Literary Terms

Question 1

the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect

for example, “dance a flamingo ” (instead of flamenco ).

up and Adam— up and at ‘em
nip it in the butt— nip it in the bud

Answer 1

malaprop

malapropism

Question 2

a verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect

for example, “the lord is a shoving leopard” instead of “the lord is a loving shepherd”.

bunny rabbit— runny babbit

Answer 2

spoonerism

Question 3

A representation or symbol of something else

A figure of speech

Answer 3

metaphor

Question 4

a word or phrase that results from a mishearing of something said or sung

“I am the king of wishful thinking”
I am the king, I wish for bacon

“Hold me closer, tiny dancer”
Hold me closer, Tony Danza

Answer 4

mondegreen

from Lady Mondegreen/laid him on the green

Question 5

writing that is so extravagant, ornate, or flowery as to draw excessive, uncouth attention to itself.

characterized by the excessive use of adjectives, adverbs, and metaphors

Answer 5

purple prose

purple patches

described by the Roman poet Horace (65 BC)
“Weighty openings and grand declarations often/ Have one or two purple patches tacked on, that gleam/ Far and wide”

Question 6

an artificial, highly elaborate way of writing or speaking

employing a deliberate excess of literary devices such as antitheses, alliterations, repetitions, arcane references, and rhetorical questions

Answer 6

euphuism

euphuistic

Question 7

Repetition of the initial sounds of words, as in “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

Answer 7

alliteration

Question 8

X

Answer 8

consonance

assonance

Question 9

A poem/writing in which the first letter, syllable, or word of each line, paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. (ROY G BIV)

T ruthful
H elpful
I nspiring
N eccessary 
K ind

Answer 9

acrostic

Question 10

A continuity error

The erroneous use of an object, event, idea, or word that does not belong to the same time period as its context

In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, gunshots are used as a description in a setting where guns don’t exist.

Answer 10

anachronism

anachronistic

Question 11

originally meaning a semantic misuse or error

using the wrong word or phrase

excuse/alibi
chronic/severe
travesty/tragedy

Answer 11

catachresis

Question 12

A sequence of sonnets where each one explores an aspect of a theme

Linked to the preceding and succeeding sonnets by repeating the final line of the preceding sonnet as the first line of the present sonnet. The first line of the first sonnet is repeated as the final line of the final sonnet, thereby bringing the sequence to a close.

Answer 12

sonnet corona

sonnet redoublè

also:
crown of sonnets
heroic crown (15 sonnets, linked by mastersonnet)
wreath of sonnets (as Slovene Romantic poet France Prešeren called them)

Question 13

X

Answer 13

skeuomorphic

Question 14

Escher sentence

Answer 14

More people have been to Antarctica than I have.