Oxymorons
Oxymorons are phrases or words that seem to contradict themselves. Here are a few that passed across our desks. If you know of any more, share them with us through our contact page.
- wise men (The daughter of John Anderson's friend was suspended from class by her male teacher for suggesting this was an oxymoron - 2020)
- industrial agriculture (Thanks to Gene Engene - 2020)
- up under (Thanks to Rhonda Traylor)
- smart bomb (Thanks to Rob McClacherty
- shared secret (Thanks to Rob McClacherty
- almost exactly
- boxing ring
- center around
- civil war
- divorce court
- dodge ram
- holy hell
- irate patient
- long shorts
- Mobil station
- original copy
- scheduled spontaneity
- still moving
- Fresh frozen (Thanks to Patricia Dorchak)
- New and improved (Thanks to Josh Turner
- Organised chaos (Thanks to A. J. Nayar)
- Glorious sadness (Thanks to Pamela Coar)
- Accidentally on purpose (Thanks to Jackie C)
- Act naturally (Thanks to Andy Barton
- Advanced BASIC (Thanks to Andy Barton
- Almost exactly (Thanks to Andy Barton
- Alone together (Thanks to Andy Barton
- Anarchy rules (Thanks to Andy Barton
- Clearly misunderstood (Thanks to Andy Barton
- A definite maybe (Thanks to Andy Barton
- Deafening silence (Thanks to Andy Barton)
- Diplomatic offensive (Thanks to David Elliot of Toronto)
- Exact estimate
- Extinct life
- Fine mess
- Found missing
- Fully empty (Thanks Whitney Lynn)
- Genuine imitation
- Good grief
- Intelligent dummy (for auto crash testing) (Thanks Whitney Lynn)
- Jumbo shrimp
- Legally drunk
- The living dead
- The majority minority, an oxymoron created in the latest census used to describe the populations of Texas and California. (Thanks Martha Thomas)
- New classic
- Now, then, (have you made up your mind?)
- Passive aggression
- Peace force
- Plastic glasses
- Pretty ugly
- Resident alien
- Retarded genius (Thanks Whitney Lynn)
- Same difference
- Sanitary landfill
- Silent scream
- Small crowd
- Soft rock
- Student teacher (Thanks Susan)
- Sweet sorrow
- Synthetic natural gas
- Taped live
- Terribly pleased
- Tight slacks
- Working vacation
Jokes
- Work party (Thanks "Dallas")
- Postal service (Thanks "Dallas")
- Rap music (Thanks "Dallas")
- Bank and trust (Thanks Greg Hunt)
- Government organization
- Microsoft Works
- Military Intelligence (Thanks to Peter Clark)
- Senate Ethics Committee (Thanks Jim Straughan)
