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    Tuesday
    Jan032006

    Bush Prefers “Enemy”

    robbertini.jpgQuote:  "PERSON OF INTEREST – Found within the context of legal commentary, but seldom encountered at cocktail parties."   Lake Superior State University 2006 List of Banished Words.

    Figure of Speechlitotes, the figure of ironic understatement.

    For 31 years the school chooses the most annoying, useless and over-used phrases. Its PR guy came up with the idea, which should tell you something.  He said he did it with "tongue firmly in cheek," a phrase that eminently deserves banishment.

    Nonetheless, the school's litotes, "seldom encountered at cocktail parties," works.  We are not unamused.

    Snappy Answer:  "My friends call me 'Perp.'"

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    Reader Comments (3)

    How do you pronounce litotes?
    January 3, 2006 | Unregistered CommenterAnna
    Lie TOE tees. Sorry about the oversight.
    Figaro
    January 4, 2006 | Registered CommenterFigaro
    And here I had been pronouncing it as LEE-totes. I guess it's not one of those words you'd expect to hear at a cocktail party that often, either. ;)
    December 10, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterDaniel Johnson Jr

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