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ecphonesis

By Richard Nordquist, About.com

Definition:

An exclamation expressing strong emotion. See also: exclamatory sentence.

Etymology:

From the Greek, "exclamation"

Examples:

  • "O, popular applause! what heart of man is proof against thy sweet, seducing charms?"
    (William Cowper, Lessons in Life: A Series of Familiar Essays)


  • "Dear God! the very houses seem asleep;
    And all that mighty heart is lying still!
    (William Wordsworth, "Upon Westminster Bridge")


  • "Almighty God!--no, no! They heard!--they suspected!--they knew!--they were making a mockery of my horror!--this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! and now--again!--hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!

    "'Villains!' I shrieked, 'dissemble no more! I admit the deed!--tear up the planks! here, here!--It is the beating of his hideous heart!'"
    (Edgar Allan Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart")


  • "Oh joy! Rapture! I got a brain!"
    (Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, 1939)


  • "Humiliations galore!"
    (Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, 1987)


  • "No! No-no-no-no-no-no! Well, yes."
    (Homer Simpson of The Simpsons)


  • "As soon as we could see the outline of it, I said, ‘Holy mackerel, I think we have a skull!’"
    (Dinosaur hunter Bruce Young on finding a triceratops fossil in Colorado, November 2003)


  • "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?"
    (Edward G. Robinson as Cesare Enrico "Rico" Bandello in Little Caesar)


  • "Keep hope alive!"
    (Jesse Jackson)


  • "I once had a leather jacket that got ruined in the rain. Why does moisture ruin leather? Aren't cows outside a lot of the time? When it's raining, do cows go up to the farmhouse: 'Let us in! We're all wearing leather! Open the door! We're going to ruin the whole outfit here!'"
    (Jerry Seinfeld)
Pronunciation: ek-fo-NEE-sis
Also Known As: exclamation

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