Asteismus

//__Asteismus __//


 * Definition:: **Witty dialog or response in dialog, a retort based ona punning use of another speaker's word or metaphor.


 * Origin:: **From Latin and Ancient Greek asteismos ( “ the more refined style of speaking ” ).


 * See also:: **Astysmus

Definition taken from ( en.wiktionary.org/wiki/asteismus)


 * Examples ** from text:

1) An example of asteismus is displayed in //Pride of Baghdad// by Brian K. Vaughan. Pride of Baghdad is a story about four lions who live at the Baghdad zoo and are forced to escape due to American bombings. One their journey to finding a new home they come across a turtle at the Tigris River. The turtle states "get the hell away from my Tigris!" and one of the lions responds back "I'm not a tigress, Im a lion!" (Vaughan).

2) Another example of asteismus is in the NPR short story //The First Session// by Will Dowd. The First Session is a story about a physicist who is going to a counselor with his wife. At the end of the story the nurse sighed "I'd order a psych eval if you were one of my patients" and the physicist responds back saying "I thank God every day I;m not one of your patients" (Dowd).

CN