Definition:
An extravagant statement; the use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect. Adjective: hyperbolic. See also:
Etymology:
From the Greek, "excess"Examples and Observations:
- "The temperature is several degrees below zero. My sentences are frozen as they come out of my mouth, and are thawed in the course of the summer, making strange noises and unexpected assertions in various parts of the church."
(Sidney Smith) - "Kingsley fell over. And this was no brisk trip or tumble. It was an act of colossal administration. First came a kind of slow-leak effect, giving me the immediate worry that Kingsley, when fully deflated, would spread out into the street on both sides of the island, where there were cars, trucks, sneezing buses. Next, as I grabbed and tugged, he felt like a great ship settling on its side: would it right itself, or go under? Then came an impression of overall dissolution and the loss of basic physical coherence. I groped around him, looking for places to shore him up, but every bit of him was falling, dropping, seeking the lowest level, like a mudslide."
(Martin Amis, describing his father) - "My love is deeper than the holler,
Stronger than the rivers,
Higher than the pine trees growin' tall upon the hill;
My love is purer than the snowflakes that fall in late December,
And honest as a robin on a springtime windowsill
And longer than the song of the whippoorwill."
(Randy Travis, "Deeper Than the Holler") - "If we're going to start crucifying people for hyperbole in this society, there's going to be a long line. If I were writing a diet book, I wouldn't say, 'It's going to take a lot of work and it'll be a pain in the butt.' I'd say, 'Thin thighs in 30 days!'"
(Matthew Lesko. The Week, August 3, 2007)
Pronunciation: hi-PURR-buh-lee
Also Known As: overstatement
