Definition:
A punctuation mark (!) used after a sentence that expresses a strong emotion. See also:
Etymology:
From the Latin, "to call"Examples and Observations:
- "Thank God men cannot as yet fly and lay waste the sky as well as the earth!"
(Henry David Thoreau) - Homer: I had a feeling it was too good to be true. Every time you get a million dollars, something queers the deal.
Lisa: I don't think real checks have exclamation points.
(The Simpsons) - "Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth."
(Katherine Mansfield) - "Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke."
(F. Scott Fitzgerald) - "Make voyages! Attempt them! There's nothing else."
(Tennessee Williams, Camino Real) - "Five exclamation marks, the sure sign of an insane mind."
(Terry Pratchett) - Russ Cargill: I was tricked by an idiot!
Cletus: Hey, I know how you feel. I was beat in tic-tac-toe by a chicken.
(The Simpsons Movie) - "Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. If you have a knack of playing with exclaimers the way Tom Wolfe does, you can throw them in by the handful."
(Elmore Leonard) - Elaine: Well, I was just curious why you didn't use an exclamation point?
Jake: What are you talking about?
Elaine: See, right here you wrote "Myra had the baby," but you didn't use an exclamation point. I mean if one of your close friends had a baby and I left you a message about it, I would use an exclamation point.
Jake: Well, maybe I don't use my exclamation points as haphazardly as you do.
(Seinfeld) - "All I can say about life is, Oh God, enjoy it!"
(Bob Newhart) - "If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it!"
(Jonathan Winters)
Pronunciation: ecks-kla-MAY-shun point
Also Known As: exclamation mark, shriek
