h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A502985

So, whaddya think?

I haven't made this a totally comprehensive list (hence the 'selected') as I would have been writing the darned thing until Doomsday otherwise; should I attempt to do so? *cringes in anticipation*

Cheers!

This is a good list. Are you sure about your definition for "Circumlocution"? I thought it meant "talking around a subject", that is, saying something in a different so as to avoid saying it in a way that would offend.

Hi Nexus,

What a great entry! I'm certainly glad I never progressed further than GCSE English, I pity the poor fool that has to remember all these.

I'm a little surprised that you missed out my old English teacher's favourite, onomatopaea. I know you said that it isn't supposed to be a comprehensive list, but you can't miss that one out. Either way, your entry should have no probs whatsoever.

Hi guys!

Thanks loads for the prompt replies. Yeah, I've missed some bits out here and there (some intentionally because they're just not pretentious enough others being an oversight). Gnomon - yes, I'm not entirely sure about my definition of 'circumlocution' as I wrote it off the cuff, but isn't what you're describing Euphemism? That is... I... EGAD!! I forgot euphemism!

Right; clearly a little tweaking to be done...

Still like it - only you could link literary terminology and Blade Runner

I hate to be a pain, but Circumlocution means basically that you give miles and miles of unneccesary description, speaking about every aspect of a red rose bush rather than just saying "there was a red rose bush". I could be wrong, but that is how I understand it and I apologise for suddenly turning into a nit picker.

I hate to be a pain, but Circumlocution means basically that you give miles and miles of unneccesary description, speaking about every aspect of a red rose bush rather than just saying "there was a red rose bush". I could be wrong, but that is how I understand it and I apologise for suddenly turning into a nit picker.

sorry server trouble!

Is that not what being 'excessively verbose' means?

I've checked my dictionary. Circumlocution has two meanings. One is excessive verbosity, the other is "evasion in speech". So your original definition can stand.

It's been changed anyway - it was a bit 'wordy' previously.

I like

This entry has all of my old favourites in there. The only other one I can think of is the 'opposite' of an oxymoron - tautology. For those that haven't had the pleasure, that's the one where two descriptive words are used that mean the same thing - eg 'a novel new idea'

--
Caroo

In what accent is Deckard a homophone for Descartes? The way I pronounce them, one is Deck-urd and the other is Day-cart.

A good example of a tautology is "4 am in the morning".

Maybe Philip K. Dick was thinking in a broad mock-Scottish accent when he called the central character of 'Do Androids Dream...' Deckard.

Certainly, it's not an ideal example of a homophonous relationship between words, but it is the one instance I can think of with an intentional homophone in a literary text (and a conveniently simple to remember one, too. ).

Good list, N7 ...

Could you add an example to each item on your list? I know that this means a lot of work, but it would be the cream topping

I'll see what I can do...

*secretly chuffed that even someone for whom English is not the native language likes my Entry *

N7,

most of the words you are explaining in your Entry are of Latin or Greek origin. As I had the pleasure to learn Latin and Greek in school (well, it was not a pleasure then, but now, thinking back, I'm really happy about that), most of these words seem very familiar to me. Especially those about verses: We had to read old latin and greek verses like Ovid's Metamorphoses, or Homer's Ilias which were entirely written in Hexameters:

"Dam didi dam didi dam, didi dam didi dam didi damda"

Once you get the trick, it's really easy, but until then .....

Jeremy

I think the Monty Python statement was really:

'Ipswich is "Palin's drone", not Bolton"'

The rather uncommon British palindrome "IpswichciwspI" was not the case in point.

~^M^~

LOL! What a great entry. It reminds me quite a bit of the section on lexicon in "An Incomplete Education". Very fitting topic for h2g2 *cough*... perhaps it should become required reading for *cough* Subs...or not....

I should do something about this cough.