Mo's Rather Interesting World of Figures of Speech and Other Rhetorical Devices

[undyingking]

#3 in an occasional series -- your challenge is to use it at least once today.

Syllepsis

Literally, "taking together".

Means: using a word to govern others twice, with different meanings each time (or once literally, once figuratively). An example from the works of that great bard Alanis Morrisette: "You held your breath and the door for me". Cleverer might be if you could use two different literal meanings (ie. homonyms), eg (erm...) "Their fish was battered, but their baby wasn't."

I guess in speech (as opposed to in writing) you can also use homophones (different words that sound the same) so that makes it a lot easier: "Would you rather he[e|a]l your shoes, or your heart?"

(Note: syllepsis is a special case of zeugma. Which, although a very good word, is a rather boring figure of speech, so I won't be treating it separately. It just means one word governing two separate parts of a sentence.)

Comments

[brixtonbrood.livejournal.com]

Surely the classic example is The Onion's headline "Clinton feels nation's pain, breasts". - Him

Or Flanders and Swann's
"And he said as he hastened to put out the cat,
The wine, his cigar and the lamps:
...
When he asked, "What in Heaven?" She made no reply,
Up her mind, and a dash for the door." - Her

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed, excellent specimens!

[jackfirecat.livejournal.com]

syllepsis as the
the bee and conversation
buzz around me