On Sep 14, 10:21 am, Kathryn Huxtable    
   wrote:   
   > On 2010-09-13 16:30:56 -0500, Dan Dassow said:   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   > > On Sep 13, 1:09 pm, Kathryn Huxtable    
   > > wrote:   
   > >> [...]   
   > >> The "Holy Roman Empire". I think it was Voltaire who pointed out that   
   > >> it was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. There should be a word   
   > >> for such things... Maybe there is.   
   >   
   > >> -K-   
   >   
   > >http://www.onelook.com/?loc=lemma&w=oxymoron   
   >   
   > > The closest word I can think of is oxymoron, conjoining contradictory   
   > > terms (as in "`deafening silence"). However, that doesn't quite   
   > > capture the concept.   
   >   
   > >http://www.onelook.com/?w=antiphrasis   
   >   
   > > Another possibility is antiphrasis, the use of a word in a sense   
   > > opposite to its normal sense (especially in irony).   
   >   
   > Yes, but not quite right. There needs to be a word... I've thought this   
   > for years.   
   >   
   > -K-   
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-antonym   
   An auto-antonym (sometimes spelled autantonym), or contranym   
   (originally spelled contronym), is a word with a homograph (a word of   
   the same spelling) that is also an antonym (a word with the opposite   
   meaning). Variant names include antagonym, Janus word (after the Roman   
   god), enantiodrome, and self-antonym.   
   Therefore, "Holy Roman Empire" and similar phrases would be an auto-   
   antonymic phrase or a contranymic phrase.   
   See also:   
   http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/contranym   
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_auto-antonyms_in_English   
   Dan Dassow   
   --- SBBSecho 2.12-Win32   
    * Origin: Time Warp of the Future BBS - Home of League 10 (1:14/400)