bittersweet
An oxymoron (noun) is a figure of speech combining two seemingly contradictory, incompatible or opposite words.
The plural of oxymoron is oxymora. Oxymorons is also used.
Oxymora are very common in everyday English.
Examples:
♦ an open secret
♦ a deafening silence
♦ act naturally
♦ old news
♦ a small crowd
♦ friendly fire (a military term / euphemism referring to the accidental firing towards one’s own troops instead of the enemy)
♦ seriously funny
‘Groundhog Day is a seriously funny film’ – this means Groundhog Day is a very funny film.
The term oxymoron is often used in a humorous or cynical way – for example with reference to terms such as:
♦ military intelligence
♦ an honest politician
♦ wedded bliss
♦ airline schedule
Can you think of any more examples of oxymora?
I have been told countless times that ‘German humour’ is apparently an oxymoron. 😉
Angelika Davey recently posted..German idiom – wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen
Twitter: german_tutor
Ah, that’s a good one, Angelika! But obviously incorrect 😀
Thank you for commenting 🙂
How about affordable housing 😉
Seriously though umm, how about ‘almost ready’?
Anita recently posted..The scarred wing of a Peacock butterfly
Oh yes, if ever there was a perfect oxymoron for the UK, ‘affordable housing’ would be the one!
‘Almost ready’ is a good one. One of my favourites is ‘unemployed housewife’ – I think that could win a prize for being one of the most oxymoronic oxymorons 😉
oh yes, definitely! 😉
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