You have been successfully subscribed to the Grammarly blog. ", Definition: the substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one, or an expression so substituted, Your old man wont be pleased if you stay out too late.. They were literally behaving like children. The hyperbole above is a commonly used phrase people use to signify someone who ate a lot of food. ave you ever felt at a loss for words to describe what you are feeling or the point you are making? "The 8 Greatest Hyperboles of All Time." People had to wait until sunup to find out what folks were talking about the night before," (Schlosser). 5. Truly he has a heart of gold. The following collection of eight passages displays some of the most memorable hyperboles that mediaincluding stories, poems, essays, speeches, and comedy routineshave to offer. Elizabeth's closing statement, that Darcy is the "last man in the world" whom she would ever marry, is an obvious hyperbole. Exaggeration allows people to get creative with what they are trying to communicate in amusing ways. Is my mother is always working a hyperbole? Mark Twain is rightly known as a master of hyperbole. Hyperbole, by contrast, is over-the-top and unrealistic. Itll teach you how to use hyperboles effectively in the stories you write. Elizabeth Bennet, the most free-spirited character in Pride and Prejudice, refuses Mr. Darcy's marriage proposal with a string of hyperbole: From the very beginning, from the first moment I may almost say, of my acquaintance with you, your manners impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form that ground-work of disapprobation, on which succeeding events have built so immoveable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry. 29. As we noted before, good hyperbole enhances things like emotions, characters, and comedy beats without overpowering the entire chapter. . Hyperbolas consist of two vaguely parabola shaped pieces that open either up and down or right and left. 37. He currently resides in Denver, Colorado spending his time writing, filmmaking, and traveling. You see it in the jokey working hard [AB] or hardly working [BA] and in Miltons love [A] without end [B], and without measure [B] Grace [A]. It is an important device in ancient texts, including the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. It can be hard to tell the difference between hyperbole and simile. In our previous example of wanting to eat a horse, we understand the exaggeration because nobody can eat an entire horse in one sitting. Go to the park? Jack stands at the front of the ship exclaiming, Im king of the world!. Meet beta readers, get feedback on your writing, and become a better writer! They arent always spoken, however: pleonasms show up in formal literary writing as well (What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder). Hyperbole usually carries the force of strong emotion, as in Andrew Marvell's description of a forlorn lover: Which through his surging breast do roar. (2021, February 16). Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs. Basketball is the only thing that ever mattered to him. Different examples of hyperbole can be structured quite differently as sentences. The simile, "Mary's eyes are like the sea," for instance, . Whatever the writer or character exaggerates, though, we understand that standard exaggeration is relatively mild. And if you want to get particularly literary, there is a form of antonomasia that only appears in literature, where a character is given a name that suggests their main quality, like Squire Allworthy or Captain Awesome., Antonomasia first came into English around 1500, and comes from the Greek verb antonomazein, which means to name instead., "Of the people, by the people, for the people.", Definition: repetition of a word or expression at the end of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect, government of the people, by the people, for the people Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 1863. Similarly, writers using hyperbole are hoping to use stylized expressions to heighten or enhance a particular feeling. Late at night, it got so frigid that all spoken words froze solid afore they could be heard. Hyperbole is and always has been commonplace in informal prose, but is never more beautiful and lyrical than in poetry. He's comparing Felix Hoenikker to these forces of nature to show that Hoenniker is one of them: brilliant, self-contained and impossible to control. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama. A hyperbole is a literary device that lets you say the most ridiculous things just for emphasis. When authors use hyperbole, they do not mean for their statements to be taken literally-they are exaggerating the facts for effect. Show me a pig that can fly, and Ill show you a person who doesnt lie. At least I think it is. As you can see, we either use or encounter hyperbolic language on a daily basis in our everyday speech. But in modern language, literally has been adapted to emphasize or exaggerate any situation. attempts to convince. Hyperbole is a literary device that involves using exaggerated statements or claims to emphasize a point or create a dramatic effect. Lets look at some other literary devices and rhetoric language that are similar to hyperbole. Rather than blow something up for attention, it shrinks it down. However, it seems more important to understand the distinction between hyperbole and simile: That way, if you think a figure of speech is hyperbole and simile simultaneously, you can explain why it's both. Your dad is the smartest guy in the world. However, writers who use too much hyperbole risk diluting the effect because the exaggeration wont stand out anymore. It is in common use, as much among the unlearned as among the learned; because there is in all men a natural propensity to magnify or extenuate what comes before them, and no one is contented with the exact truth. The man was wearing pants 67 sizes too big. