Today is a good day because I get to use two of my favorite words in the same post. These words aren’t important in and of themselves; I just like the way they sound. They are pleonasm and superfluous. I also like onomatopoeia, but that’s fodder for a different post. “Pleonasm” and “superfluous” fall under the redundancy rubric, and they both have a subtly humorous connotation or affect – at least for me.
Here’s my list
ATM machine
absolutely essential
advance warning
attach together
boiling hot
close proximity
combined together
completely destroyed
descend down
end result
exactly the same
exact replica
fall down
attach together
basic fundamentals
foreign imports
free gift
refer back
see with one’s own eyes
sum total
tuna fish
A common pleonasm is from whence. Because whence means from where, this phrase means from from where.
please RSVP (please Repondez S’il Vous Plait: is French for “please respond if you please” or please please respond)
Oi. I’m sure I’m guilty of this. I’ll be more careful. Thanks.
I don’t know about “from whence”, Rob. I regard that as a colloquialism rather than redundant speech. World Wide Words https://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-fro2.htm makes that argument as well and points out the phrases use as far back as the thirteenth century. These days, I’d say that the proper use would be more likely to disrupt your audience’s concentration than the phrase. It depends on the sentence and the setting, but as a rule I use “from whence”, especially when referring to super-villains from heck. 😛
Oh well, might as well burn me at the stake. I’m guilty on all counts!!!:) Just give me some ‘advance warning’ before you light the fire! Hugs to you my friend. Just came by to pester you! 🙂 🙂 Robin
Thanks for the post… I really, really enjoyed your blog….
was the post a deliberate mistake? Good stuff… thanks
Hi Rob –
How ’bout these?
> general consensus
> The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
– Lulu
right out of the “department of the redundancy department”.
Oi. I’m sure I’m guilty of this. I’ll be more careful. Thanks.
I don’t know about “from whence”, Rob. I regard that as a colloquialism rather than redundant speech. World Wide Words https://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-fro2.htm makes that argument as well and points out the phrases use as far back as the thirteenth century. These days, I’d say that the proper use would be more likely to disrupt your audience’s concentration than the phrase. It depends on the sentence and the setting, but as a rule I use “from whence”, especially when referring to super-villains from heck. 😛
Oh well, might as well burn me at the stake. I’m guilty on all counts!!!:) Just give me some ‘advance warning’ before you light the fire! Hugs to you my friend. Just came by to pester you! 🙂 🙂 Robin
Thanks for the post… I really, really enjoyed your blog….
was the post a deliberate mistake? Good stuff… thanks
Hi Rob –
How ’bout these?
> general consensus
> The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
– Lulu
right out of the “department of the redundancy department”.