# favorite oxymoron **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 15, 1999, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376 "1999-08-15T05:39:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![red\_wings](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/47e85d/32.png) [@red\_wings](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_wings)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 1999, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/21 "1999-08-19T08:36:00Z")
metal wood ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 1999, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/22 "1999-08-19T10:36:00Z")
omniscient…no, I’m thinking of a word as ‘specialised/educated’ as oxymoron. I used it as a mnemonic, as in: ‘A (blank) is a contradictory oxymoron.’ I tried my thesauras - no luck. How else do you find these words…ask the SDMB, of course! ---
**Author:** ![smarks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@smarks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smarks)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 1999, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/23 "1999-08-20T01:36:00Z")
smart ass ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 1999, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/24 "1999-08-20T04:04:00Z")
Glee - I’ve always called those internal redundancies: **very active two-year old** is my personal favorite of those. * * * Sue from El Paso [members.aol.com/majormd/index.html](http://members.aol.com/majormd/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 1999, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/25 "1999-08-20T12:51:00Z")
Tautology! - ‘contradictory oxymoron’ is a tautology - ‘non-repetitive tautology’ is an oxymoron ---
**Author:** ![kellibelli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e480ec/32.png) [@kellibelli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellibelli)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 1999, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/26 "1999-08-20T13:00:00Z")
loving husband. ---
**Author:** ![stpete\_macrtst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@stpete\_macrtst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpete_macrtst)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 1999, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/27 "1999-08-20T15:51:00Z")
plastic silverware ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 1999, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/28 "1999-08-21T02:05:00Z")
“jumbo shrimp” is not an oxymoron: “Jumbo” = large “shrimp” = shellfish Nothing contradictory about that. ---
**Author:** ![micro\_user](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@micro\_user](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micro_user)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 1999, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/29 "1999-08-22T01:26:00Z")
radar ralf’s “spoonerisms” reminded me of: What’s the difference between the “Rockettes” and a 3-ring circus? One of them is a cunning array of stunts! and, What’s the difference between a rooster and a lawyer? One of them clucks defiance! ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 1999, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/30 "1999-08-22T01:52:00Z")
shiner bock, Member, posted 08-18-1999 07:36 PM > [@](#): > > guest host > used by The Tonight Show whenever someone would stand in for johnny carson. SB: you must’ve missed the show when Johnny asked Ed who is favourite guest host is. Ed answered, “Johnny Carson.” ---
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 1999, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/31 "1999-08-22T02:23:00Z")
One I heard last night at the end of a History Channel special about the '70s… '70’s chic. BWAAAAAhahahahaha! ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 1999, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/32 "1999-08-23T03:14:00Z")
(For aircraft) Near miss ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 1999, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/33 "1999-08-23T19:41:00Z")
ebeth, Shirley Ujest- I think you’re thinking of redundancies, not oxymorons. Giligan- actually, a replica made by the same person as the original is authentic; one made by someone else is inauthentic. kellibelli- isn’t that kind of a mean thing to say? ## glee- “redundancy” and “tautology” aren’t quite the same thing. A tautology is statement that states an obviously true fact, e.g. “Everyone that owns a red car owns at least one car.”, “The fittest members of a species tend to reproduce more than the others.” (creationist argue that evolution is flawed because it’s based upon a tautology. In other words, it’s obviously wrong because it’s based upon an obviously true statement. ???) “contradictory oxymoron” is not a tautology because it’s not a statement. “Oxymorons are contradictory.” would be a tautology. -Ryan " ‘Ideas on Earth were badges of friendship or enmity. Their content did not matter.’ " -Kurt Vonnegut, \* Breakfast of Champions \* ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 1999, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/34 "1999-08-23T21:35:00Z")
The Ryan, A fine distinction there! Of course, I’m looking for a mnemonic using ‘tautology’ and ‘oxymoron’. How about: a necessarily false tautology is an oxymoron Would a ‘necessarily true tautological statement’ be a tautology? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 1999, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/35 "1999-09-02T19:07:00Z")
OK, how about an altruistic shellfish? a green (=unripe) orange? the late General Early? a despicable noble? a depressed gay? (while we’re at it, how about a male Lesbian – entirely possible; The island of Lesbos must have inhabitants of both sexes) ---
**Author:** ![nhaerens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b38774/32.png) [@nhaerens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nhaerens)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 1999, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376/36 "1999-09-02T19:58:00Z")
In Canada there is a party called Progressive Conservatives How about Military Intelligence or That guy was really dead [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-oxymoron/7376.md?page=1)