξύμωρον* en griego, *oximora uerba* en latín) como una _antítesis de palabras aisladas_ (no de frases u oraciones) en el que entre los dos miembros de la antítesis se da una _paradoja intelectual_. Hay *tres tipos*:
> a) El oxímoron es el resultado de una *tensión significativa* entre el portador de la cualidad (substantivo, verbo, sujeto) y la cualidad en sí (adjetivo, adverbio, predicado). P. ej.: Horacio, _rerum concordia discors_ (discorde concordia de las cosas), Agustín de Hipona, _in istam dicam mortalem uitam an mortem uitalem_ (¿Cómo llamare a ésta, vida mortal o muerte vital?, Shakespeare, _O brawling love! O loving hate? _(¡Amor pendenciero! ¡Inquina amorosa!).
> b) El oxímoron es el resultado de la *tensión entre cualidades* (adverbios, adjetivos). P. Ej.: Camoens (o Camões como escriben en portugués moderno), _aquela leda e triste madrugada_ (aquella triste y alegre madrugada).
> c) El oxímoron es el resultado de la *distinción enfática*, que afirma la *existencia e inexistencia simultáneas* de una misma cosa. P. ej.: Camoens, _Não levais de vencer-me grande glória. Maior a teve eu de ser vencido_ (no lleváis de vencerme gran gloria, mayor la tuve yo de ser vencido).


Repito la teoría clásica sobre los oximoron. Si se puede insertar en una de las tres clases es un oxímoron, si no, será una antítesis o algún otro tipo de figura.


----------



## Ben Jamin

XiaoRoel said:


> Repito la teoría clásica sobre los oximoron. Si se puede insertar en una de las tres clases es un oxímoron, si no, será una antítesis o algún otro tipo de figura.


But there is one thing common to those definitions, they are based on the language itself, not on the emotional state of individuals. Imagine for example a person that hates the judicial system and for him "just judge" is an oxymoron, while for most people a judge can be just, unjust  or indolent.


----------



## RM1(SS)

Good morning


----------



## eno2

RM1(SS) said:


> Good morning


You mean:Good Mourning?


----------



## eno2

Ben Jamin said:


> The lines marked red are false oxymorons.
> A real oxymoron must be based on contradiction inherent to the definition of the concept, not on your subjective view.




The only one that you acknowledge as a real oxymoron, namely "an intelligent idiot", is all but scarce in our surroundings. In fact I feel like one myself sometimes.


----------



## Packard

Humane.

Only animals are "humane".  Humans, on the other hand are "animals".

"Humane":


----------



## RM1(SS)

RM1(SS) said:


> Good morning


Never mind - I see I made the same suggestion two and a half years ago.  Which is odd, because when I looked at the thread Sunday it didn't show that I had already participated in it....


----------



## King Crimson

Asocial network


----------



## Ben Jamin

eno2 said:


> The only one that you acknowledge as a real oxymoron, namely "an intelligent idiot", is all but scarce in our surroundings. In fact I feel like one myself sometimes.


This was only the one at the list. You can find plenty genuine oxymorons in poetry, or compose themselves, like "a little great man", "hot ice", "dark light", and so on, but if you try with "nice mother in law", then you are on the wrong side.
it is a pity that far too many contributors to this thread can't understand what an oxymoron really is.


----------



## rusita preciosa

Plus-size skinny jeans


----------



## franknagy

cuchuflete said:


> If anyone is interested, we could begin the Official WordReference multilingual list of oxymorons, in whatever languages you please.
> 
> Here's a beginning:
> 
> Juegos de guerra/war games
> 
> and one of my favorites:
> military intelligence
> 
> and let us not forget...                               Honorarios legales razonables
> 
> or Non-stop flight.
> 
> What are your favorites?
> 
> saludos,
> Cuchuflete


honest lawyer
inbribable politian


----------



## eno2

Ben Jamin said:


> This was only the one at the list. You can find plenty genuine oxymorons in poetry, or compose themselves, like "a little great man", "hot ice", "dark light", and so on, but if you try with "nice mother in law", then you are on the wrong side.
> it is a pity that *far too many contributors to this thread can't understand what an oxymoron really is.*


It's not so easy.



timpeac said:


> Ah yes, I see what you mean now, yes you´re absolutely right. I was reading it as "non-stopover flight" which would be* tautological *but not an oxymoron.


WhY?



timpeac said:


> European union - oooh controversial....


Funny. The wishfull thinking for it`s falling apart doesn't make it an oxymoron...



cuchuflete said:


> If anyone is interested, we could begin the Official WordReference multilingual list of oxymorons, in whatever languages you please.
> 
> Here's a beginning:
> 
> Juegos de guerra/war games
> 
> and one of my favorites:
> military intelligence
> 
> and let us not forget...                               Honorarios legales razonables
> 
> or Non-stop flight.
> 
> What are your favorites?
> 
> saludos,
> Cuchuflete


None.

