Do you know or see common linguistic oxymorons in one of your languages? One of my favorites encountered a lot in books: This page intentionally left blank.
Español: Después de hablar se hizo un clamoroso silencio. Copia original Ladrón honrado Deutsch: “Eile mit Weile!” scharfsinnige Dummheit
People "staying away in droves" (a drove is a herd of livestock being guided over a long distance by a herdsman. It derives from the verb "drive" in it's original pre-automobile sense).
What about vulgar examples? I have over the years heard the expression, "bored as fuck". I mean, just how boring can a fuck be? [if other members find this use of vulgarism/profanity offensive I don't mind if it is deleted - I'm not sure just how sensitive some of you may be ]
I don't mind such words, peregrinus. Maybe some others don't like this but no problem for me. I hate the expression "to think outside the box". What box? where? how big is it? is it inflexible material like glass or is it like elastic, or a prison's cell? is it the size of all the thoughts by the person, or all the wordl? or the person in all his or her life, or only the thoguths about one subject? has it a lid which is closed or sometimes open, would the thoughts sometimes be in or outside the box, or always in (or out). And, in addition, which thgouthst are in the box, are those the accepted ones? One minute you must think absolutely how they tell that you must, and if not then you are delusional, but then this expression say that you must think outside the box, therefore not in the box and how they tell that you must. for sure it's a veyr stupid expression. Perosnally, I don't think inside or outside the box, because my thoughts are not interested in a stupid prison box at all. Copia original hahahaha LOL.
Peregrinus, Perigrinus, Perigrinus. I just swallowed my gum. Too funny. I think Lenny Bruce did something along those lines, probably got sent to jail for it back in the dark ages. Some people would like to bring back those ages, but under whose aegis ?
It would be boring for the prostitutes I suppose. rush hour is an oxymoron because you can't rush in this hour at all, especially not in a car or a bus.
English is full of them. Here's a prey good list to get started: http://grammar.about.com/od/rhetoricstyle/a/100-Awfully-Good-Examples-Of-Oxymorons.htm R. ==