A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the second half of a sentence or phrase is unexpected. The surprise ending makes us reframe or reinterpret the first part. Examples:
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it." Groucho Marx
"She looks as though she's been poured into her clothes, and forgot to say when." —P. G. Wodehouse
“Some people are like Slinkies … not really good for anything, but you can’t help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.”
“Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.”
These clever phrases tune our minds to welcome new perspectives. Rather than resist surprises, these terse bits of humor open us to embrace life’s unplanned possibilities.
Please share your own unexpected ending to the first half of the following phrase to create a paraprosdokian….
“It's a dog eat dog world….