AP Lit Terms: Set 3

Voila

conceit

a fanciful metaphor in which an unlikely, far-fetched, or strained comparison is made between two things.

ex: “This flea is you and I, and this
Our marriage-bed and marriage-temple is...”

closely related to the term “extended metaphor”

analepsis

form of anachronism by which some of the
events of a story are related at a point in the
narrative after later story events have already been recounted - commonly referred to as a flashback

prolepsis

literary device in which the plot goes ahead of time; meaning a scene that interrupts and takes the narrative forward in time from the current time in the story - commonly referred to as a flash-forward

metonymy

similar to synecdoche; type of figurative language in which an object or concept is referred to not by its own name, but instead by the name of something closely associated with it.

ex: “Wall Street” is used to refer to US financial markets or the US financial industry as a whole, despite being a singular street in New York

euphemism

figure of speech commonly used to replace
a word or phrase that is related to a concept that might make others uncomfortable

ex: “passed peacefully” instead of “got hit by a bus,” or “I was let go” instead of “I was fired for inappropriate conduct with the printer”

Trope

any type of figurative language, theme, image, motif, character, or plot element that is used many times.

ex: ironic humor is a common _____ in satirical works

asyndeton

a literary device in which conjunctions—such
as and, but, and or—are intentionally omitted to change a sentence’s tone and affect the impact of a statement

ex: “reduce, reuse, recycle”

askence

in a way that shows suspicion or disapproval; sideways.

baseness

having or showing little or no honor, courage, or
decency

cockaded

decorated with a rosette or knot

trepidation

fearful uncertainty or anxiety; apprehension

charlatanism

the pretense of expert knowledge or a skill that does not exist

cupola

a small dome on a roof

enigmatic

perplexing; baffling

sombre

it legit just means “somber” you can’t screw this up

dandling

dancing up and down on the knee or in the arms

pikestaff

a traveler’s staff with a sharp iron or steel point

stagnating

without motion or current; lacking in activity

taradiddle

a petty lie; fib

brigand

bandit, thief

inveterate

firmly established over a long period

sojourning

briefly visiting or staying somewhere

superciliousness

disdainfulness; characterized by pride or scorn; the opposite of “super silliness”

uncouth

awkward or clumsy; ungainly