zeugma
Noun: A figure of speech in which a single word, typically a verb or an adjective, is applied to two or more other words in a sentence, but in a way that produces a clever, witty, or sometimes incongruous effect because it is grammatically or logically appropriate to only one of them.
Zeugma is a rhetorical and literary device used to create a surprising, humorous, or emphatic connection between ideas. It often relies on the different meanings (e.g., literal and figurative) of the governing word.
- The classic example: "He took his hat and his leave." (The verb "took" governs both "hat" [literal, physical taking] and "leave" [figurative, idiomatic taking].)
- "She opened the door and her heart to the orphan." (The verb "opened" applies to both the physical "door" and the emotional "heart.")
- "He lost his keys and his temper." (The verb "lost" governs the physical object "keys" and the abstract state "temper.")
Zeugma can be categorized into specific types, such as: * Prozeugma (or Synezeugmenon): The governing word is placed at the beginning of the clause. (e.g., "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.") * Mesozeugma: The governing word is placed in the middle of the clause. * Hypozeugma: The governing word is placed at the end of the clause. (e.g., "The storm sank my boat, my hopes, my dreams.")
- Syllepsis: This term is often used interchangeably with , though some rhetoricians make a fine distinction. In strict usage, involves a word that is grammatically correct with each element it governs but shifts in meaning (e.g., "He works his work, I mine" – where "works" agrees with both "he" and "I" but is used in a slightly different sense).
- Figure of speech
- Rhetorical device
Zeugma itself is the name of the device; it is not typically used in common idioms. However, the sentences it creates can become famous examples or quotations.
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use of a word to govern two or more words though appropriate to only one
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`Mr. Pickwick took his hat and his leave' is an example of zeugma
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