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T S Eliot's quirky figure of speech
Answer for the clue "T S Eliot's quirky figure of speech ", 7 letters:
litotes
Alternative clues for the word litotes
- Figure of speech like "not unlike"
- 'Not unhappy,' e.g
- using ___: Mary had no giant lamb / Its fleece was not unwhite
- Little child in stories making understatement
- Figure of speech that employs ironic understatement
- Understatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary)
- Understatement for effect
Word definitions for litotes in dictionaries
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
rhetorical figure in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its opposite, from Greek litotes , literally "plainness, simplicity," from litos "smooth, plain, small, meager," from PIE root *(s)lei- "slimy, sticky, slippery" (hence "smooth"); ...
Wikipedia
Word definitions in Wikipedia
In rhetoric , litotes (, or ) is a figure of speech wherein understatement is used to emphasize a point by stating a negative to further affirm a positive, often incorporating double negatives for effect. For example, "She's not bad looking" could be used ...
Usage examples of litotes.
With no small joy we have observed the litotes bushes, once more in flower down by the shores of our literal sea.