Amuse-bouche: Tuna fish
Today’s Wonderful Word: “pleonasm.”
Definition: the use of more words than are necessary to convey meaning, either as a fault of style or for emphasis.
Etymology: from Greek pleonazein meaning “to be superfluous.”
Pleonasms are the enemies of concision. And concision is key. Enough said.
Once upon a time, a long time ago in the past, a brave, courageous young lad named Leo embarked on a journey to start his own business. His idea began the moment he saw the perfect grilled cheese sandwich with his eyes. He remembers where he was at the time – downstairs, on the ground floor of his apartment complex building, standing upright in the lobby area. One of the community’s resident tenants walked by holding a flat plate which held a golden-brown grilled cheese sandwich.
To Leo, it was obviously clear that this cheddar cheese masterpiece was a work of art. The sight and smell alone were enough to inspire Leo and light a burning flame of fire under him while simultaneously motivating him out of the black darkness of idle inactivity. He went to work testing various different cheese / bread combinations at various different temperatures and with various different pan types. Finally, one day, Leo discovered the perfect discovery.
“You can’t NOT at least just try it!” he urged his friends and family when they expressed hesitancy at his energetic enthusiasm. “Please, try this roast beef, grilled cheddar cheese sandwich served with au jus sauce,” Leo begged his cousins. “It’s a free gift for you!”
Even mere acquaintances Leo would approach to share his creations. “I personally believe this is the best recipe in the whole entire world,” he said to the mail man. “Personally, I believe I’d rather live vicariously through you because I’m lactose intolerant,” replied the mail man.
The rest is history, so they say. Three years later, Leo was making regular online weblog posts for his devoted followers, promoting his new store location down south. “Celebrate the first day of business operations together with us! Please R.S.V.P. within 24 hours to receive chai tea at the great grand opening.”
My favorite pleonasm in the story is “Please R.S.V.P.” The acronym stands for « répondez s’il vous plaît. » To say, “Please R.S.V.P.” would be to say, “please respond please.”
Another pleonasm that is tricky to notice is “mail man,” as this is also a bit of a pun. Let me know one pleonasm you think other readers may have missed.
ATM machine, RAM memory, HIV virus
Entra adentro – enter inside, “adentro” not being necessary.
Voy a subir arriba – I am going to go up upstairs, “arriba” not being necessary.
Answer to Saturday’s riddle:
You should ask, “Which door would the other computer tell me leads to freedom?” When you see the computer’s response, you choose the opposite door to make your escape.
Explanation: If the computer is truthful, it will correctly inform you that the other computer would lie and tell you the incorrect door, so you should take the opposite door. If the computer is untruthful, it too will say the other computer would lie and tell you the incorrect door, so you should take the other door.
A+
Ça vous dit quelque chose ? 
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