About This Site

Figaro rips the innards out of things people say and reveals the rhetorical tricks and pratfalls. For terms and definitions, click here.
(What are figures of speech?)
Ask Figaro a question!

This form does not yet contain any fields.

    « We’re Not Worthy | Main | Does the Maiden in the Tower Count as a Co-Owner? »
    Friday
    Mar242006

    Invading the Bleak Wasteland Called Can Ah Dah

    orcanuck.jpgQuote:  “A horde of squat, swarthy creatures who live in darkness and shun the light are laying siege to the good people of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ today.  Inhabitants of Middle Earth call these creatures Orcs.  Inhabitants of the theater call them critics.”  Michael Riedel in the New York Post.

    Figure of Speechsyncrisis (SIN-crih-sis), the not-that-but-this  figure.  Also isocolon (i-so-CO-lon), the figure of equal clauses.

    A four-hour, over-hyped, $23 million theater production of the most tedious fantasy ever written premiered in Toronto.  Surprisingly, critics ripped it to little magic shreds.

    The Post sums up the matter in a syncrisis (“to compare”), a figure that weighs things side by side in similar clauses.  It’s similar to an isocolon, which pairs up clauses with the same length and some of the same words.

    The writer’s ironic use of the syncrisis has almost become a journalistic cliché.  Write a definition (“horde of squat, swarthy creatures”).  State the obvious object (“Orcs”).  Then name a startling second object (“critics”).

    Being a journalist ourselves, we highly recommend it.

    Snappy Answer:  “Inhabitants of corporations call them tech support.”

    PrintView Printer Friendly Version

    EmailEmail Article to Friend

    Reader Comments (1)

    Wow. Tedious? Overhyped? I call it brilliant and awesome.
    October 19, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterI <3 LOTR

    PostPost a New Comment

    Enter your information below to add a new comment.

    My response is on my own website »
    Author Email (optional):
    Author URL (optional):
    Post:
     
    All HTML will be escaped. Hyperlinks will be created for URLs automatically.