Chrysti the Wordsmith > Radio Scripts

Dr. Mardy Grothe, author of a compendium called never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you, has a passion for chiasmus, the duplication of words in a phrase but in reverse order, producing a statement with two complementary halves. Don't let the unfamiliar term chiasmus confuse you, because chiastic expressions are everywhere.

The word chiasmus derives from the Greek word for X, which is chi. The letter provides a visual clue to the concept, because if you place the first phrase of the book's title never let a fool kiss you atop the second phrase or a kiss fool you, you can trace the letter inversion between the phrases with the figure X.

As Grothe points out, the advertising industry has produced many memorable chiastic slogans over the decades. The NRA's unofficial catchphrase is If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Harley-Davidson advertises its product with the chiasmus Live to Ride, Ride to Live. And who can forget the chiastic slogan Sorry Charlie, Starkist doesn't want tunas with good taste; Starkist wants tuna that tastes good.

Mardy Grothe's compendium of chiastic quotations is a delight. It's called never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you, published by Viking Press.

Radio Script > Chiasmus III