Author Topic: What is a Paraprosdokian?  (Read 611 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Rebel

  • Stick a fork in us. We're done.
  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16768
  • Reputation: +1239/-215
What is a Paraprosdokian?
« on: January 14, 2011, 12:10:54 PM »
A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax.

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


 
I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather.  Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.


 
Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.


 
The last thing I want to do is hurt you… but it's still on the list.


 
Light travels faster than sound.  This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.


 
If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong.


 
We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.


 
War does not determine who is right - only who is left.


 
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit;  Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.


 
The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.


 
Evening news is where they begin with, 'Good evening', and then proceed to tell you why it isn't...


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


 
A bus station is where a bus stops.  A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station...


 
How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?


 
Some people are like Slinkies ... not really good for anything, but you can't help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.


 
Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.


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


 
A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don't need it.


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


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


 
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?


 
Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.


 
Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for President and 50 for MissAmerica?


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


 
A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.


 
You do not need a parachute to skydive.  You only need a parachute to skydive twice...


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


 
Always borrow money from a pessimist.  He won't expect it back.


 
A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip.


 
Hospitality:  making your guests feel like they're at home, even if you wish they were.


 
Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.


 
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.


 
Some cause happiness wherever they go.  Others, whenever they go.


 
I used to be indecisive.  Now I'm not sure.


 
I always take life with a grain of salt, plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila.


 
When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.


 
You're never too old to learn something stupid.


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


 
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.


 
Some people hear voices.  Some see invisible people.  Others have no imagination whatsoever.


 
A bus is a vehicle that runs twice as fast when you are after it as when you are in it.


 
If you are supposed to learn from your mistakes, why do some people have more than one child?


 
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.


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










 
 

 

NAMBLA is a left-wing organization.

Quote
There's a reason why patriotism is considered a conservative value. Watch a Tea Party rally and you'll see people proudly raising the American flag and showing pride in U.S. heroes such as Thomas Jefferson. Watch an OWS rally and you'll see people burning the American flag while showing pride in communist heroes such as Che Guevera. --Bob, from some news site

Offline Eagle Kammback

  • Probationary (Probie)
  • Posts: 54
  • Reputation: +10/-6
  • It's gonna be big!
Re: What is a Paraprosdokian?
« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2011, 08:46:42 PM »
All those who believe in psychokinesis raise my hand.

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met.

OK, so what's the speed of dark?

How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?

If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked

something.

Support bacteria - they're the only culture some people have.

When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.

Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.

Shin: a device for finding furniture in the dark.

Many people quit looking for work when they find a job.

I intend to live forever - so far, so good.

Join the Army, meet interesting people, kill them.

If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Dancing is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire.

When I'm not in my right mind, my left mind gets pretty crowded.

Boycott shampoo! Demand the REAL poo!

Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?

What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.

I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.

Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?





Source:
Steven Wright
I stand atop a spiral stair
An oracle confronts me there
He leads me on light years away
Through astral nights, galactic days
I see the works of gifted hands
That grace this strange and wondrous land
I see the hand of man arise
With hungry mind and open eyes