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Thread: what is the word for...

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    what is the word for...

    I know there is a word that describes a word or saying that "wrong" or exact opposite of what it is meant to be.

    The example I have is " HELP desk" when the help desk is unhelpful.

    Can some one supply the word which is used to describe these redundant misnomas.

    Thankyou.

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    Dickie Davies' love-child Cruella's Avatar
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    Re: what is the word for...

    oxymoron

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    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
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    Re: what is the word for...

    Quote Originally Posted by under par View Post
    I know there is a word that describes a word or saying that "wrong" or exact opposite of what it is meant to be.
    Oxymoron?

    EDIT: blast, beaten to the punch

    Quote Originally Posted by under par View Post
    The example I have is " HELP desk" when the help desk is unhelpful.
    Hey, it's Service Desk now, don't you know

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Quote Originally Posted by Cruella View Post
    oxymoron


    Thankyou Cruella.... the word was eluding me all morning...

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    Re: what is the word for...

    This thread had me wandering around Wikipedia for other linguistic terminology.

    I'd always wanted to know what a daleuprowe is.

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Quote Originally Posted by Stuart M View Post
    I'd always wanted to know what a daleuprowe is.
    Please enlighten us

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Quote Originally Posted by Isis View Post
    Please enlighten us
    It's a made-up term which only begins to make sense when you turn it upside down

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Quote Originally Posted by Stuart M View Post
    This thread had me wandering around Wikipedia for other linguistic terminology.

    I'd always wanted to know what a daleuprowe is.
    It really, really helps if you spell it properly "daliuprowe"

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    Re: what is the word for...

    I finally get it - palindrome backwards and upside down. (with the 'i' changed to an 'e' for some reason)

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Quote Originally Posted by under par View Post
    It really, really helps if you spell it properly "daliuprowe"
    Kind of agree, but that seems to be the way it is spelled on Wikipedia, and daleuprowe is a slightly more successful word to Google (daliuprowe is almost a Googlewhackblatt!)

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Er...actually, I think oxymoron doesn't quite fulfil UP's requirements as stated.

    Oxymoron is two juxtaposed words (or phrases) which contradict each other but used together produce a specific meaning.

    It seems that 'contradiction in terms' is what UP described - labelling an unhelpful bunch of geeks 'the Helpdesk'.

    Even 'unhelpful helpdesk' wouldn't really be an oxymoron.

    The most memorable example of an oxymoron I ever heard was 'army intelligence'...

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov View Post
    The most memorable example of an oxymoron I ever heard was 'army intelligence'...
    Under any reasonable definition of 'army' this isn't an oxymoron either, I think. Outside of literary terminology, I'd say the observed usage of oxymoron is pretty synonymous with "a two word contradiction in terms".

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    Re: what is the word for...

    from my english lit day - classic oxymoron - dirty angel

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Oxymoron is a term in rhetoric for the deliberate coupling of words that are strictly contradictory: e.g. in a devout atheist, or I am relaxing strenuously.

    "oxymoron" The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics. P. H. Matthews. Oxford University Press, 1997. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Syndicated edition for Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators. 11 October 2007

    Terms made in jest in opposition to each other, or interpreted as in opposition, would be a contradiction in terms e.g. ScotchBrite

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post

    Terms made in jest in opposition to each other, or interpreted as in opposition, would be a contradiction in terms e.g. ScotchBrite

    Time to go back and study those "how to win friends and influence people" books again Gav??

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Quote Originally Posted by David Franklin View Post
    Outside of literary terminology, I'd say the observed usage of oxymoron is pretty synonymous with "a two word contradiction in terms".
    Quote Originally Posted by The illustrious Barry
    'army intelligence'
    er...QED, surely?

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov View Post
    er...QED, surely?
    Sorry - I thought you were making a point about the formal literary definition, which (from wiki and memory - although A-level English was a long time ago) is a lot more specific than what is used in common usage.

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Quote Originally Posted by Mezzosoprano View Post
    Time to go back and study those "how to win friends and influence people" books again Gav??
    Read them, great stories but no relevance to real life.

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Quote Originally Posted by Gav View Post
    Oxymoron is a term in rhetoric for the deliberate coupling of words that are strictly contradictory: e.g. in a devout atheist, or I am relaxing strenuously.
    Cor, you're clever you are. I reckon you could do this writing lark for a living.

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    Re: what is the word for...

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Shnikov View Post
    The most memorable example of an oxymoron I ever heard was 'army intelligence'...
    Bit of a misquote there Barry, I think you meant "Honest Lawyer"...

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