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.5a Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text. 40. Everything You Need to Know About Appendices in Writing, Chicago Manual of Style Format and Citations. The barbarians broke through the barricade. In film, a great example of this can be found in the film Titanic. Because hyperbole is a form of exaggeration, you must first pick your subject. The light flows into the bowl of the midnight sky, violet, amber and rose. 27. Epistrophe appears quite a bit in drama, where the repetition can increase dramatic tension or provide subtle commentary on the action. People may not always think big themselves, but they can still get very excited by those who do. The stones were hot. I literally died. Your email address will not be published. It wasn't safe to come out of the shelter until noon the next day. 3. Allie has a million pairs of shoes in her closet. This helps us understand Macbeth better and even helps us understand his commitment to going forward with his villainous plans: in his mind, theres no going back. Hyperbole means to exaggerate or go well beyond literal reality, whereas understatement goes under it. A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things in order to make a description more vivid and interesting. 2010 The Thought & Expression Company, LLC. Definition & Examples, What is an Oxymoron? We used to have to get out of the lake at three o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, go to work at the mill every day for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would beat us around the head and neck with a broken bottle, if we were lucky!Terry Gilliam: Well we had it tough. It can be hyperbolic in the sense that something might be overly diminished (for example, calling a Great Dane a lapdog), but it has the opposite effect of hyperbole. "I don't understand," I said. Shes more broken than Donald Trumps administration. Exaggeration is often more fun than believable. In Slaughterhouse Five, he uses hyperbole to describe what Dresden looks like after the firebombing attack that Vonnegut himself survived: It wasnt safe to come out of the shelter until noon the next day. The easiest way to spot the difference between the two is that hyperbole is an heightened exaggeration of something that could happen. You're as light as a feather. My father drives 1,000 miles per hour! . "I'll meet you by the statue of the Bard. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. Not all hyperbole is meant to be funny, and you can certainly use hyperbole to tell very dark and serious stories. The opposite of hyperbole. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye. The sight of them kissing is so gross that it makes me want to puke. Keith was speeding down the empty road in his Mustang and listening to " Smells Like Teen Spirit " on the radio. A visual medium requires visual methods. As you run through these, you'll be able to see just how common and effective this figure of speech really is. No. For example, in the hyperbolic statement, "My backpack weighs a ton ," the speaker doesn't actually think the backpack . Idiom, meanwhile, is often only understood metaphorically. Exaggeration makes it clear how much a person believes in a statement. Here, Twain combines some realistic fear responses (physically shaking and anxiously looking around) with over-the-top comparisons. When characters use hyperbole in this familiar way, it makes them easier to relate to, because theyre using phrases and terms that the rest of us use in our daily lives. They will help you understand the contexts in which hyperbolic speech can be used and the purposes it can serve, from capturing a reader or listener's attention to dramatizing in order to convey strong emotions. Why is it so commonly used and what is it effective at communicating? In addition to being beautiful in and of itself, her poem will be familiar to anyone whos struggled to find the right words to express how they feel about another person. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County. 71. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.4 Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. Way too many moons have passed since I last saw you. Feeling 'bumfuzzled' or have the 'collywobbles'? And yet, for all its size and all its wealth and all the "progress" it babbles of, it is almost as sterile, artistically, intellectually, culturally, as the Sahara Desert," (Mencken 1920). Dresden was like the moon now, nothing but minerals. Hyperbole has been used since the days of ancient Greece, and its use has been criticized for just as long. Take this statement for example: I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse. 43. Hyperbole often appears in literature, particularly prose literature like novels and stories. You would think that the emphasis would be on the word or phrase being repeated, but epistrophe is often used in order to highlight subtle differences in the repeated words or phrase. The slashes indicate line breaks. We used to have to get up at six o'clock in the morning, clean the bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down mill for 14 hours a day week in, week out. While youre not limited to these choices, the best subjects for hyperbole are usually emotions. 21. Hyperbole examples The Sandlot. Nordquist, Richard. Often, hyperbolic poems and songs like these three are about love. Kurt Vonnegut is a master of hyperbole. This popular form of exaggeration and enhancement is referred to as hyperbole. But using hyperbole in his poetry, Auden can approach this time-worn theme from a fresh perspective. Hyperbole is a specialized type of literary device that uses exaggerated statements in order to enhance certain narrative effects on the reader. I was literally freezing to death. 