Word play (for Curt)

Oxymorons are two words
Which are opposites
That make up common phrases.
*
Here's a list of some funny ones:
*
Act naturally
Happily married
Microsoft Works
Holy war
Found missing
Resident alien
Minor Catastrophe
Affordable housing
Near miss
Great depression
French army
Phone sex
United nations
Advanced BASIC
Genuine imitation
Death benefits
Airline Food
Women's rights
Good grief
Same difference
Almost exactly
Sensitive man
Female Logic
Government organization
Everything except
Civil War
Sanitary landfill
Alone together
Legally drunk
Silent scream
British fashion
Living dead
Small crowd
Business ethics
Soft rock
Butt Head
Software documentation
New classic
Sweet sorrow
Childproof
"Now, then"
Synthetic natural gas
Christian Scientists
Passive aggressive
Taped live
Clearly misunderstood
Peace force
Extinct Life
New and improved
Computer jock
Plastic glasses
Terribly pleased
Computer security
Political science
Tight slacks
Definite maybe
Pretty ugly
Twelve-ounce pound cake
Diet ice cream
Rap music
Working vacation
Exact estimate
Religious tolerance
Freezer Burn
Honest Politician
Jumbo Shrimp
Loners Club
Military Intelligence
--
Peace, Om

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"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Om wrote:

> Oxymorons are two words
> Which are opposites
> That make up common phrases.
>
> Here's a list of some funny ones:
[...]

> Microsoft Works

heh

I'm using Mozilla at home as IE is apparently causing my aged computer
to freeze up almost immediately.

[...]

> Rap music

Did Will Brink write this list??? ;o) (And where's that love of Rap
music been of late?)

[...]

> Military Intelligence

I think this was my first example of an oxymoron, iirc.

> Peace, Om

George Carlin is a great one for word play. I love his rants in
general, but especially his airline bit. Something about "landing
shortly." D

That didn't set well with him for some reason. @#$% that! I want to
land somethingsomething right where we're supposed to land!!!!

Aaaaanyway, thanks for the list, Om.

Btw, I haven't been home yet but am hoping a box of MD awaits! )

--
Curt

In article <1162255355.041598.168270@e3g2000cwe.googlegroups. com>,
"Curt" <curtjames@gmail.com> wrote:

> Om wrote:
>
> > Oxymorons are two words
> > Which are opposites
> > That make up common phrases.
> >
> > Here's a list of some funny ones:
> [...]
>
> > Microsoft Works
>
> heh
>
> I'm using Mozilla at home as IE is apparently causing my aged computer
> to freeze up almost immediately.
>
> [...]
>
> > Rap music
>
> Did Will Brink write this list??? ;o) (And where's that love of Rap
> music been of late?)

I've never really considered Rap to be music either. ;-)

>
> [...]
>
> > Military Intelligence
>
> I think this was my first example of an oxymoron, iirc.

Mine too.

>
>
> George Carlin is a great one for word play. I love his rants in
> general, but especially his airline bit. Something about "landing
> shortly." D

My mom was the eternal punster and both dad and I enjoy word play.
The English language lends itself well to that, being the mongrel
language that it is...

>
> That didn't set well with him for some reason. @#$% that! I want to
> land somethingsomething right where we're supposed to land!!!!
>
> Aaaaanyway, thanks for the list, Om.

Cheers!

>
> Btw, I haven't been home yet but am hoping a box of MD awaits! )

The problem with book rate is that it tends to take the slow boat to
China. I'd give it two weeks. The package probably weighed in the
neighborhood of 30 lbs.

Priority mail would probably have run around $40.00 or thereabouts.
Just think, you are getting 14 $5.00 magazines for $12.00. :-)
I think it'll be worth the wait.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

On 30 Oct 2006 16:42:35 -0800, "Curt" <curtjames@gmail.com> wrote:

>George Carlin is a great one for word play. I love his rants in
>general, but especially his airline bit. Something about "landing
>shortly." D
>
>That didn't set well with him for some reason. @#$% that! I want to
>land somethingsomething right where we're supposed to land!!!!

The one I remember is in the evolution of politically correct phrases.
For instance how the term "Shell Shock" evolved into " Posttraumatic
stress disorder".

Here is how he presents it:
"There's a condition in combat. Most people know about it. It's when a
fighting person's nervous system has been stressed to it's absolute
peak and maximum. Can't take anymore input. The nervous system has
either (click) snapped or is about to snap. In the first world war,
that condition was called shell shock. Simple, honest, direct
language. Two syllables, shell shock. Almost sounds like the guns
themselves. That was seventy years ago. Then a whole generation went
by and the second world war came along and very same combat condition
was called battle fatigue. Four syllables now. Takes a little longer
to say. Doesn't seem to hurt as much. Fatigue is a nicer word than
shock. Shell shock! Battle fatigue. Then we had the war in Korea,
1950. Madison avenue was riding high by that time, and the very same
combat condition was called operational exhaustion. Hey, were up to
eight syllables now! And the humanity has been squeezed completely out
of the phrase. It's totally sterile now. Operational exhaustion.
Sounds like something that might happen to your car. Then of course,
came the war in Viet Nam, which has only been over for about sixteen
or seventeen years, and thanks to the lies and deceits surrounding
that war, I guess it's no surprise that the very same condition was
called post-traumatic stress disorder. Still eight syllables, but
we've added a hyphen! And the pain is completely buried under jargon.
Post-traumatic stress disorder. I'll bet you if we'd of still been
calling it shell shock, some of those Viet Nam veterans might have
gotten the attention they needed at the time. I'll betcha. I'll
betcha."