Smith East Well, Johnny, many people often wonder how to tell the difference between a paradox and an oxymoron. There s no quick and easy rule, like with alligators and crocodiles, but with a few examples I think I can show that anyone can tell the two apart.
Oxymorons are phrases that, though used often, contradict themselves.
Examples include jumbo shrimp, real imitation leather, and military intelligence. The best rule of thumb is to look at the first word and then the second and see if they mean two completely different things. Keep in mind they must be opposites- red and coat mean two different things, but red coat is not an oxymoron. Other correct examples include icy hot, hottie-coldy, second baseman and Michael Jackson s Thriller. Paradoxes are much, much different, in that they often require many words, even a whole paragraph to explain them.