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    Tuesday
    Nov222005

    That Depends on Where the Meaning of “Lie” Lies

    DateTuesday, November 22, 2005 at 09:12AM

    bushism.jpgQuote:   "It is a lie to say that the president lied to the American people."  Dick Cheney, quoting John McCain in a speech to a conservative think tank.

    Figure of Speech:  polyptoton (poe LIP toe ton), the root repeater.

    The polyptoton (Greek for "multiple grammatical cases") repeats the root of a word while changing its ending -- "lie" to "lied," for instance.  Robert Frost used the figure when he said,  "Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."  (Thanks,  Richard Nordquist.)

    Snappy Answer:  "Is it misleading to say he misled them?"

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