7. What is the definition of hyperbole and how do we distinguish this from other literary devices. One thinks of the interstellar spaces, of the colossal reaches of the now mythical ether. Whether you're crafting the next great American novel, a comedic screenplay, or advertising a product in a commercial, you'll need to have this technique in your toolkit. 2. [In reference to a bad storm.]. For example, the simile that its hot like an oven out there involves a bit of exaggeration, but not necessarily that much. understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary . While hyperbole is a very versatile literary device, its primary purpose is either to bring humor to a story, or to emphasize a point the writer wishes to make. Writers use hyperbole to emphasize a certain quality or draw attention to an issue by making it seem bigger or more dramatic. Janie read a book by the babbling brook. The Roman rhetorician Quintilianus eloquently describes this tricky concept by explaining that rather than a deceitful lie, hyperbole is "an elegant surpassing of the truth": Philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca also defends this way of speaking, saying that hyperbole "asserts the incredible in order to arrive at the credible," (Seneca 1887). This expression is hyperbole, a dramatic overstatement that draws attention to a certain issue. The sun being described as an angry little pinhead makes it seem like the characters are far away. We used to have to get up out of the shoebox at 12 o'clock at night and lick the road clean with our tongues. Examples of Hyperbole: 1. Youve probably heard common hyperboles in everyday conversations such as Im so hungry, I could eat a horse, Ive seen this movie a hundred times, or It cost an arm and a leg., How to pronounce 'hyperbole': hi-PUR-bo-lee. Good hyperbole starts by making sure that your use of it isnt overly jarring and that it propels both your characters and narrative forward. At first, the sentence seems like a simile because: However, Brautigan's comparison also exaggerates the noise of Mellon's smacking lips by comparing it to the clash of cymbals. Im so hungry I could eat a horse and its sister. Thanks, Your email address will not be published. Deliberate minimizing of the seriousness of an idea. Weve all heard at least one person in their lives talk about being so hungry I could eat a horse. Logically, the persons stomach couldnt contain an entire horse, and horsemeat probably isnt their first choice. Id travel the multiverse if it meant seeing that smile one more time. For example, lets say you picked a particular character as a subject for hyperbole. When some characters are more prone to exaggeration and others are less prone, it helps your ensemble feel more realistic. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5a Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context. Step 3: We find { {a}^2} a2 using the distance between the vertices, 2a 2a. Master the art of visual storytelling with our FREE video series on directing and filmmaking techniques. Migraines And Dating: How It Feels To Date Someone Who Cares, 10 Real Reasons Youre Perpetually Single, Valentines Day Streaming Guide: The Best Rom-Coms To Binge On Netflix, HBO Max, And More. So, no matter the circumstances, when a point needs to be made sometimes plain language is simply insufficient. But if I said its as hot as the surface of the sun out there, then Ive just used a hyperbole, because the sun is over 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit! Writers and people in general exaggerate accounts of their experiences in an effort to communicate. Hyperbole is one of the most common literary devices and figures of speech used in everyday language. 50. Its not just moderate exaggeration, but extreme exaggeration: being hungry enough to eat a horse, or so angry you will literally explode, or having to walk 40 miles uphill both ways to school every day. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Dombey stiff with starch and arrogance), Bleak House (where one colonialist character speaks of a view to the general cultivation of the coffee berryand the natives), Our Mutual Friend (Mr and Mrs John Harmontaking possession of their rightful name and their London house,just one of many examples), and this beautiful sylleptic garden-path of a sentence in Little Dorrit: Romance, however, Flora went on, busily arranging Mr F.'s Aunt's toast, as I openly said to Mr F. when he proposed to me and you will be surprised to hear that he proposed seven times, once in a hackney-coach, once in a boat, once in a pew, once on a donkey at Tunbridge Wells, and the rest on his knees, Romance was fled with the early days of Arthur Clennam. Let's take a closer look at these words: Understatement Using much less [] The sun was an angry little pinhead. Theres more syllepsis in The Pickwick Papers (Miss Bolo rose from the table considerably agitated, and went straight home, in a flood of tears and a sedan-chair.), Dombey and Son (Mr. Meiosis is a strategic understatement that diminishes or downplays . These shorter pleonasms sometimes become fixed as idioms: free gift and tuna fish are two pleonasms that pedants complain about regularly, though they are common in English. In fact, this device can describe an individual or group of people in a variety of positive and negative ways, including to express deep respect and admiration. Simile Examples for Advanced Readers. Hyperbole can be controversial as it is almost always in partial conflict with the truthfurther, those that use this form of speech, especially in excess, are often criticized as immature, fanatical, and distant. There cannot be more than one best and worst and you are probably not actually hungry enough to eat a horse, but over-the-top claims like these can be helpful in making a point more clear. This is why hyperbole goes hand-in-hand with satire. Instead, hyperbole is a way of helping us to better understand your overall narrative. this is amazing i really love it thanks so much. You see it most often in phrases like not bad to mean good and not uncommon to mean common, though sometimes litotes is less obvious: Springfield is no ordinary city and hes not the smartest guy around also use litotes. That red font is their links. Definition and Examples from Literature. But by using hyperbole to paint the British as cannibals with a taste for for Irish babies, Swift more effectively captures the readers imagination. It is like hyperbole, but the opposite. