A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax. For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists. A figure of speech, sometimes termed a rhetoric, or elocution, is a word or phrase that departs from straightforward, literal language. ... In rhetoric, climax is a figure of speech, in which words, phrases, or clauses are arranged in order of increasing importance. ...

An especially shrewd paraprosdokian not only changes the meaning of an early phrase, but also plays on the double meaning of a particular word. A double entendre or innuendo is a figure of speech similar to the pun, in which a spoken phrase can be understood in either of two ways. ...

Examples:

• Where there's a will, I want to be in it.
• The car stopped on a dime, which unfortunately was in a pedestrian's pocket.
• "Stately swept he along, and under his feet were his chilblains." — Aristotle
• "I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat." — Will Rogers
• "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it." — Groucho Marx
• "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana." ‐ Groucho Marx
• "A modest man, who has much to be modest about." — Winston Churchill (of Clement Atlee)
• "If you are going through hell, keep going." — Winston Churchill

Chilblains, also called perniosis or blain, when occurring on the feet, is a medical condition that is often confused with frostbite and trench foot. ... Aristotle (Greek: Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. ... William Penn Adair Will Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, and actor. ... Julius Henry Marx, AKA Groucho Marx (October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977), was an American comedian, working both with his siblings, the Marx Brothers, and on his own. ... Julius Henry Marx, AKA Groucho Marx (October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977), was an American comedian, working both with his siblings, the Marx Brothers, and on his own. ... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can) (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. ... Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, FRS (January 3, 1883 - October 8, 1967) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951. ... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can) (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. ...

See also

• Garden path sentence
• Humorous triple