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Merely observing . . .

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2022 8:17 pm
by brogine
The on-line OED renders ‘threshold’ as thresh’-hold, while my old print edition (1971) has thre’-shoaled. Actually, in the former the ‘h’ is in parentheses, but the audio reflects my version.
As I say (but may not really believe), “After all, language is what people say, not what I say”.
Another nifty, subtle zeugma.

Re: Merely observing . . .

Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 6:37 am
by Slava
Looking at this again, I realize I don't see the zeugma. Is it just me?

Re: Merely observing . . .

Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 6:05 pm
by brogine
Hi. Perhaps an over-enthusiastic remark on my part. The latter ‘say’ is meant to be taken in the sense of ‘dictate’, not merely ‘utter’.
I think that constitutes a zeugma . . . ?

The earlier one I’ve mentioned before, (obliquely referred to) is in the lyric

“I’ll sparkle and gleam so,
Make somebody dream so
That some day, he may . . . .”

The first ‘so’ meaning ‘to such an extent’,
and the second being ‘with the result that’.
The lyric, incidentally, is from Baubles, Bangles and Beads.

Re: Merely observing . . .

Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 6:29 pm
by Slava
But, isn't a zeugma the use of one term once to apply to more than one thing at the same time? The 'so' in your quote is used in different ways, but it's repeated.

Re: Merely observing . . .

Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2023 9:58 pm
by brogine
What a surprise! You’re right. It’s a similar construction, but not at all the same thing. Now, maybe I can learn a new word which applies to my erroneous examples!

Re: Merely observing . . .

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2023 3:43 am
by Audiendus
What a surprise! You’re right. It’s a similar construction, but not at all the same thing. Now, maybe I can learn a new word which applies to my erroneous examples!
Antanaclasis?

Re: Merely observing . . .

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2023 1:24 pm
by brogine
That’s it! Once again I am indebted to you for a contribution to my lexicon of rhetoric. Thanks, really.