paraprosdokian, paraprosdokia
(Greek: beyond expectations; surprise endings; a pun which is fun)
A phrase or sentence that takes readers to an unexpected conclusion: The paraprosdokian prepares people to anticipate something; however, it ends with a surprisingly different meaning and it is usually humorous.
Paraprosdokians are also defined as figures of speech in which the last part of the sentences or phrases are contrary to what is normally expected.
Etymology: from Greek para-, "beyond" and prosdokia, "expectation"; prosdokia consists of pro-, "before" + dokein. "to think, to imagine, to expect".
A sponge is something that is full of holes but it still can hold water.
A teacher at school had to go to an ophthalmologist to get her eyes examined because she couldn't control her pupils.
A war does not determine who is right, only who is left.
Adolescence is a period when teenagers feel that they will never be as ignorant as their parents.
An acre is someone who is in pain.
An adult is someone who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle.
An autobiography is a history of cars.
An eyedropper is a clumsy ophthalmologist.
Bacteria: The back entrance of a cafeteria.
Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis.
Benign is what a person becomes after he or she is eight.
Biology is the study of anything that comes in twos.
Cauterize is what happened when a guy made eye contact with a woman.
Chickens, which are raised for eggs and meat, are the most popular animals that are eaten by people before they become little babies (as eggs) and after they are older and butchered for food.
Condescending is a convict escaping down the wall of a prison using a rope.