Non-stop flight: you have to consider what is meant: without a stop in between. Everybody knows that a flight has to have one stop. It's an ellipse, not an oxymoron.

military intelligence: that's a mere joke. Based on introducing a clash between two meanings:Intelligence as IQ and intelligence as (secret) information.


----------



## JamesM

Ben Jamin said:


> it is a pity that far too many contributors to this thread can't understand what an oxymoron really is.



There are two levels of oxymoron, Ben Jamin, the technically accurate one and the culturally accurate one.   You appear to be holding on to the technical one and ignoring the cultural one, such as "efficient government".  

Genuine oxymorons are not funny.  Cultural oxymorons are.  You might be missing the joke.


----------



## winegrower

Χαῖρε νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε=Rejoice, O Unwedded Bride! (from a Book of Hymns to the Mother of God)


----------



## King Crimson

This is a staple of the Italian political discourse:
_Convergenze parallele_ (converging parallel lines)

But don't ask me to explain it, for it would take too long (and I'm not sure I could)

And no, the intersection point at infinity has no relevance here...


----------



## King Crimson

Paperless printer.

Ok, that's not exactly an oxymoron as paperless printers do exist, but it _looks_ _like _an oxymoron.


----------



## franknagy

The "wooden spoons" used in the kitchen are mainly made of plastics.


King Crimson said:


> Paperless printer.


*This not a logical oxymoron but a remainder of outdated techniques in the language.*
The watch-houses of soldiers were called in Hungarian "fa|kabát"="wooden coat".
Watch-houses in front of embassies and government buildings still exists. Naturally they are made of bullet-proof glass and steel but they the passers-by call the "fakabát" as 200 years ago.


----------



## Zsanna

franknagy said:


> but they the passers-by call the "fakabát" as 200 years ago.



Maybe but not mainly. Nowadays (in fact, in all my life) _fakabát_ is/has been a slang word for (chiefly) a policeman. (See here for more.)


----------



## Ben Jamin

JamesM said:


> There are two levels of oxymoron, Ben Jamin, the technically accurate one and the culturally accurate one.   You appear to be holding on to the technical one and ignoring the cultural one, such as "efficient government".
> 
> Genuine oxymorons are not funny.  Cultural oxymorons are.  You might be missing the joke.


Where did you find this classification? I have never heard of it.


----------



## franknagy

Zsanna said:


> Maybe but not mainly. Nowadays (in fact, in all my life) _fakabát_ is/has been a slang word for (chiefly) a policeman. (See here for more.)


Zsanna, I see from your link that the meaning of "fakabát" has shifted from watch-house to policeman.
Policeman used to stand in watch-houses, too, so the meaning of the expression has transferred from objects to persons using it (intermediate state=black&yellow soldier) to present policeman.


----------



## Zsanna

I am aware of that, thanks, frank. However, I don't think it's really an oxymoron, so I won't be longer about it.


----------



## King Crimson

Do the impossible.


----------



## Truffula

JamesM said:


> There are two levels of oxymoron, Ben Jamin, the technically accurate one and the culturally accurate one.   You appear to be holding on to the technical one and ignoring the cultural one, such as "efficient government".
> 
> Genuine oxymorons are not funny.  Cultural oxymorons are.  You might be missing the joke.





Ben Jamin said:


> Where did you find this classification? I have never heard of it.



JamesM might have invented the term "cultural oxymoron" but it's a good description for phrases that are oxymoronic because of connotations or particular meanings rather than generally.


----------



## Packard

Sweet, cuddly Hillary.


----------



## Karton Realista

Packard said:


> Sweet, cuddly Hillary.


Honest Hillary. 
Emotional Hillary.


----------



## Packard

Karton Realista said:


> Honest Hillary.
> Emotional Hillary.


Rational Trump.


----------



## Karton Realista

Packard said:


> Rational Trump.


America is great, yet you guys have to make it great again.
Iron-clad logic, dunno what you complainin' 'bout.


----------



## Packard

Karton Realista said:


> America is great, yet you guys have to make it great again.
> Iron-clad logic, dunno what you complainin' 'bout.



Oxymoron, Sincere and honest Donald:







Verisimilitude Donald:


----------



## jedna

*Dutch: *
jeugdige grijsaard:     youthful old man
ongekroonde koning:  uncrowned king
horende doof:           while hearing deaf
ziende blind:             while seeing blind
oudere jongere:         (literally: older young one = a middle-aged adolesceont)
oud nieuws:              old news


----------



## Packard

Sensible Donald Trump.

Appealing Hillary Clinton.

Sincere Packard.


----------



## eno2

catlady60 said:


> Right-wing reforms.
> 
> Reforms are supposed to be changes for the better, but anything the right wing comes up with amount to changes for the worse.


Exactly yes, it's a absolute right-wing tendency now to cut (in some cases lethally) on everything social and then call it 'reform'.


