100 Awfully Good Examples of Oxymorons

100 Awfully Good Examples of Oxymorons An oxymoron  is a figure of speech, usually one or two words in which  seemingly  contradictory terms appear side by side. This contradiction is also known as a  paradox. Writers and poets have used it for centuries as a literary device to describe lifes inherent conflicts and incongruities. In speech, oxymorons can lend a sense of humor, irony, or sarcasm. Using Oxymorons The word oxymoron is itself oxymoronic, which is to say contradictory. The word is derived from two ancient Greek words oxys, which means sharp, and moronos, which means dull or stupid. Take this sentence, for example: This was a minor crisis and the only choice was to drop the product line. There are two oxymorons in this sentence: minor crisis and only choice. If youre learning English as a second language, you might be confused by these figures of speech. Read literally, they contradict themselves.  A crisis is defined as a time of serious difficulty or importance. By that measure, no crisis is unimportant or minor. Similarly, choice implies more than one option, which is contradicted by only, which implies the opposite. But once you become fluent in English, its easy to recognize such oxymorons for the figures of speech that they are. As the textbook author Richard Watson Todd said, The true beauty of oxymorons is that, unless we sit back and really think, we happily accept them as normal  English. Oxymorons have been used since the days of the ancient Greek poets, and William Shakespeare sprinkled them throughout his plays, poems, and sonnets. Oxymorons also feature in modern comedy and politics. The conservative political writer William Buckley, for instance, became famous for quotes like an intelligent liberal is an oxymoron. 100 Examples of Oxymorons Like other kinds of figurative language, oxymorons (or oxymora) are often found in literature. As shown by this list of 100 awfully good examples, oxymorons are also part of our everyday speech. Youll find common figures of speech, plus references to works of classic and pop culture. absent presence (from Astrophil and Stella by Sir Philip Sidney)alone togetherawful goodbeggarly riches (from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions by John Donne)bittersweetbrisk vacancy (from Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror by John Ashbery)cheerful pessimistcivil warclearly misunderstoodcomfortable misery (from One Door Away From Heaven by Dean Koontz)conspicuous absencecool passioncrash landingcruel kindnessdarkness visible (from Paradise Lost by John Milton)deafening silencedeceptively honestdefinite maybedeliberate speeddevout atheistdull roareloquent silenceeven oddsexact estimateextinct lifefalsely true (from Lancelot and Elaine by Lord Tennyson)festive tranquilityfound missingfreezer burnfriendly takeovergenuine imitationgood griefgrowing smallerguest hosthistorical presenthumane slaughtericy hotidiot savantill healthimpossible solutionintense apathyjoyful sadnessjumbo shrimplarger halflascivious grace (from Sonnet 40 by William Shakespeare)lead balloonliquid marble (from Poetast er by Ben Jonson) living deadliving endliving sacrificesloosely sealedloud whisperloyal oppositionmagic realismmelancholy merriment (from Don Juan by Lord Byron)militant pacifistminor miraclenegative growthnegative incomeold newsone-man bandonly choiceopenly deceptiveopen secretoriginal copyoverbearingly modestpaper tableclothpaper towelpeaceful conquestplastic glassesplastic silverwarepoor healthpretty uglyproperly ridiculousrandom orderrecorded liveresident aliensad smilesame differencescalding coolness (from For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway)seriously funnyshrewd dumbnesssilent screamsmall crowdsoft rockThe Sound of Silence (song by Paul Simon)static flowsteel woolstudent teachersweet sorrow (from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare)terribly goodtheoretical experiencetransparent night (from When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d by Walt Whitman)true fictionTrue Lies (movie directed by James Cameron)unbiased opinionunconscious awarenessupward fallwise foolworking vacation 1:15 5 Common Figures of Speech Explained

Profile of Pope Clement VI

Profile of Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI is an important figure in Medieval History. Key Facts Pope Clement VI was also known as Pierre Roger (his birth  name). Accomplishments Sponsoring a naval crusading expedition, buying land for the papacy in Avignon, patronizing arts and learning,  and defending the Jews when pogroms flared up during the  Black Death. Occupation: Pope Place of Residence and Influence: France Important Dates: Born:  c.  1291Elected pope: May 7, 1342Consecrated: May 19, 1342Died:  1352 About Pope Clement VI Pierre Roger  was born in Corrà ¨ze, Aquitaine, France, and entered a monastery when he was still a child. He studied in Paris and became a professor there, where he was introduced to Pope John XXII. From then on his career took off; he was made  abbot of Benedictine monasteries at Fà ©camp and La Chaise-Dieu before he became archbishop of Sens and Rouen and then a cardinal. As Pope, Clement  was strongly pro-French. This would cause difficulties when attempting to broker peace between France and England, who were at that time engaged in the decades-long conflict that would come to be known as the Hundred Years War. Unsurprisingly, his efforts saw little success.   Clement was  the fourth pope to reside in Avignon, and the continued existence of the Avignon Papacy did nothing to lessen the problems that the papacy  had with Italy. Noble Italian families disputed the papacys claim to the territory, and Clement sent his nephew,  Astorge de Durfort, to settle matters in the Papal States. Though Astorge would not be successful, his use of German mercenaries to aid him would set a precedent in papal military matters that would last another hundred years. Meanwhile, the Avignon Papacy persisted. Not  only did Clement turn down an opportunity to return the papacy to Rome, but he also purchased Avignon from Joanna of Naples, whom he absolved of her husbands murder. Pope Clement  chose to stay in Avignon during the  Black Death and  survived the worst of the plague, though a third of his cardinals died. His survival may have been due, in large part, to his doctors advice to sit between two huge fires, even in the heat of summer. Though it wasnt the doctors intent,  the heat was so extreme that plague-bearing fleas couldnt get near him. He also offered  protection to the Jews when many were persecuted under suspicion of starting the pestilence. Clement  saw some success in crusading, sponsoring a naval expedition that took control of Smyrna, which was given to the Knights of St. John, and ended its pirate raids in the Mediterranean. Spurning the idea of clerical poverty, Clement  opposed extremist organizations like the Franciscan Spirituals, who advocated absolute rejection of all material comforts, and became  a patron of artists and scholars. To that end, he enlarged  the papal palace and  made it a sophisticated center of culture. Clement was a generous host and a magnanimous  sponsor, but his lavish spending would deplete the funds his predecessor, Benedict XII, had so carefully amassed, and he turned to taxation to rebuild the papacys treasury. This would sow the seeds of further discontent with the Avignon Papacy. Clement died in 1352 after a short illness. He was interred as per his wishes at the abbey at  La Chaise-Dieu, where 300 years later Huguenots would desecrate  his grave and burn his remains. More Pope Clement VI Resources Pope Clement VI in Print Clement VI: The Pontificate and Ideas of an Avignon Pope (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series) by Diana Wood Pope Clement VI on the Web Pope Clement VI, Substantial biography by N. A. Weber at the Catholic Encyclopedia.