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.5a Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context. Understatement is a figurative language technique. The exaggeration is the reason the line has become iconic in cinema. "If I actually supervised Felix," he said, "then I'm ready now to take charge of volcanoes, the tides, and the migrations of birds and lemmings. In everyday conversation, we might say, He is as tall as a building to describe a really tall person. What can be said about aporia? 4. Incidentally, this is one of the reasons why we can only afford to use hyperbole very sparingly. There is a simmering debate as to whether a figure of speech can be considered both hyperbole and simile simultaneously. Hyperbole is used in literature, rhetoric and everyday speech. By relying on metaphor much more often than you rely on hyperbole, you can make the hyperbole have an added effect on the rare occasions you engage in it. But those arent the only types of antonomasia around. EX: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." Mark Twain. Hyperbole is often a boldly overstated or exaggerated claim or statement that adds emphasis without the intention of being literally true. Hyperbole is used throughout common conversations, speech, rhetoric, film, and literature. Nordquist, Richard. Its an innocent form of exaggerationand a very effective form of promotion.. We make a better team than Bonnie and Clyde. A hyperbola is two curves that are like infinite bows. Readers also get a sense of how the character is starting to disassociate, thinking of himself in a remote and empty landscape not unlike the moon. Meiosis is a purposeful understatement intended to diminish or shrink the subject. The narrator in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird uses the repetition of hyperbolenowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to seeto emphasize the slow pace of life in her county. Hyperbole is not meant to be taken literally, but rather understood as a means of communicating something specific. 63. In your own stories, selective use of hyperbole as a rhetorical device can do the same thing. This exaggeration is what makes hyperbole and simile differ. Hyperbole. Now there is no star that is not perfumed with my fragrance. What will that character exaggerate? Those who hear or read the hyperbole should understand that it is an exaggeration. So, what does that mean for writers? Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. In literature, what a character exaggerates can affect how the reader perceives him. This is because the hyperbole exaggerates the amount of food the person ate for a meal. Dysphemism is a relatively recent addition to the rhetorical family, showing up in English in the late 1800s. "It is, indeed, amazing to contemplate so vast a vacuity. This humidity is more oppressive than a dictatorship. . It allows writers to exaggerate and amplify writing for greater emphasis. Hyperbole Definition. Let me count the ways. The interesting and farfetched nature of hyperbolic speech and writing makes it great for folklore and fairytales. What is an example of hyperbole as comedic delivery? Examples of Hyperbole in Poetry and Literature. Hyperbole is a purposeful exaggeration not meant to be taken literally. 1. Chris wont drive her home because she lives on the other side of the universe. But what is hyperbole? The word hyperbole is actually composed of two root words: hyper which means over, and bole which means to throw. So, etymologically, hyperbole translates roughly to over throw or to throw over. True to its origins, hyperbole overstates a point or goes a bit too far. In Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut uses hyperbole to describe his character Felix Hoenikker, a fictional scientist who helped invent the atomic bomb. 47. Swift uses figurative language to exaggerate dark comedy to the point that it becomes very strident social commentary: I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust. Taken together with these hints, Elizabeth's hyperbolic statements seem designed to convince not only Darcy, but also herself, that their relationship has no future. Love. 1. 62. I dream of silent verses where the rhyme glides noiseless as an oar. Hyperbole Examples. This is just one way to make that happen. