Pleonasms or Tautological Redundancies

(avoid redundancies or excessive repetitiousness by not using unnecessary repetitions and superfluous words or more word usages than is needed, desired, or required)

The use of pleonasms results in a superfluity of words, sometimes deliberately, for emphasis; or the unnecessary repetitions resulting from a lack of the realization that such terms are redundant.

A tautological statement, sentence, etc. repeats its meaning in an unnecessary or excessive way by using different words to say the same thing.

* The pleonasms followed by an asterisk (*) came from an essay, "The Affluent Rich"; by Nat Boynton in his book, Media Rare. My special thanks to Mr. Jerry Gordon for contributing a copy of the essay so I could go through it and pick out the "UR's" (Unnecessary Redundancies) or pleonasms.

Please contribute any pleonasms you may come across from any of the media and let's make this list even more significant as it expands. You may send your suggestion, or suggestions, to e-mail contact or use this e-mail address: [email protected]

GMAT time
Greenwich Mean Astronomical Time time.
GMT time
Greenwich Mean Time time.
good benefit
good luck
good success *
government deficit (s) (noun), government deficits (pl)
A shortage, less than is due as in the case of a business or government budget: A government deficit involves more expenditures than income.

Unbalanced budgets with a planned year-end government deficit are prohibited at every level of government except at the federal level.

grand total (s) (noun), grand totals (pl)
The final sum obtained by adding several groups of numbers together: The cashier told the customer that the grand total of her grocery bill was over $100.
grateful thanks
growing greater
half a dozen of one and six of another
handwritten manuscript (s) (noun), handwritten manuscripts (pl)
hard rock
have and hold
hear with one's own ears
HIV virus
Human Immunodeficiency Virus virus

Also see the unit of pleio-, plio- words meaning, "more, most; excessive; multiple".