R is for “Random
Order” - Oxymorons from A to Z
Hit-or-miss, this one leaves us scrambling for sense. Sure,
times exist when rosters need to be reported in no particular order, but it's still puzzling.
Consider a list of
contestants in a talent show, for example.
Traditionally, they might be announced alphabetically. Of
course, that means the A-guy has to break the ice every time. And the Z-guy has
to play to a tired, distracted audience.
By rolling out the talent randomly, the
contest producers may aim at fairness and impartiality. So they draw names,
jumble the list, shuffle the deck, or at least pretend to order performances haphazardly.
Random may be fair, or even fun, but it’s really not order.
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:
Playing Cards by incurable_hippie
PhotoPin
Oxymorons from A to Z
Created by this user
On CoolText
Feel free to follow on Google Plus and Twitter. You are also
invited to join this writer's fan
page, as well as the Chicago Etiquette Examiner, Madison Holidays Examiner, Equestrian
Examiner and Madison
Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.
I dunno: if it's not an order, then they'd all be going on at once. Order doesn't necessarily mean a specific rule or pattern, it can also mean the way items are arranged in a line one at a time. Or so it seems to me. Hope I didn't step on your fun oxymoron there. ;)
ReplyDelete