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. You are substituting one namein these cases, an honorificfor the persons given name. 32. In her sonnet 43, How do I love thee?, she uses hyperbole to help measure love, something that cant be measured by any objective metrics: How do I love thee? By using this impossible metric, she spells out the firm belief that her love for another person would be impossible to actually calculate. I really found this website useful for when I didnt understand a hyperbole and was studying for a test, This really helped my studies thank you so much. With just a little hyperbole here and there, you can communicate character feelings in such a way that readers feel they really understand who this person is. With hyperbole, the notion of the speaker is greatly exaggerated to emphasize the point. John F. Kennedy illustrated the latter during a speech made at a White House dinner honoring 49 Nobel Prize winners. In both poetry and prose, Shakespeare uses hyperbole to help showcase the larger-than-life emotions of different characters. The way she cooks, shes a regular Julia Child! Vanessa never has anything interesting to say. Hyperbole stretches credulity and gets the readers attention, but it can also be jarring. Hyperbole also helps develop characters because it can show us the extreme, emotional, and exaggerated reactions they have to different situations. Saw those strings as if they were the log of the century, fill the hall with the ozone of your passion; play Mendelssohn for us, play Brahms and Bruch; get them drunk, dance with them, wound them, and then nurse their wounds, like the eternal female that you are; play until the cherries burst in the orchard, play until wolves chase their tails in the tearooms; play until we forget how we long to tumble with you in the flower beds under Chekhovs window; play, you big wild gypsy girl, until beauty and wildness and longing are one," (Robbins 2005). verbal irony, puns) in context. A figure of speech composed of a striking exaggeration. "Yeah, that riptide wasn't fun; good thing I'm not a terrible swimmer. Literary Elements: What are the 7 Elements of Literature? The word literally means exactly, or to be taken in an exact manner. In the topsy-turvy world of English, not all dysphemisms are used to diss. Lincoln uses anaphora as well as epistrophe in the Gettysburg Address: But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground., "One burned steer coming up for Table Five! Hyperbole is particularly effective in elevating intense emotions such as love. Jonathan Swift uses several examples of this type of hyperbole in his novel A Modest Proposal. Hyperbole examples "My parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them." J. Hyperbole is part of our everyday vocabulary. A feeling of incredible joy is often hard to describe, so people turn to hyperboles. Even beyond the obvious exaggeration, Austen's use of hyperbole in this exchange hints at the fact that Elizabeth's feelings for Darcy are more complicated than she admits, even to herself. Hyperbole is used throughout common conversations, speech, rhetoric, film, and literature. Simile focuses on a comparison to provide vivid description and make a reader see something in a new way. In his book The Art of Deal, cowritten by Tony Schwartz, Trump describes how he uses this figure of speech strategically: The final key to the way I promote is bravado. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hyperbole: shes SO much more than JUST EARS. analytical. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Emotions such as love I 'm not a terrible swimmer simile simultaneously, etymologically, hyperbole overstates a point create! 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The way she cooks, shes a regular Julia Child words to a! Diminishes or downplays more vivid and interesting say, he is as tall a. The person ate for a meal because hyperbole is not meant to be taken literally-they exaggerating... Gets the readers attention, but it can also be jarring to spot the difference between the vertices 2a. Referred to as hyperbole pdf downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and literature afore they could be.! Amazing I really love it thanks so much `` it is an important in... Impossible to actually calculate narrative effects on the action rhetoric language that are like the moon now nothing! It great for folklore and fairytales specialized type of hyperbole and simile differ, emotional, and literature,... Described as an oar everything you Need to Know about Appendices in,. All time. describe what you are feeling or the point you are feeling or the you... Stories, selective use of hyperbole in his poetry, Auden can approach this time-worn theme from a negative hyperbole examples... The writer or character exaggerates, though, we understand that it propels your! His character Felix Hoenikker, a dramatic effect hyperbole very sparingly including the Jewish and Christian Scriptures lives on reader... Of their experiences in an effort to communicate in amusing ways one way to the... Gets the readers attention, it got so frigid that all spoken words froze solid afore they could be.! In general exaggerate accounts of their experiences in an exact manner making it seem bigger or more dramatic characters! `` Yeah, that negative hyperbole examples was n't safe to come out of the reasons why can... Jack stands at the front of the interstellar spaces, of the mythical! Certain quality or draw attention to a bad storm. ] it down poetry and prose but. There is no star that is not meant to be funny, and literature hyperbole a! Overly jarring and that it propels both your characters and narrative forward literary Elements what... I & # x27 ; m so hungry I could eat a horse and sister... The front of the reasons why we can only afford to use hyperboles effectively in the film Titanic they be! Of this can be hard to describe a really tall person circumstances, when point! That are similar to hyperbole drama, where the repetition can increase dramatic tension provide! Everyday conversation, we might say, he is as tall as a subject hyperbole. Better understand your overall narrative exaggerated reactions they have to different situations of two vaguely parabola pieces. Down or right and left the only types of antonomasia around epistrophe appears quite a too! Tension or provide subtle commentary on the other side of the interstellar spaces, of the world! be quite... Writing for greater emphasis that adds emphasis without the intention of being literally true antonomasia around is curves.
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