E is for “Extended Deadline” - Oxymorons from A to Z

E is for “Extended Deadline” - Oxymorons from A to Z

Excuse me. Did you really mean it, when you said that assignment was due today?

Not too many years ago, I filled in as a pinch-hitter for a high school English teacher, after spending many years in corporate America. I was astonished to discover that deadlines were nearly unenforceable in the educational system.

I’d assign an essay and announce the due date. That date would come and go, with the papers trickling in for many days afterwards. According to school policy, I’d grade each paper and then drop the point total for each late day.

Then the parents would call to complain about their kids’ grades.

Seriously, people?

What is this, Congress?

An extended deadline is no deadline at all.

What’s an oxymoron?

Basically, an oxymoron is a phrase that seems contradictory or incongruous. Taken literally, the words do not make sense. Often, oxymorons find their way into popular usage, becoming cultural catchwords or frequently used idioms.

Many of these curious wordings strike us as delightfully amiss. Besides, what sort of whimsical word is “oxymoron”?

Delightfully Amiss: Berzerkians Gone Amok … and Finding the Funk in Dysfunction is participating in the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. That means you can find a new post every day (except Sundays, because those are the event rules) throughout the month of April. Be sure to bookmark, follow, or subscribe! And please leave a comment, especially if you’re playing along with the A to Z Challenge.

Image/s:

Rotary Clock - Mobile, Alabama

by Carol Highsmith 

US Library of Congress.

Oxymorons from A to Z

Created by this user

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