Linguistic Device Quotes

In the pun, two strings of thought are tangled into one acoustic knot.

I do not, in fact, use many puns. Certainly there are far fewer than people believe. But I suspect the ones I do occasionally use tend to hang around in people's memories for a while.

If you don’t care about something, one way to demonstrate your feelings is to say the word and then repeat the word with the letters S-C-H-M replacing the first letters. Somebody who didn’t care about dentists, for instance could say ‘Dentist, schmentists.

Aristotle says that metaphor causes the mind to experience itself in the act of making a mistake.

Don't say 'the White House wants.' Buildings can't want.

Well, "slithy" means "lithe and slimy." "Lithe" is the same as "active." You see it's like a portmanteau - there are two meanings packed up into one word.

When an analogy is really singing, it's what you want it to be.

I learned at an early age that using the third person will push some buttons.

Alliteration seems to offend people.

Why does everyone cling to the masculine imagery and pronouns even though they are a mere linguistic device that has never meant that God is male?