A paraprosdokian (/pærəprɒsˈdoʊkiən/) is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence, phrase, or larger discourse 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. For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists[1] such as Groucho Marx.
Examples[edit]
- "Take my wife—please!" —Henny Youngman[12][13]
- "There but for the grace of God—goes God." —Winston Churchill[1]
- "If I could just say a few words … I'd be a better public speaker." —Homer Simpson[14]
- "If I am reading this graph correctly—I'd be very surprised." —Stephen Colbert[15]
- "If all the girls attending the Yale prom were laid end to end, I wouldn't be a bit surprised." —Dorothy Parker[16][17]
- "On his feet he wore … blisters." —Aristotle[18]
- "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it." —Groucho Marx[19][20][21]
- "My uncle's dying wish was to have me sit in his lap; he was in the electric chair." —Rodney Dangerfield[22]
- "I like going to the park and watching the children run around because they don't know I'm using blanks." —Emo Philips[19]
- "I haven't slept for ten days, because that would be too long." —Mitch Hedberg[10][23]
- "I sleep eight hours a day and at least ten at night." —Bill Hicks[10][24]
- "I don't belong to an organized political party. I'm a Democrat." —Will Rogers[25]
- “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” — Bertrand Russell[26]
- "On the other hand, you have different fingers." —Steven Wright[12]
- "He was at his best when the going was good." —Alistair Cooke[1]
- "Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read." —Jim Brewer, sometimes attributed to Groucho Marx[27][28]
