Quotations and Literature Forum

Friends, Romans and Countrymen ...

This morning when I checked my email there was an annoying message in my box which read; "Terminate debt easily with a loan." Are these morons suggesting that one could borrow his way out of debt?

If you have a favorite Oxymoron then I will give you my blessings to post it.

If you want to get to heaven, you've got to raise a little hell.

--Ozark Mountain Daredevils

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Jerimiah was a bullfrog; he was a good friend of mine. I never understood a single word he said but I helped him drink his wine.

--Three Dog Night

(I never understood what that meant but I always enjoyed the song. )

Military intelligence, is, of course, a classic.
There are a bunch at this webpage
http://www.oxymorons.com/oxymorons.html

I recently found this web site and thought it might interest no one on this forum.

http://www.grits.com/

GRITS=Girls raised in the south

I read this on a T-Shirt yesterday. It doesn't qualify as an oxymoron but I don't ever recall hearing it or seeing it before yesterday.

Speaking of grits. Last fall I bought a 5-pound bag of Aunt Jemima grits. The bag cost only $2.50. I cooked grits once each week for 5 months before the bag was empty. Luckily I had purchased two bags. It will take us 10 months to eat 10 pounds of grits. I can't say that the wife and chitterlings are wild about them. The favor such breakfast foods as bagels or French toast.

If you want something that will really stick to your ribs then put one tablespoon of sorghum molasses in a bowl of grits.

Sgt Fluffy

Ahh I stumbled across a large collection of Oxymorons a little while ago, whilst with nothing to do as the website suggests I visited, www.bored.com and found this supremely comprehensive list, which also has an alphabetical search on it:

www.oxymoronlist.com

The top twenty best oxymorons include:

11. Peace Force
3. Jumbo Shrimp

And at number 1 the ever popular:

Microsoft Works.

-fish are quick!

_________________
"The proper study of mankind is man."
Alexander Pope

Isn't an oxymoron someone who can't make gravy out of those little cubes?

dwest: lol (sorry but a man who can't make gravy out of those cube things? How did you come up with that? Really I'm sorry... but...) no that's not what an oxymoron is... the more exact definition which I found on the site thenostromo proposed:
"A rhetorical figure in which an epigrammatic effect is created by the conjunction of incongruous or contradictory terms"

Now.... back on topic... My favorite oxymorons are:

dangerously safe

and

virtual reality

maybe they aren't the BEST oymorons around but I like them.

_________________
* what power would hell have if those there could not dream of heaven?
~Sandman

The Absolute Truth is that there is no Absolute Truth. I sthat an oxymoron or a paradox?

This is a riddle of sorts. On the surface it does not appear to be an oxymoron. Beneathe the surface, I think that it implies that the level or quality of education in America is not compatible with the magnitude of our national debt.

If we are so well educated then why do we allow Congress and Senate to put us so deeply in debt? I think it is highly likely that we will see the collapse of our national economy in my life time. As individuals, we can do little to curtail deficiet spending.

"Should education always be related DIRECTLY to national debt or national wealth?
Is the level of education quality always measured by material factor? It's important for me to know your opinion.
I will appreciate your replies."

My answer to your initial question is speculation as to why the statement could be interpreted as an oxymoron. I will ponder your questions and offer a reply.

Is the level of education quality always measured by material factor?

This is an objective question but I will offer a subjective answer. When I was in elementary school the quality of education was measured by grades and standardized test. My grades were high but my scores on the standarized test were average or below average. This is an oxymoron in itself.

My grades are high but my test scores are low.

The quality of education at the elementary school that I attended was considered poor by comparison to the quality of education at another school. In the third grade we studied geography. I can remember that we learned that Brazil nuts came from Brazil. As children, we got Brazil nuts in our Christmas stockings along with pecans, English Walnuts and almonds. We were also under the impression that Santa Clause lived on the North Pole. I can also remember that the Amazon River was billed to be the largest river in the known world. I wasn't sure if I was living in the southern hemisphere or in the northern hemisphere. I was reasonably certain that I lived in North America.