Congratulations to Rick Santorum, who became the Not-Romney du jour by sweeping three states on Tuesday. Yes, he garnered few delegates; but we’re talking politics, not reality. Santorum came up with our favorite Romney label: “Obama Lite.” Rhetoric lovers around the globe pondered: What figure of speech is that, exactly? We’re here to help.
The ancients were unfamiliar with lite beer, and they failed to come up with a technical term for an analogy that includes differences. Analogy is Greek for “proportional thought” or, in modern-speak, “template.” Santorum says that Obama is an analog for Romney—except that Romney is a watered-down, lo-cal version. An analogy with a difference.
In our book Word Hero, we devised a new figure to cover that analagous base.
Like…Only Technique. A figure of thought that uses a simile or analogy and points out the differences. Romney is like Obama, only less filling. You’ll find more examples at our sister site.
Meanwhile, we wish Rick Santorum all the joy that 15 minutes of fame can bring.