What is a...?

Question

...oxymoron?

Answer 1

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An oxymoron is a phrase in which the parts are contradictory or incongruous in one of several ways. Often, at least one of the words in an oxymoron is not used literally or has multiple meanings, or there’s some shorthand being used, and the apparent self-contradiction arises from this. To understand more about what an oxymoron is, let’s look at some examples

A Fine Mess

A just war

A little big

a little pregnant

A new classic

absolutely unsure

abundant poverty

academic fraternity

Academic sorority

Accidentally on Purpose

accurate estimate

accurate horoscope

accurate rumors

accurate stereotype

acrophobic mountain climber

Act Naturally

active retirement

actual reenactment

acute apathy

acute dullness

adult children

Adult male

advanced BASIC

advanced beginner

Affirmative action

affordable housing

aging yuppie agree to disagree

Airline Food

airline schedules

all alone

All natural artificial flavor

alltogether separate

alone in a crowd

almost candid

Almost done

almost exactly

almost pregnant

Almost Ready

almost safe

almost suddenly

almost surprised

almost totally

alone together

amateur expert

American culture

American education

American English

amicable divorce

among the first

Amtrak schedule

Anarchy Rules!

anonymous colleague anticipated serendipity

anticipating the unanticipated

Anti-Missile Missile

anxious patient

apathetic interest

apathetically urged

Apple tech support

approximate solution

approximately equal

arms limitation

army intelligence

arrogant humility

Artificial Grass

artificial intelligence

assistant supervisor

astronomically small

athletic scholarship

Aunt Jemima Light

Auto Pilot

authentic replica

authentic reproduction

authoritarian anarchy

awfully good

awfully nice

Awfully pretty

baby giant

baby grand (piano)

bad health

bad luck

Bad Sport

balanced insanity

balding hair

Ball Club

baggy tights

Band Jocks

bankrupt millionaire

barely dressed

Barenaked Ladies

(the rock group)

bass guitar

battle ready

Beaucractic efficiencies

benevolent despot

benign neglect

Benign Tumor

better than new

beyond infinity

big baby

big detail

big sip

big town

bigger half

bingeing on moderation

bipartisan cooperation

bird dog

birth control

Bitter Sweet

Black Gold

(slang for crude oil)

black light

Black Russian

blameless culprit

bland spice

blind eye

blind viewer

blue rose

Blurry vision

boneless ribs

books on tape

border control

boring court jester

boring entertainment

born dead

boxing ring

boyish grandpa

brave politician

brave wimp

brief speech

brief survey

briefing

bright night

bright rain

bright shade

brilliantly dull

budget deficit

Bug Fix

Bug-Free code

bug-free software

build down

bull riding

buried alive

burning cold

business casual

Business Ethics

butthead

cafeteria food

Calculated Error

calculated risk

calculated spontaneity

California Culture

California expressway

California style

calm storm

calm winds

camping resort

Canadian Bacon

canned fresh

cardinal sin

Caring Republican

casual chic

casual dress

casual formality

casual intimacy

casual sex

casually concerned

catfish

Cautiously Optimistic

cavalier concern

center around

Central Intelligence Agency

centrally-planned economy

Certain risk

certainly unsure

chaotic organization

cheap gas

cheerful pessimist

cheerful undertaker

cheerfully cynical

cheerfully mournful

Cheese Steak

Cherokee Pioneer

(name of U.S. car)

