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Poll: Is this a palindrome or an oxymoron?
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Is this a palindrome or an oxymoron?

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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 08-Oct-2003, 23:27
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Default Madam, I'm Adam.

Which is it?
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Old 03-May-2006, 19:14
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Default Re: Madam, I'm Adam.

It is a Palindrome. A Palindrome is a phrase or word that reads the same from left to right as it does from right to left. eg.

Straw Wart
Racecar

There is a finnish word meaning the result from a measurement laboratory of tomatoes, "SOLUTOMAATTIMITTAAMOTULOS" which is a palindrome!
An Oxymoron on the other hand, is a phrase that is paradoxical. It usually accors with a phase made up of an adjective then noun. Examples:

"Wise fool"

Or it can be an adverb - noun phrase eg.

"Inertly Strong."

It is usually used to emphasize hypocrisy, incongruities or the complex nature of reality.
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Old 08-Aug-2006, 07:12
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Default Re: Madam, I'm Adam.

I voted for Palindrome..
according to me Oxymorons (or oxymora) are literary figures of speech usually composed of a pair of neighbouring contradictory words (often within a sentence). However this is not always the case. The Webster Dictionary defines oxymoron as "a combination of contradictory or incongruous words".

Oxymorons can be used for dramatic effect, for example: Hell's Angels and deafening silence.

Single-word Oxymora Composed of Dependent Morphemes
The more in oxymoron also gives us the more in sophomore, a "wise fool" – and there are indeed many sophomoric sophomores. Other examples: pianoforte ("soft-loud"), preposterous ("before-after"), and superette ("big-small").
Single-word Oxymora Composed of Independent Morphemes
Two meaning-bearing elements that could each be a word in itself are welded together into a single word: spendthrift, bridegroom, bittersweet, ballpoint, speechwriting, firewater and someone.
Logological Oxymora
If we view words as surface letter combinations and disregard meaning, we note that the word nook joins the opposing words no and OK, and the name Noyes, no and yes. I welcome additional specimens from Word Ways readers.
Natural Oxymora
Most speakers of English who know the definition of an oxymoron would have little trouble identifying the pairs inside out, student teacher, working vacation and small fortune as oxymora. I call this major category of oxymoronology "natural" because the perception of these duos as oxymora is relatively direct and effortless and does not depend on plays on words or personal values
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Old 18-Aug-2006, 14:59
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Default Re: Madam, I'm Adam.

I think it is a palindrome as my Mcmillan dyctionary says like this" a word or phrase is the same whether you read it forwards or backwards, such as noon or not a ton". Have a nice day, bye
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Old 26-Jun-2007, 05:47
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Default Re: Madam, I'm Adam.

I've just known what is a "palindrome" and an "Oxymoron" so I might give the wrong answer any way is it a "Palindrome"?
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Old 20-Dec-2007, 18:10
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Default Re: Madam, I'm Adam.

It certainly is a palindrome. Palindrome is Greek and is derived from "palin", which means "again" or, as here, "in reverse manner" + "dromos", which means "road" or "distance covered". So, the meaning is "to cover the same distance forth and back". So, a palindrome reads exactly the same, whether you read it from left to right or from right to left.

The most well-known Greek palindrome is "Ni[ps]on anomemata me monan o[ps]in" ([ps] in Greek is spelled with one letter only, that is with the letter psi). The phrase means: Wash (off) your sins, not only your face.
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Old 21-Dec-2007, 23:49
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Default Re: Madam, I'm Adam.

sorry .can you explain that what is these? l haven't understood anything.please send me answers
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Old 23-Dec-2007, 00:53
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Default Re: Madam, I'm Adam.

An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two words or phrases with contradictory (opposite) meanings are combined in a way that does not make sense, or - more often - does not seem to make sense, although the deeper meaning is logical. The following are oxymorons:

-Deafening silence.
-Mournful optimism.
-Click the start button to shut down (illogical. This is the famous Windows oddity!)
-He gets home fast who drives slowly (logical in the sense that if you drive slowly you will get home safely, unlike someone who drives fast and is likely to have an accident. The latter will get home much later (if ever...), because he/she will have to spend some time in hospital first).

You can see a long list of oxymorons here. Quite a few of them are funny. Many of them deviate from my understanding of an oxymoron, though.

Note: in the stricter sense, an oxymoron always contains only seemingly contradictory terms, the deeper meaning always being logical.
------------------

A palindrome is simply a word, phrase or sentence that sounds the same whether you read it from beginning to end or from end to beginning (whether left to right or right to left). Intermediate spaces, punctuation, apostrophes etc. don't count:

-Refer
-Level
-Madam, I'm Adam (madamimadam).
-A man, a plan, a canal, Panama! (amanaplanacanalpanama)
-Won't lovers revolt now? (wontloversrevoltnow)

Now read them again, this time from right to left.

An extensive list of palindromes can be seen here.
------------------

Some of the above examples were taken from dictionaries.

Last edited by aggelos; 23-Dec-2007 at 01:03.
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Old 04-Feb-2008, 17:32
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Default Re: Madam, I'm Adam.

Spanish: Dabale arroz el abad a la zorra. (Something like The monk gave the fox (female fox) rice)
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Old 04-Feb-2008, 17:37
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Default Re: Madam, I'm Adam.

Besides, I didn't know what an oxymoron is: it sounded like some kind of stuff you can wash your clothes with, some brand of washing powder. But now, thanks to this, and with the help of my dictionary, I know I was right and I also know a new concept. Thanks
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