The Great Oxymoron Contest

Authors

Bo Mitchell

Abstract

An oxymoron is defined by Willard Espy in the Garden of Eloquence (Harper and Row, 1983) as "a figure in which an epithet of contrary meaning is added to a word". He gives several examples, including "their love was bittersweet, "wise folly, and "a deafening silence".

Recommended Citation

Mitchell, Bo (1983) "The Great Oxymoron Contest," Word Ways: Vol. 16 : Iss. 4 , Article 3.
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/wordways/vol16/iss4/3