Chicken fajitas

childproof

chilling fever

Chinese chop suey

Chocolate 'Nilla Wafers

Christian evolutionist

Christian gangster

Christian militia

CIA cooperation

civil disobedience

civil engineer

CIVIL LITIGATION

Civil Servant

civil service

civil strife

Civil War

civilized warfare

classic new homes

classic rock & roll

clean air

clean boy

clean coal

clean dirt

clean kill

clean litter

clean oil

clean toilet

clear as mud

clearly ambiguous

clearly confused

clearly misunderstood

clever fool

click the start button to shut down

Clinton principles

climb down

clogged drain

close distance

cluster bomb

co-ed fraternity

co-ed sorority

cold fever

cold hotdog

cold sweat

cold toast

Collective liberty

College algebra

college education

college student

colorless kaleidoscope

combative apology

comedic tragedy

Comfortable bra

comfortable neckbrace

Comfortable tights

commercial art

committed schedule

committee decision

committee schedule

Common abnormality

Common courtesy

common sense

Common phenomenon

communist party

comparatively unique

Compassionate Conservative

compassionate editor

Compassionate management

Complete separation

completed research

completed website

completely destroyed

completely educated

completely succinct

completely unfinished

component parts

compulsory volunteers

computer jock

computer science

conciliation court

concrete pad

confident fear

Congressional accountability

Congressional action

Congressional cooperation

Congressional Ethics

Congressional oversight

Congressional responsibility

Congressional wisdom

conscripted volunteer

Conservative Democrat

conservative liberal

considerate boss

consistent discrepancies

consistent uncertainties

consistently inconsistent

conspicuously absent

Constant change

constant infrequent

constant variable

constructive ambiguity

constructive attitude

constructive criticism

constructive negativity

Continuing resolution

contra aid

contra assistance

controlled enthusiasm

controlled chaos

controlled skeptic

controlled-market economy

convenience store

conventional wisdom

Convergent Evolution

corporate conscience

Corporate Culture

corporate ethics

corporate family

corporate planning

correctional institution

council action

countless numbers

Country Music

cowardly lion

crash landing

Creation science

creative destruction

criminal cop

criminal justice

criminal system

crisis management

critical acclaim

cruel kindness

cryocaustic

current history

Curved Line

customer satisfaction

customer service

daily special

dangerously safe

dark day

dark light

dark star

dark victory

Dead livestock

dead right

deaf listener

debugged program

defensive strike

Deficit spending

definite maybe

degradable plastic

deliberate mistake

deliberate speed

deliberately thoughtless

delicious torment

demanding patient

Democratic Congress

democratic leadership

democratic machine

Department of Interior (responsible for everything outside)

Deregulation Law

designer beer

designer jeans

desktop publishing

detailed summary

devilish angel

devout atheist

diet ice cream

different pattern

diligent sloth

diminished confidence

Diminishing growth

diminutive giants

dim light

dimwit

Dining hall food

direct circumvention

disaster preparedness

disciplined gluttony

discretionary rules

disposable income

disposable products with a lifetime guarantee

distant relative

divided unity

divorce court

Dodge Ram

Doing Nothing

dollar value

domestic bliss

domestic cooperation

domestic violence

doorstop

double solitaire

Doubting believers

drawing a blank

dress pants

Dressy Casual

driving pleasure

Droning Silence

Dry beer

dry creek

dry humor

Dry Ice

Dry Lake

dry martini

dry pond

dry snow

Dry Wine

dull acupuncturists

dull knife

dull needle

dull roar

dull shine

dying is a part of life

dynamic monotone

dynamic stability

easy labor (childbirth)

easy payments

Easy problem

easy task

easy to follow directions

economic forecast

economic reform

economic stability

educated consumer

educated guess

educational administration

Educational television

Educational TV

effective compassion

elected king

elementary calculus

elevated subway

elite rabble

eloquent silence

energetic exhaustion

enough time

enormously small

Enquiring minds

entertaining sermon

enthusiastic indifference

Environmentalist bumper sticker

equally diverse

equal justice

equal opportunity

ergonomic keyboard

Escaped inmate

eschew obfuscation

essential luxury

essential service

eternal life

ethical hackers

Ethiopian Feast

ethnic cleansing

European Community

evaporated milk

even odds

evolutionary fact

evolutionary technology

Evolutionary Theory

exact estimate

executive assistant

Executive decision executive secretary

expected serendipity

expected surprise

Expect the unexpected

explicit innuendo

explicitly ambiguous

express bus

express line

express mail

express ways

expressive silence

Extended Deadline

extensive briefing

Extinct Life Form

extra oridanary

extra money

extra time

extremely average

extremely bland

extremely neutral

Eyes Wide Shut

faculty cooperation

faculty understanding

fail safe

fair reporting

Fair trial

Fairly Accurate

fairly explicit

fairly obvious

Fallout shelter

false fact

false hope

Family entertainment

family vacation

famous-anonymous

fan fatale

farewell reception

Fast BASIC

fast food

fast idle

fast snail

fast turtle

fast waiter

fast walk

fast-mail service

fatally injured

fat-free cream cheese

faultily faultless

fearful bravery

federal budget

Female gunman

fiber glass

Fictional truth

Fictional reality

fiery ice

fighting for peace

filing system

final conclusion

Final version

finally again

financially strong savings and loan associations and banks

fire water

firm estimate

firm maybe

firm pillow

first annual

first conclusions

first deadline

first string secondary

first-strike defense

fish farm

flat-breasted

flat-busted

flexible ethics

flexible freeze (in economics)

Floating to the bottom

flood control

floppy disk

Flurry of inactivity

flying fish

Foolproof instructions

football scholarship

foreign national

foreign policy continuity

Forgotten memories

former native

former President-for-life

For

Answer 2

A phrase that seems to be contradictory in its meaning. For example, jumbo shrimp or pretty ugly.

Answer 3

a phrase in which two words of contradictory meaning are used together for special effect, e.g. "wise fool" or "legal murder"

Source(s): Encarta dictionary

Answer 4

like jumbo shrip.......it is something that is knda oppisite of its self..weird