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  • Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Word Origins forty-four. The word origin today is

  • oxymoron. Remember, we use this in English to

  • mean a word that has a word or a term that actually has kind of opposing

  • meanings together or used together. So let's look at the note here. So an

  • oxymoron is a term that contains two opposing words that don't seem to belong

  • together. When you hear them they feel like they they should almost be

  • like you know, turning a magnet around when it repels each other. Yet they are

  • used together to have a particular meaning. So sometimes you point it out

  • when you get a combination of words together they have a meaning by itself,

  • but they don't look like they belong together because they are kind of

  • opposites. So it really strikes you when you see them. All right. So let's continue

  • here. The origin of the term oxymoron comes from a Greek word oxymoros. Okay.

  • Which means pointedly foolish. \"Oxy 'you know , at the beginning of the word , oxy

  • moros can mean sharp or keen. You know sharp or keen. Moros can mean dull

  • stupid or foolish. Okay. So let's continue. In this sense, oxymoron has two opposing

  • meanings. Yes. So oxymoron the word itself is an

  • oxymoron. Almost in two ways. Let's continue. One is pointy or sharp. So 'oxy'

  • can mean pointy or sharp. compared to dull that is not sharp. So that's one way

  • that oxymoron is an oxymoron. it also has sharp or keen ...remember we

  • use sharp ... somebody who's sharp is smart. They are quick they learn quickly. Keen also

  • usually means that you're skilled or talented or especially smart. Which

  • suggests one is smart and alert. Opposed to meaning dull and stupid. So again the

  • word oxymoron ... the origin of it, the two separate parts of it is kind of an

  • oxymoron in two ways. In two ways it has opposing

  • meanings together. All right , and here's just some examples of our typical

  • oxymorons when we see them . Bittersweet this is one I often use as an example. We

  • could say like a bittersweet victory. I think we used to talk about the Williams

  • sisters. I think there was a couple of times where they played each other for

  • the championship. So whoever wins you think , well it's a

  • bittersweet victory. So it's a sweet of course because you won, but a little

  • bitter because you beat your sister. So in order for you to win, your sister had

  • to lose. So in this sense it's kind of a bitter sweet victory. That's the way we

  • would use that or a true myth. Well remember a lot of myths... well you know, myth is

  • used in a couple of different ways. It's used about the old Greek and Roman

  • myths which were not completely sure whether there is truth or how much truth

  • there is to them. But myth is also used to be an idea that a lot of people

  • believe but that you know, at least some people think is false. So if you say true

  • myth. Well yes it could go together maybe this particular myth really is

  • true. So again, it's an oxymoron truth and myth. Myth is usually something that

  • is not correct or not true. Freezer burn , All right. We do know

  • freezer burn. It's a real thing. Anybody who ever had ice cream in the freezer for

  • like a year or something or way too long, and I guess some of the the cold seeped

  • into the ice cream. And when you open it up it's got frost on top. That's called

  • freezer burn. So the ice cream can get freezer burn, but yet it is an oxymoron

  • here you got freezer with something's really cold, Burn of course it's hot so

  • you have a freezer burn. Old news yes well you know all those it could be old

  • and you know something new together but there is such a thing as old news. Okay,

  • Jumbo shrimp that's one I often hear come up. Jumbo of course always means

  • something that's very, very large. Shrimp was always something that's very, very

  • small. So in this sense it is an oxymoron but it's a it's a real thing. You can have

  • jumbo shrimp. A deafening silence well if something is a deafening silence , it means

  • somebody a lot of people are silent about something but they should be

  • screaming about it. They should be loud So in that sense, it's a deafening silence.

  • So these are real things. These are real terms that have put together with words

  • that seem to oppose each other. That don't seem like they should ever go

  • together. Anyway, I hope you got it . I hope it's clear. Thank you for your time. Bye=

  • bye.

Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Word Origins forty-four. The word origin today is

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