Friday, June 27, 2014

Data-isms(?)

This is a form of word-play that I've encountered in informal fashion in several contexts, mostly related to Star Trek and quotes from Mr. Spock in the Original Series ("TOS") (and other Vulcans) or from Data on Next Generation ("TNG").

It consists of taking a well known saying or aphorism and re-casting it in elaborate sesquipedalian wording. I later discovered a term for this form of wordplay: Pleonasm.

The original example I recall encountering went something like:
Petrous and lignous projectiles may damage my osseous structure; but pejorative appellations shall ever remain innocuous.
(Sticks and stones my break my bones, but names will never hurt me.)
I've come up with several others, see if you can figure out their original forms:
  • It is advisable for those residing in vitreous domiciles to refrain from hurling lithic projectiles.
  • One should postpone enumeration of one's domestic fowl pending their emergence from their ovoid gestational encasements.
  • Avoid over-assiduous examination of the masticatory orifice of a gratuitously acquired equine.
  • Avians possessing indistinguishable plumage exhibit gregarious conduct.
  • An avian grasped manually is of equivalent value to a pair of such reposing in a deciduous shrub.
Of course it's not only wise sayings that can be so transformed:
  • You are hereby invited to introduce the article under consideration into a venue where illumination from our nearest stellar neighbor does not penetrate.

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