Figures of Speech Served Fresh

Quote:  "To commit suicide in Buffalo would be redundant." Harold Arlen

Figure of Speech:  paraprosdokian (pah rah proze DOKE ee an), the unexpected ending

Hard as it is to pronounce, the paraprosdokian is one of the best figures for instant wit.  It usually starts with a banal clause or cliche and ends with a surprise.  ("I love work; I can sit and watch it for hours.")

Arlen was a songmeister who wrote "Over the Rainbow" and "Stormy Weather," but not "Shuffle Off to Buffalo."

Snappy Answer:  “It beats staying alive in Syracuse.”