It joins my other favorites, “pulchritude” and “apophasis”. For some reason, I can never remember apophasis, but it’s written down and I know where to find it.
Pulchritude is such an ugly word that it is almost anti-onomatopoeic, if there can be such a thing.
I hadn’t seen that word for a while I must say. However, since the bible and koran are basically meaningless drivel, its all pleonism upon other pleonisms in fact both are full of omnipleonisms….
Author: Your hebdomadal weekly strips are invariably always humorous and amusing but this brilliant sparkling gem of wit and repartee beats and exceeds your normal accustomary high and accomplished standards and criteria.
Acolyte, I must be scrupulously pedantic. The word “heterological” isn’t the exactly opposite of onomatopoeia. “Heterological” means “not possessing the characteristic it describes”. The word “onomatopoeia” means the use of a word that sounds like what it describes.
However, you’re correct that “heterological” is the right description for “pulchritude”. You’ve taught me a new one, so thank you. 🙂
M27Holts: And let us hope they do not also lose their head – literally, like that poor teacher in France, who, reportedly, had even pre-warned Muslim pupils that they had permission to leave the room if they wished to avoid seeing haram images.
Thank God, or should I say Praise Allah, our Author is anonymous!
Laripu, I accept your rejection of ‘heterological’ (and being of a pedantic nature myself, am compelled to point out your use of ‘the exactly opposite’ without further comment). Considering that you are seeking a term meaning ‘the exact opposite of onomatopoeic’ and that such a term does not appear to exist, then I suggest a suitable neologism in the form of ‘nonomatopoeia’ or possibly ‘notamatopoeia’.
I am afraid that the “protest” in Batley has triggered my many inner demons. Usually I have a quiet sit down and fight them, today they each get a hug and permission to run free.
Pleased to see that the petition in support of the embattled Batley teacher has reached 50,000 signatures and counting, vastly more than the crowd of Muslims and supporters complaining at the school gates. I wonder how many of the 50,000 are ordinary, non-extremist, Muslims with a sense of proportion.
Doesn’t matter if the supporters reach 5,000,000 the teacher will still be sanctioned by the disproportinate weighting that is given for offending RELIGIOUS sensibilities….until religion is afforded the same amount of respect as other lunatic ideas…we will be in this more and more I’m afraid…
There was certainly an over abundance of words in the books we were made to read in English Lit, all the works of Thomas Hardy, Jane Austen and the bronte sisters immediately spring to mind…
I don’t like the frivolous churning of portraiture on money that I see in so many countries. I much prefer the stability of American bills, which up until now have drawn from a small pool of presidents and Founding Fathers. This is set to change though, with the proposed Harriet Tubman affirmative action twenty. I have to say I am not looking forward to it!
Personally I would go for.
Fiver. Darwin.
Tenner. Newton.
Twenty. Turing.
Fifty.Hawking..
The humanities numpties can all boil their heads…Literary Genius is an oxymoron….all sibjective codswallop compared to advancement through mathematical.or biological insight…
M27. Maybe the bible has some sense after all. Matthew 7:6 refers to ‘casting pearls before swine ‘ but as I’m nowt but a numpty I’m off to boil my head.
Jesus & Mo (the characters) are absurd, blinkered, and oddly very sweet. J&M (the cartoon) is brilliant: sharp, delicious, irresistible. Salman Rushdie
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In a world defined by outrage and offence and liberal spinelessness, Jesus and Mo is a treasure, whose value we should never fail to recognize. Read them. Laugh. And think. Kenan Malik
The brilliant, celebrated, freaking hilarious atheist comic strip ... Greta Christina
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The liveliest depictions of Muhammad currently available... Malise Ruthven
J & Mo is the funniest and most consistently thought-provoking cartoon strip on the Net. In a saner world, it would run in a major newspaper. Nelson Jones, Heresy Corner
Consistently amusing, frequently thought-provoking and often heart-warming. New Humanist
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Wittily captures much of the absurdity of religious apologetics. Mano Singham
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Often hilarious, frequently wry, these cartoons do what all the best cartoons do: they tell the truth through humour. Terry Sanderson, NSS President
...a wonderfully acid British cartoonist... Nick Cohen
I love the scrappy mockery of Jesus and Mo. Freedom of speech
includes the freedom to mock any person, any thing, any activity, and
any belief -- and J&M stands up for this unflinchingly Richard Stallman
...empowering, important and deeply progressive, not to mention hilarious... Council of Ex-Muslims
February 24, 2006
Not Tautology in it’s mathematical sense obvs…
This is now a favorite!! Well done!
Only in the sense that it’s saying the same thing over and over again, time after time, like a broken record…
@M37Hold a tautology in the philological sense perhaps? 😉
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Tautology? You get an ology, you’re a scientist.
