Repeated Redundancy... not redundant.

So today I blog about REDUNDANCY

Alexis, Lindsay and I were playing pool at the institute during a break before class.

I randomly thought of the phrase "strong as an ox." (I don't know why but I randomly think of things like this...)

I said, "Have you ever heard the phrase strong as an ox?"

Lindsay and Alexis both replied, "yes, of course."

I then said, "We'll not all oxen are strong, say your ox is sick then you would be strong as a sick ox."

Lindsay then explains to me that "You could say strong as a healthy ox but then you would just be redundant because the strong implies that the ox is healthy."

Greg, "It is still a weird phrase..."

Then we started talking about other redundant phrases. There is something about redundant phrases that make me burst out with laughter, almost every time I hear one.

Side note: My beautiful wife is the queen of redundant phrases and the best part is that she doesn't realize it half the time. It makes me so happy because it is so funny! I wish I would have written them down when she said them. Most of the time I will just burst out laughing when she is talking and she will be like "What's so funny?" Then she will usually guess a bunch of things like, "did I make a face" or something like that. If she pursues the source of the laughter long enough I will tell her (which is about half the time). One time, before we were married she told me the cat jumped on the cord and made it bounce up. I know this is a silly example but I caught it when she told me because she paused slightly when she said bounce up. I was laughing because where else is the cord supposed to bounce? I know that is a silly example but I cannot think of any... but perhaps I will record them from now on.

Anyways back to our story. I told Lindsay that there were some redundant phrases that I did not like.

1st one: (notice the redundancy in 1st... one?) free agency.

Agency- Agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and to act for ourselves...

source lds.org

Free- enjoying personal rights or liberty, as a person who is not in slavery...

source dictionary.com

Okay... sorry had to change back to black after copy and paste... So Agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose... free means enjoying personal rights or liberty... so by saying free agency does that mean that our agency comes without cost or consequence? Obviously not because everyone knows we might be free to make our choices (or have agency) but we are not free to choose the consequences that will pursue. Perhaps wisdom has something to do with us seeing those items together and how they interact?

Lindsay then said she hates, or thinks the phrase "BFF for life" is funny. BFF stands for "Best Friends Forever." So best friends forever for life...

Here are some other ones I have thought of...

-We need to all meet together. Honestly what does all meet mean, we will not be together?

-Free gift with a purchase. This one has lots of problems, kind of like buy one get one free. Are you really getting one free if you have to buy one? Doesn't gift imply that it is free? and how is it really free if you have to purchase it?

-We are surrounded on all sides. How else do you get surrounded?

-frozen ice. Yes that is my favorite kind of ice too.

-awkward predicament.... some just explain themselves... or perhaps they all do.

-I'm writing an autobiography of my life. Hmm, I guess that is why you added the prefix auto- in there.

-Can you please RSVP in advance. Isn't that the idea?

-Null and void. Just repetitive but I like this one, makes it sound more... official if it is null and void!

-The past experience. Glad we are not talking about a future experience... or it would not really be an experience now would it?

-poisonous venom. I like this one too, once again it makes it seem more hardcore.

Anyways there are probably a lot more. Please feel free to post ones you have noticed in the comments!!!