PARAPROSDOKIAN

When I received an e-mail with this title my first reaction was to hit delete. As it came from my very political sister-in-law from Arizona I assumed it had to do with a politican in Greece who didn't like Obama either.


My second thought was that it was a dance video from You Tube. You know. Like "Hey! Let's All, Do The Paraprosdokian!"

"Great", I thought. "One more new dance I will never be able to perform but it will send my more agile and athletic wife into hysterics when I try."

I was pleasantly suprised to discover I was wrong on both counts - excluding the thing about my wife's expected reaction, of course. The e-mail I received was about humor.

If you doubt the Greeks have a sense of humor you have apparently forgotten the tale about Diogenes travelling the earth in searchof an honest man.

Or, Icarus forgetting to check the wax exclusion in his health coverage.

It turns out Paraprosdokian is a figure of speech and is used for humorous or dramatic effect.
The first part of the term translates to mean "beyond", the second part means "expectations."

I thought you might enjoy a few examples:

"She looks as though she's been poured into her clothes, and forgot to say ""when.' - P.G.Wodehouse.

"If I am reading this graph correctly --- I'd be very surprised" - Stephen Colbert.

"If all the girls who attended the Yale prom were laid end to end, I wouldn't be a bit surprised." --Dorothy Parker. (Perhaps Dot spent a little too much time at the Algonquin.)

Here are some more:

"Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."

"I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness."

"The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas."

"I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you."

"Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says 'If an emergency, notify:' I put DOCTOR."

"There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away."

"I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted pay checks."

I discovered I scream the same way whether I'm about to be devoured by a great white shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot."

"Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman."

"To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target."

"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research."

"The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But, it's still on the list."

See, the Greeks really do have a word for it.

ENJOY!

GO STEELERS!