Pleonasm is a new word for me. Thanks Author.
It joins my other favorites, “pulchritude” and “apophasis”. For some reason, I can never remember apophasis, but it’s written down and I know where to find it.
Pulchritude is such an ugly word that it is almost anti-onomatopoeic, if there can be such a thing.
Heterological is the anti-onomatopoeic you seek, Laripu; a word not possessing the characteristic it describes.
These are redundant tautologies.
I will not even mention apophasis, nor should I.
Heterological is just as heterological as it isn’t hetereological.
I hadn’t seen that word for a while I must say. However, since the bible and koran are basically meaningless drivel, its all pleonism upon other pleonisms in fact both are full of omnipleonisms….
Author: Your hebdomadal weekly strips are invariably always humorous and amusing but this brilliant sparkling gem of wit and repartee beats and exceeds your normal accustomary high and accomplished standards and criteria.
My grateful thanks!
Brought to you today by the Department of Repetitive Redundancy Department, Sector R.
A teacher has lost their job in batley for showing an image of mo…
Acolyte, I must be scrupulously pedantic. The word “heterological” isn’t the exactly opposite of onomatopoeia. “Heterological” means “not possessing the characteristic it describes”. The word “onomatopoeia” means the use of a word that sounds like what it describes.
However, you’re correct that “heterological” is the right description for “pulchritude”. You’ve taught me a new one, so thank you. 🙂
@Laripu et Accolyte of Sagan… non no no. This is the internet. Respectful discussion and appreciation of each others contributions has no place here.
Also, I’m kinda feeling that twitter should have been called Pleonasm, not wrongly because tweets are short, but most need not be said at all.
M27Holts: And let us hope they do not also lose their head – literally, like that poor teacher in France, who, reportedly, had even pre-warned Muslim pupils that they had permission to leave the room if they wished to avoid seeing haram images.
Thank God, or should I say Praise Allah, our Author is anonymous!
Laripu, I accept your rejection of ‘heterological’ (and being of a pedantic nature myself, am compelled to point out your use of ‘the exactly opposite’ without further comment). Considering that you are seeking a term meaning ‘the exact opposite of onomatopoeic’ and that such a term does not appear to exist, then I suggest a suitable neologism in the form of ‘nonomatopoeia’ or possibly ‘notamatopoeia’.
I would suggest that, since most adjectives do not sound like what they are the negation is not necessary…
I am afraid that the “protest” in Batley has triggered my many inner demons. Usually I have a quiet sit down and fight them, today they each get a hug and permission to run free.
Deimos, try as you might to fight your inner demons, you will never muzzle’em.
Pleased to see that the petition in support of the embattled Batley teacher has reached 50,000 signatures and counting, vastly more than the crowd of Muslims and supporters complaining at the school gates. I wonder how many of the 50,000 are ordinary, non-extremist, Muslims with a sense of proportion.
Doesn’t matter if the supporters reach 5,000,000 the teacher will still be sanctioned by the disproportinate weighting that is given for offending RELIGIOUS sensibilities….until religion is afforded the same amount of respect as other lunatic ideas…we will be in this more and more I’m afraid…
Religious Freedom is assigned a high value.
But it really should be described as Freedom FROM Religion!
From the internet:
“ Pleonasm has a sense of using an unnecessary overabundance of redundant words in one description.
Tautology has a sense of saying the exact same in different words, using multiple words with the same meaning.”
That was more of a puzzler for me, as I was aware of only logic sense of “tautology”, which is quite different.
There was certainly an over abundance of words in the books we were made to read in English Lit, all the works of Thomas Hardy, Jane Austen and the bronte sisters immediately spring to mind…
It still pisses me off that Darwin was replaced by Austen on the tenner….True Genius replaced by an intellectual microbe by comparison….
M27Holts: Alan Turing has been commemorated on the fifty.
How often does anyone ever see a fifty?
Of course we’re talking about English notes. Up here in Scotland we have our own notes – three different sets, too.
I don’t like the frivolous churning of portraiture on money that I see in so many countries. I much prefer the stability of American bills, which up until now have drawn from a small pool of presidents and Founding Fathers. This is set to change though, with the proposed Harriet Tubman affirmative action twenty. I have to say I am not looking forward to it!
jb, neither was steven mnuchin.
Personally I would go for.
Fiver. Darwin.
Tenner. Newton.
Twenty. Turing.
Fifty.Hawking..
The humanities numpties can all boil their heads…Literary Genius is an oxymoron….all sibjective codswallop compared to advancement through mathematical.or biological insight…
Can’t we just stick Mo on the tenner and see what happens?
M27. Maybe the bible has some sense after all. Matthew 7:6 refers to ‘casting pearls before swine ‘ but as I’m nowt but a numpty I’m off to boil my head.