3 ms·
Contranyms (homophones with opposite meanings) exist in English. A potential (contrived) example in English would be to use the notion of a strike in baseball
by phamilton 7y ago
Contranyms (homophones with opposite meanings) exist in English.
A potential (contrived) example in English would be to use the notion of a strike in baseball as a covert communication for a worker strike. I could imagine signs and stickers made with an umpire making the strike hand gesture.
That's not completely contradictory, but maybe a self defense guide might use that imagery for instructing someone to strike an assailant. And there, a strike in baseball is literally missing the ball, or failing to strike the ball. So very opposite.
- mmhsieh 7y agoi was not aware of such a concept; it is interesting. i was thinking back in wwii, if they had a "hush puppies" campaign in lieu of loose lips etc. - it probably would have been mis-processed in my mind as well. puppies = yapping. any other message would be swamped by the puppy noise. my mind goes to the tangible, physical and spatial first, and the abstract/symbolic second.