OXYMORON

[Dr. Goodword]

• oxymoron •

Pronunciation: ahk-si-mo-ron • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: 1. A moron as dumb as an ox. 2. A moron too dumb to breathe, requiring oxygen.

Notes: Today's Good Word was selected and defined especially for the first day of April in the US. The adjective is oxymorose and the seldom used if repulsive verb is oxymortototaldedummify, found only in the writings and speechifying of oxymorons themselves. (Whoever created my spelling checker is apparently an oxymoron since the checker does not mark speechifying as a nonword but does mark nonword, a perfectly good word in English.)

In Play: The easiest way to be oxymoronic is to be an ox: "My grandfather gave up farming when his two oxymoronic oxen refused work together, simply because they had stalls on different sides of the aisle in his barn on the hill by the house." However, we needn't be: "The only product I know of named for oxymorons was Oxydol, popular in the 30s and 40s, a detergent originally designed for doll clothes."

Word History: Today's Good Word comes from Greek oxos "bull, air" and moronos "dull, stupid." Greek oxos is also found in oxygen, which ancient Greeks thought was exhaled by oxen. (That is why they worked them so hard.) This root is also in Oxford, the town in England that stands where Ray D. Ayder became the first Englishman to trade his oxcart in for a Ford automobile in 1922. This event is now celebrated in the name of the town itself, shortened from Ox-for-a-Ford in 1923. (Today we thank Dr. April Phule, no oxymoron herself but Professor of Foolishness at Didweefuhl U., for submitting this very Good Word for April Fool's Day, the day of practical jokes—like this one—in the US. If you didn't read this far down before sending us a rude e-mail: Gotcha!)

[Bailey]

Good one Dr. GW.

mark April-Fool Bailey

[skinem]

Very astute and academically accurate word history.

Also, very funny!

[scw1217]

Ha ha! Funny stuff.

[Stargzer]

OK, so the mind either works a little slow at times or just doesn't make a connection until much later.

Whilst perusing the list of words in the Good Word Discussion Forum, the OXYMORON 2 link caught my eye, and my first thought leapt to Billy Mays, the guy who hawks Oxy-Clean on TV.

If you've never seen one of his commercials, consider yourself lucky. Very lucky.

[scw1217]

OK, so the mind either works a little slow at times or just doesn't make a connection until much later.

Whilst perusing the list of words in the Good Word Discussion Forum, the OXYMORON 2 link caught my eye, and my first thought leapt to Billy Mays, the guy who hawks Oxy-Clean on TV.

If you've never seen one of his commercials, consider yourself lucky. Very lucky.

The oxymoron there is the amount of hair dye he uses!

[Bailey]

OK, so the mind either works a little slow at times or just doesn't make a connection until much later.

Whilst perusing the list of words in the Good Word Discussion Forum, the OXYMORON 2 link caught my eye, and my first thought leapt to Billy Mays, the guy who hawks Oxy-Clean on TV.

If you've never seen one of his commercials, consider yourself lucky. Very lucky.

The oxymoron there is the amount of hair dye he uses!

I thought it was the decibel count, ooooh my poor ears, I try to hit mute when he's on.

mark hears-good Bailey

[gailr]

I thought it was the decibel count, ooooh my poor ears, I try to hit mute when he's on.

My niece does a killer impression of his conversations with his kids.
The family that...yells...together, um...sells...together?
-gailr

[skinem]

I thought it was the decibel count, ooooh my poor ears, I try to hit mute when he's on.

My niece does a killer impression of his conversations with his kids.
The family that...yells...together, um...sells...together?
-gailr

He does get unnaturally excited about cleaning products. I just hate I know who you're talking about.

(We yell together and can't sell water to a man in the desert!)

[scw1217]

He does get unnaturally excited about cleaning products.

[gailr]

He does get unnaturally excited about cleaning products.

My inner cynic notes that mrs. billy mays is not the one 'waxing poetic' about housecleaning rampages...

-gailr

[scw1217]

My inner cynic notes that mrs. billy mays is not the one 'waxing poetic' about housecleaning rampages...

-gailr

There's a women with a story to tell...