Grawlix (also called “obscenicon” or “symbol swearing”) refers to the use of typographical symbols in place of an obscenity (e.g., “$%@!”).
Grawlix is frequently used in comic strips to indicate that a character is thinking or saying a swear word. It’s also used on social media platforms as a way to obscure inappropriate language. Grawlix can be used by itself or as part of a sentence.
Examples: Grawlix“#$@!”
“Where the %@#! is my car? I parked it right here.”
Published on
12 August 2023
by
Eoghan Ryan.
Revised on
26 October 2023.
A simile is a rhetorical device used to compare two things using the words “like”, “as”, or “than”.
Similes can be used to create vivid imagery or to draw surprising connections between two unrelated things. They’re commonly used in literature, advertising, and everyday speech and are closely related to metaphors and analogies.
Examples: SimilesAnthony used to be as strong as an ox.
Published on
11 August 2023
by
Eoghan Ryan.
Revised on
27 October 2023.
A metaphor is a figure of speech that implicitly compares two unrelated things, typically by stating that one thing is another (e.g., “that chef is a magician”).
Metaphors can be used to create vivid imagery, exaggerate a characteristic or action, or express a complex idea.
Metaphors are commonly used in literature, advertising, and everyday speech.
Published on
1 August 2023
by
Eoghan Ryan.
Revised on
27 October 2023.
In rhetoric, a tautology is the unnecessary repetition of an idea using different words (e.g., “a free gift”).
Tautologies are often considered to be a stylistic fault that should be avoided. However, they can also be used effectively as a rhetorical device or figure of speech.
The term may also refer to a logical tautology: a statement that is true in all circumstances because it includes all possibilities (e.g., “it will snow tomorrow or it will not”).
Example: Rhetorical tautologiesMark is an unmarried bachelor.
In my opinion, I think it’s a good book.
The party was an unexpected surprise.
The boat will depreciate in value.
NoteThe term “tautology” is often used interchangeably with “pleonasm”.
Some sources try to make a distinction between the two: pleonasms repeat the inherent quality of a thing but may involve different parts of speech (e.g., “burning fire”), while tautologies involve synonyms (e.g., multiple adjectives with the same meaning: “a big, huge truck”). However, this distinction is rarely followed in practice.
