no really..i need help!
If someone says "That word's not in my dictionary. No idea what it means" With regards to the word failure (in a The Apprentice style)....Is that a metaphor or an exaggeration...obviously the word is in the dictionary..so, metaphor?
I'd say hyperbole if anything. The dictionary is a metaphor for his vocabulary, but the whole saying is a hyperbole.
I would agree with that!
Ok - it needs to be a metaphor - how could i replace the first line of the two with a metaphor that allows the second line to remain?
Quote: Griff @ July 13 2008, 11:15 PM BSTWhat the speaker really means is "it's not in my vocabulary".
Which would be a plain old exaggeration i assume....i need a metaphor in there!
Just wondering why you need to be so analytical about this? 
but is "that words a mystery" not an exaggeration?
Quote: Badge @ July 13 2008, 11:20 PM BSTJust wondering why you need to be so analytical about this?
Because it feeds into a another gag about a metaphor
So whats "the words not in my vocab."
and what's "the word is a mystery to me"
name="Griff" post="205276" date="July 13 2008, 11:44 PM BSTTo be honest, if you're unsure about these terms, I'd stay away from writing gags about them.
That's not the spirit that put a man on the moon!
The above is perfect, gag written!
Quote: Griff @ July 13 2008, 11:44 PM BST"The word's not in my dictionary" is a metonym, since the speaker doesn't mean an actual physical dictionary, but is using the word as a substitute for "vocabulary". (In the same way as we say "the bottle" to mean alcohol).
The example given is not a metonym, because the part doesn't stand for a whole.
A metonym is using a word like 'crown' for the monachy or 'hands' for workers or 'muscle' for bouncers etc.
'Dictionary' and 'vocabulary' are related but not part of each other. Using 'Dictionary' to stand for 'vocabulary ' is actually metalepsis.
Don't knock my Grammar, she's a lovely woman.
I would use something like 'That word does not compute. I have no idea what it means.'
Computer is a metaphor for brain in this context - the sum of and the abilty to process knowledge.
But unles I misread above you have written your gag now. What did you come up with?
Gag all done, thanks to griff.
It's part of a longwinded witcom scene so i wont bother posting it, suffice to say it's funny.
Jumped into this thread to see if I could help a fellow BSG member. Sadly I could not 
It's conversations such as these that make me realise that I was missing out on something during all those days off whilst the teachers striked in the mid-80's.
Are there any teachers on this site that can tell me at what age this valuable knowledge should have been taught to me, or should I have searched/studied these terms myself before now, so I wouldn't feel quite so inadequate as I do now? 
I agree with Sofa_Matt, I have no idea what half these things are. I will however take a bit of a guess.
"That word isn't in my dictionary" might be an allegory?
No. That's Hayfever.
Quote: Marc P @ July 14 2008, 9:56 AM BSTNo. That's Hayfever.
Quote: Pete @ July 14 2008, 9:17 AM BSTGag all done, thanks to griff.
It's part of a longwinded witcom scene so i wont bother posting it, suffice to say it's funny.
Hmmm...of course it is Pete, longwinded witcom sounds great.