Lately, I’ve had a few words/phrases on my mind that have multiple meanings, sometimes known as polysemes. It all started a couple months ago when I asked my friend about his wedding band. He thought I meant the ring, but actually I was referring to the evening’s entertainment. This got me thinking about other such phrases (each meaning has to be spelled identically to qualify, otherwise you probably have a homonym on your hands):
There’s mirror image, which could easily mean an image of a mirror in addition to the widely used phrase. Then there’s record breaker. If we’re talking about record albums that break records, say, on the Billboard charts, well then there’s another meaning in there. This one has a third meaning, too: In 1979 at Comiskey Park in Chicago, a rock radio station hosted Disco Demolition Night. Local rock fans were asked to bring disco records to the ballpark where they were literally smashed and burned.
Though perhaps a stretch, The Mole in that Austin Powers flick with the mole on his face might be considered the embodiment of a polyseme. What do you think? What are some other common phrases with multiple meanings?
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How about patient (someone a doctor sees) and patient (something we’re supposed to be while waiting for something).
posted by Brans on 8-22-2008 at 9:14 am
No offense, but wedding band is the only example I’ve give a thumbs up.
When sommeone says or writes ‘mirror image’ I have never, ever gotten a mental image of a ‘picture of a mirror’ which is what you seem to be saying. Same with record breaker.
posted by fixedgear on 8-22-2008 at 9:33 am
Here’s a whole sentence: “Visiting relatives can be boring.” Both readings are often true, no?
posted by Karen on 8-22-2008 at 9:37 am
@Brans – you’re on to one there
@fixedgear – none taken (that’s what comments are for)
@karen – perfect! love it
posted by David K. Israel on 8-22-2008 at 9:40 am
I feel a little foolish asking, but how does one pronounce “polysemes”?
posted by Kristen on 8-22-2008 at 9:41 am
When I was a kid, I thought that “political party” referred to the national conventions where all the politicians were whoopin’ it up
posted by JD on 8-22-2008 at 9:52 am
The word ‘set’ is the word with the greatest number of definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary
posted by JG on 8-22-2008 at 9:59 am
Karen reminded me of one of my favorite sentences. “Woman without her man is nothing”
Depending on how you punctuate it, it has 2 completely different meanings.
posted by Brans on 8-22-2008 at 10:06 am
Zsa Zsa Gabor:
“I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house.â€
I’m also partial to the word “cleave” because it has two completely opposite meanings: To cleave together, or to cleave apart.
BTW Brans – it’s a classic:
“Must prisoner die at midnight?”
“No pardon possible”
If only the telegram had included the comma…
posted by Mare on 8-22-2008 at 11:25 am
After I read this story, I couldn’t think of any phrases, but then I watched the video for the “Boobs on Bikes” that was on the Weird Week in Review link, and they had one that struck me as hilarious (I’m paraphrasing):
(Talking about those who protest the event) “The topless parade has always had its knockers…”
posted by kay on 8-22-2008 at 12:08 pm
How about “free will?” I was actually thinking of looking for a DIY will template online, but realized that those key words would not recall exactly what I was searching for . . .
posted by Jil on 8-22-2008 at 12:25 pm
I thought of this:
We just purchased a mister (device that sprays a fine mist) for our back patio. We have been telling people that we have a big mister on our back porch. They think we are talking about a large man.
posted by lizhot on 8-22-2008 at 12:34 pm
Ever since the first can of Classic Coke appeared on the shelves, I’ve noticed the difference between *an* “original formula” and *the* “original formula”.
posted by Jeff on 8-22-2008 at 12:44 pm
I just read a bio about someone that said they loved to knit and read adult fiction. It made me laugh because the first thing I thought about was “adult” meaning inappropriate. It can mean for grown ups, or pornographic in nature. It’s not a really good example, but I was just thinking about that yesterday!!
posted by Kelly J on 8-22-2008 at 12:45 pm
I offer the following advice: Stop annoying people!
posted by dagwud on 8-22-2008 at 1:27 pm
Years back out in LA, driving with a friend we came up to a car wash. after reading the sign of services offered, he turned to me and asked:
“What is hand Polish and wax?”
The sign read “hand polish and wax”
posted by snorbalp on 8-22-2008 at 1:34 pm
Vinnie: I thought you said Troy McClure sleeps with the fishes.
Fat Tony: No, what I said was, he SLEEPS with the FISHES.
“The Simpsons”
posted by bedhead on 8-22-2008 at 2:24 pm
I just had a conversation and my friend said, “I am going to wear it out.”
I thought he meant wear the item of clothing out of the house and he meant use it until it falls apart.
posted by ashface on 8-22-2008 at 6:01 pm
“That depends on what your definitions of ‘is’ is.”
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 8-22-2008 at 6:25 pm
The inclusion of phrases leads to any number of amphibolous scenes involving ambiguous pronouns, such as: “a man walked into the woods with his friend, a bear appeared, and he shot him”. There are as many as six implied meanings (four if you assume the bear can’t handle a gun).
posted by El Tigre on 8-23-2008 at 7:35 am
David,
how about this one which I got as part of an answer to a standardized writing test I scored.
I can’t remember the exact phrase but it was something like:
“…sometimetimes they may have to visit their out-of town family members … they shouldn’t penalized for having distant relatives.”
posted by Amy on 8-23-2008 at 8:50 am
Regarding the above,
Based on the quality of the rest of the essay – I do not believe the student writer realized the humor in what he’d written.
posted by Amy on 8-23-2008 at 8:56 am
A Florida/regional polyseme:
My husband was entertaining a group of friends and asked if they wanted to go pick up some “Hot Cubans” that evening.
Friends very disappointed to find out that a Hot Cuban is a sandwich.
posted by jwm on 8-24-2008 at 4:39 pm
How about Bombshell? The literal – shell of a bomb – and the figurative – a drop dead gorgeous person.
posted by Caroline on 8-24-2008 at 7:02 pm
Jeff’s comment on AN original vs. THE original got me thinking about original sin.
Now I have to go find something naughty to do that’s never been done before!
Wish me luck!
(I think Jim Gaffigan mentions this in one of his routines. Just wanted to give the credit where it’s due.)
posted by Beth on 8-25-2008 at 12:04 am
How about g*y as in happy? Or h*mo as in genus h*mo? Or fa*ott as in a stick or a cigarette? And q*eer means strange! How about those inhabitants of the isle of L*sbos who are called L*sbians even if they are straight!
Don’t mean to be offensive, I just wondered if these are also considered polysemes?
posted by Jer on 8-26-2008 at 10:40 am
How about all of these words for folks that play for the other team? I can’t seem to submit any, but it seems that all of the ones that I can think of qualify as polysemes. Starts with g, f, q, h, l, d, etc. All of them mean something else!
posted by jer on 8-26-2008 at 10:45 am
How about “contains 100% juice”. Sounds like nothing else is in there, right? Or is it that the juice that is added to all of the other ingredients is 100% before it is added in?
“Contains 100% juice” can mean something different than “it is 100% juice” but could be construed to have the same meaning.
posted by Jer on 8-26-2008 at 10:51 am