James Baquet

    Ming is chatting with his classmate Mark in the common room of their dorm.

    Ming: Hey, Mark. Can you help me with some more literary terms?

    Mark: Sure! What do you have today?

    Ming: More figures of speech.

    Mark: Like what?

    Ming: The first one is “euphemism.”

    Mark: Ah, yes. The “eu-” means “good.” We see this prefix often in scientific words, where it can also mean “true” or “genuine.” It’s pretty uncommon, though.

    Ming: Can you give me one example?

    Mark: Sure. Most organisms —

    Ming: Wait. What’s an organism?

    Mark: A plant or animal. Anyway, most of them have a fairly advanced cell structure, and are called “eukaryotes.” Some more primitive organisms are called “prokaryotes.”

    Ming: What do the words mean, exactly?

    Mark: “kary-” is a root meaning “nut” or “kernel.” We use it to mean the nucleus of a cell. So “eukaryotes” have true nuclei; “prokaryotes” have some of the parts, but not enclosed in a nuclear membrane.

    Ming: Whoa! Too much for me! Sorry I asked! Back to “euphemism?”

    Mark: Yes. “Pheme” means something like “speech,” so a euphemism is when we use other words to say something unpleasant.

    Ming: Oh, like “passed away” instead of “died.”

    Mark: Right! They’re used a lot in politics, and in advertising.

    Ming: I can imagine. Okay, here’s another word: “oxymoron.”

    Mark: Oh, one of my favorites! The two parts mean “strong” and “weak.”

    Ming: So “oxygen” is a strong molecule?

    Mark: Not exactly. When the name “oxygen” was coined, it was thought that oxygen helped form acids, so it was a strong or biting element.

    Ming: How about “moron?”

    Mark: That word has been used to describe people who are weak-minded, but it’s not considered polite.

    Ming: Okay, so an oxymoron is a “strong-weak.” What does that mean?

    Mark: If we use two opposite ideas in speech, it’s an oxymoron. For example, we say, “The silence was deafening.”

    Ming: I see. It’s supposed to be loud noises that make us deaf.

    Mark: Right. But this figure of speech does paint a picture.

    Ming: Another example?

    Mark: We say things like “He’s a poor little rich boy.”

    Ming: Meaning he has money, but he’s still not happy?

    Mark: Very good. Sometimes our slang seems to make other oxymorons.

    Ming: Like what?

    Mark: Well, we can use “a little” and “pretty” to mean “slightly.” So if a woman’s dress is slightly large, we might use the first one to say?

    Ming: It’s a little big?

    Mark: Perfect! And if a painting is slightly unattractive, using the second one?

    Ming: It’s… pretty ugly!