Thursday, March 9, 2017

Pleonasms

Pleonasms

Though most of us haven’t heard the word pleonasm, we hear, read, & use pleonasms every day. 

Check over this list. I bet you can define pleonasm on your own.

frozen tundra 
foreign imports
mass exodus
kneel down
hot water heater
ATM machine
break & enter
empty space
advance warning
mental telepathy
temper tantrum
lag behind
aid & abet
fellow countrymen
cameo appearance
advance reservations
past history
nape of the neck
serious crisis
alternative choice
future plans
sum total

So to finish up in pleonastic style, I’d like to thank each & every one of you for joining me here at Wordmonger this week. 





Big thanks to this week’s sources: Etymonline, 200 Common Redundancies & a Thought Company article regarding George Carlin’s commentary, “Count the Superfluous Redundant Pleonastic Tautologies”

6 comments:

  1. And then there's pizza pie and Laguna lake. :-)

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  2. Ha! My dear pal Sioux once lived on Via Way.

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  3. I've always liked "rise up."

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    Replies
    1. Hey Steve - I suppose "Rise up" belongs with "Sit down." Thanks for coming by.

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  4. My mom used to die laughing over dead body. And I often reflect back on tons of things I've done in my life. Great post as always, Charlie. P.

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  5. Ha! Dead body definitely belongs on the list. Thanks, Paul.

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