From post originally published in 2009

From the greek for ‘sharply dull’, oxymorons are when words that contradict each other are combined together in error, to highlight a paradox or to satarise. A few of my usual mistakes:

• almost exactly
• simply impossible
• only choice
• nearly unique
• original copy
• initial conclusion

Much more fun is when we say something is an oxymoron to draw attention to a potential irony:

• common sense
• political integrity
• corporate ethics
• equal opportunities
• bureaucratic efficiency
• sleeping like a baby

And a few media cliches:

• friendly fire
• negative growth (recession)
• found missing
• small miracle
• modern classic

Opposites can be weird bedfellow, but combining similar words can be just as strange. A tautology is when two words or phrases that mean the same thing ‘combine together ‘ in ‘close proximity’ to create needless repetition at best and total nonsense at worst. The problem is some are so commonly used that to separate them can sound awkward. Here are a few more:

• free gift
• serious danger
• new innovation
• mutual cooperation
• original source

Sometimes a writer will claim something, for instance a lying politician or a greedy banker, is a tautology for satirical effect.

While tautologies are a waste of words they can add emphasis. Oxymorons on the other hand are sometimes used to twist language – clean coal, low-fat cream – juxtaposing opposites to change our emotional response to words.