What is it called when you say something but you mean something else?

Irony is “the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.” Inside jokes told subtly, so that outsiders don’t even know they are told, creates irony.

What do you call something that seems good but is bad?

A poisoned apple or poisonous apple is a symbol of something that looks good on the outside but is actually harmful. It, of course, is from the fairy tale of Snow White.

What is it called when you say a phrase to describe something?

Simile is when two things are compared using the words like or as, as in “cheeks as red as roses” or “hair like fire”; metaphor is when a word or phrase that literally means something else is used figurative in order to describe another thing, as in “drowning in debt.” Many people claim that hyperbole, simile, and …

What is it when something appears one way but is another?

That bridge you just “bought” might be of dubious value. Dubious stems from Latin dubiosus, “doubtful” or “uncertain,” and contains the Latin root duo in this case meaning “of two minds.” This is apparent in that dubious generally describes something that appears one way but is truly another.

What is the best way to describe your thoughts?

“ruminating about” or “thinking about”. “Contemplating” would be appropriate if the subject of your thoughts was either abstract or inanimate or present. “Dwelling on” would be appropriate if the subject of your thoughts was an emotionally-charged idea involving your son.

What does it mean to mull over something?

“I mulled over the candy, and found a good piece.”. to contemplate. means to think about the consequences of something carefully, thoroughly, and for a long time. Typically when you contemplate something, you are deciding whether or not to do it, not picking among an array of choices.

Did you know that words have changed their meaning over time?

Words have been changing meaning — sometimes radically — as long as there have been words and speakers to speak them. Here is just a small sampling of words you may not have realized didn’t always mean what they mean today. Nice: This word used to mean “silly, foolish, simple.”