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Answer for the clue "T S Eliot's quirky figure of speech ", 7 letters:
litotes

Alternative clues for the word litotes

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.