----------



## Kotlas

Russian:
Старый Новый год - Old New Year
['staryy 'novyy got]

Prior to the Revolution of 1917, Russia used the Julian calendar, and the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars is 13 days. So some Russians still celebrate New Year's Eve according to the Julian calendar on January 13th and call this event "Старый Новый год - Old New Year".


----------



## ilocas2

Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia


----------



## Stoggler

ilocas2 said:


> Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia



Do you *have to *pay for it then?


----------



## ilocas2

Stoggler said:


> Do you *have to *pay for it then?



This is just an English oddity that the word free is used that way.


----------



## Stoggler

I don’t understand.  In what way is Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia an oxymoron?  And I’m what way is the English word an oddity?


----------



## ilocas2

If Jimmy Wales and his crew created this motto in order to express the idea that you don't have pay for Wikipedia, then the world didn't understand them.

Wikipedia, Die freie Enzyklopädie
Wikipedia, La enciclopedia libre
Wikipédia, L'encyclopédie libre
Wikipedia, L'enciclopedia libera
Wikipedia, De vrije encyclopedie
Wikipedia, Wolna encyklopedia
Wikipedia, Slobodna enciklopedija
...


----------



## Kotlas

I think the title of this novel by Milan Kundera, Czech-born French writer, can be considered an oxymoron:
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (in Czech: Nesnesitelná lehkost bytí)

Some more translations:
L'insostenibile leggerezza dell'essere (Italian)
Die unerträgliche Leichtigkeit des Seins (German)
L'Insoutenable Légèreté de l'être  (French)
La insoportable levedad del ser (Spanish)


----------



## ilocas2

(Off-topic post alert. If it's unbearable (pun intended) let's delete it.)

I consider Milan Kundera a cheater. I think it's impossible for a Czech native speaker to learn French to the point of being able to write novels.


----------



## Kotlas

ilocas2 said:


> I think it's impossible for a Czech native speaker to learn French to the point of being able to write novels.


Why is it impossible? Let's take, for example, Vladimir Nabokov.
"His first nine novels were in Russian, but he achieved international prominence after he began writing English prose." (Wikipedia)

And since this thread is about oxymorons, here is one from Vladimir Nabokov's short story _Thunderstorm_:
громовой шепот [grama'voy 'shopat] - thunderous whisper


----------



## Truffula

It's not really impossible.  It's just rare.


----------



## ilocas2

I don't know. He is weird. He forbid translation of his French works into Czech.


----------



## MiguelitOOO

ilocas2 said:


> Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia


People think it's free (it has no cost $), but actually it's free (uncontrolled). Ohhh, but, that is not a oxymoron. Only when it is compared with the other names of Wikipedia in other languages. right? And... is that a valid understanding of what an oxymoron is?


----------



## ilocas2

Yes, you are right that "Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia" is not an oxymoron, regardless of how one understands it. But I'm not a first person who wrote things that are not oxymorons in this thread.


----------



## MiguelitOOO

ilocas2 said:


> Yes, you are right that "Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia" is not an oxymoron, regardless of how one understands it. But I'm not a first person who wrote things that are not oxymorons in this thread.


Among them, yours is an interesting one.


----------



## King Crimson

Illiberal democracy (maybe just an _apparent _oxymoron, as this notion can arguably be applicable to many countries).


----------



## eno2

Those qualifications are gliding scales. Both illiberal and democracy.


----------



## eno2

ilocas2 said:


> I consider Milan Kundera a cheater. I think it's impossible for a Czech native speaker to learn French to the point of being able to write novels.





> *Milan Kundera* (Czech: [ˈmɪlan ˈkundɛra]; born 1 April 1929) is a Czech-born French writer who went into exile in France in 1975, and became a naturalised French citizen in 1981. He "sees himself as a French writer and insists his work should be studied as French literature and classified as such in book stores".[2]


----------



## ROSANGELUS

rusita preciosa said:


> Plus-size skinny jeans


Hello
I don't understand what you propose there ...
Two of my favorites

Clearly confused
Notorious absence

And, Exact estimation. This is horrible but I found it in an email from my boss, last year ... hahahaha.


----------



## Oswinw011

花落春犹在，鸟鸣山更幽.
The flowers have fallen, but the spring is still there. Birds' chirping makes the mountain more tranquil. 
小大人 little big man--a kid who has the demeanor resembling an adult's. He is precocious.
巨婴 giant baby. Used to describe those adults who are immature mentally and psychologically.


----------



## Perseas

Expecting the unexpected.


----------



## duvija

Not sure it's an oxymoron: (plus is longer than just 2 words)

(Spanish - as the government called some guerrilla groups)

_Asociación ilícita para delinquir. _

It implies there are 'asociaciones lícitas para delinquir'.


----------



## pimlicodude

franknagy said:


> honest lawyer
> inbribable politian


unbribable


----------



## Forero

pimlicodude said:


> unbribable


politi*c*ian


----------

