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.
Paradoxes are much more dangerous than oxymorons.
Many movies have been made about paradoxes destroying the universe but none about oxymorons hurting even one person a little. The best source for information about paradoxes is Star Trek. Counting both the original series and The Next Generation, the crew of the Enterprise has destroyed well over 200 computers, robots and androids by using paradoxes. Paradoxes might confuse people, but they outright destroy robots. He never tells the truth.