Antiphrasis

Antiphrasis is the rhetorical device of saying the opposite of what is actually meant in such a way that it is obvious what the true intention is.[1]

Some authors treat antiphrasis as merely a synonym for irony.

Antiphrasis as euphemism

Some euphemisms are antiphrases, such as "Eumenides" 'the gracious ones' to mean the Erinyes, deities of vengeance.

Examples
  • "Take your time, we've got all day", meaning "hurry up, we don't have all day".
  • "Come into my parlour, said the spider to the fly" appears to be an invitation, but is in fact a threat.
  • "Tell me about it", in the sense of "don't bother, I already know".
  • "Great!", an exclamation uttered when something unpleasant had happened or is about to happen.

See also

Notes
  1. Bernard Dupriez, tr. Albert W. Halsall, A Dictionary of Literary Devices: Gradus, A–Z, ISBN 0802068030, pp. 49–50


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