When You Don’t Finish What You… You Have Anapodotons

You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it.

I’m Grant Barrett.

And I’m Martha Barnette.

We’re always excited when somebody teaches us a new word.

And I just learned a new one from Alex Riggle.

He wrote to introduce us to the word anapodaton.

Anapodaton.

Let me see if I can break that down.

It sounds Greek.

Ana means it’s a negative, means not, right?

Pod probably has something to do with base or foot.

Anapodaton, not sure.

What are we talking about here, Martha?

Well, we’re not talking about pajamas without feet in them.

Now, anapodoton, and maybe I should spell that, A-N-A-P-O-D-O-T-O-N, is a term of rhetoric,

And it comes from a Greek word that actually means without a main clause.

And it refers to the first half of a proverb or a saying where you don’t bother to give the second half

Because you figure the listener already knows it.

For example, if I were to say birds of a feather.

That’s the one I was thinking of, birds of a feather.

And then in my mind, I finish and go flock together.

Exactly.

That’s a perfect example.

Or say, if I said, when in Rome.

Yes.

Do as the Romans do.

Neither one of us has to say it because we’re both thinking it.

Great minds think alike.

Exactly.

Yeah.

But I was just delighted to learn this word.

I did not know it.

And who else does this?

Surely it’s not only in English.

Yeah, it’s not just English.

You’ll find these in other languages as well, for example, Japanese and Chinese.

Well, Martha and I love it.

We really do when you share your word finds with us.

You can send them an email to words at waywardrigger.org or tell us all about your find in voicemail at 877-929-9673.