I Found An Error In The Dictionary And I Hate It
The quest for the origins of our favorite oxymoron became a lesson in misinformation
I hate the phrase never say never. It is the worst kind of oxymoron. While all oxymorons are a contradiction by definition, this one is especially egregious because it demands action. It is a command. It is a suggestion. It is a high minded piece of self help that violates its own premise from the drop of the word never.
If you cannot even follow your own advice in a single sentence, what credibility do you have?
In the grand scheme of things it is a small annoyance but on that grates on my sensibilities nevertheless. Despite my aversion to this ridiculous oxymoron, I still find it tumbling out of my mouth from time to time. That is because ‘never say never’ is a catchy phrase that people love. That got me thinking, where did this contradictory phrase come from? Who said it first?
When I began doing my research I found something even more irritating than the contradiction itself: the dictionary is wrong.
An unforgivable error
The definition of the phrase, never say never, according to Dictionary.com reads:
Nothing is impossible, anything can happen, as in…
