Wondrous Words: paraprosdokian

I read this on Margot's blog
http://joyfullyretired.com/2011/03/16/wondrous-words-105/

"A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax. Here are some examples:

•We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.
•Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
•The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
•Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.
•Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
•War does not determine who is right – only who is left.
•A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a workstation.
•Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.
•You’re never too old to learn something stupid.
•Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine."

It made me chuckle.

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