Zeugma skilfully uses a single verb to refer to two different objects in an ungrammatical but striking way, writes Roopa Banerjee
In quick succession, Meena lost her job, her house, and her mind! Did this sentence make you do a double take and read again? That’s because it was a zeugma — an interesting literary form that uses the same word to indicate two or more different things in more than one way. Zeugma skilfully uses a single verb to refer to two different objects in an ungrammatical but striking way. It is also often used with an adjective to refer to two separate nouns, even though the adjective would typically be suitable for just one of the two.
It has its origin in the Greek zeugma, which means yoking, joining or bonding, and is pronounced ‘zoog-muh’.
Zeugma serves two purposes, depending on the intention and skill of the writer. It can either confuse or inspire readers to introspect deeply. The more inspired zeugmas usually do the latter. They add emotion, create drama, and produce shock value. An example: ‘If we don’t hang together, we shall hang separately!’ — Benjamin Franklin, writer & scientist (1706-1790)
Zeugmas are also used to generate humour. ‘She exhausted her audience and her repertoire’ and ‘The Queen of England sometimes takes advice in that chamber, and sometimes tea’ are interesting examples.
Literature abounds with examples of zeugma. Renowned British novelist Jane Austen used zeugma in her work with great style. For instance this famous line from Pride and Prejudice: ‘Yet time and her aunt moved slowly — and her patience and her ideas were nearly worn out before the tete-a-tete was over.’ Classic zeugma.
Novelist Charles Dickens also took great joy in using this figure of speech. He worded sentences cleverly, adding hilarity and intensity to his prose, as seen in this line from Oliver Twist: ‘He was alternately cudgelling his brains and his donkey.’
However zeugmas can easily go wrong if the writer uses a misplaced modifier. For example, ‘She dug for gold and praise in the ground’ fails because one doesn’t dig for praise in the ground. ‘She dug for gold and praise’ is a better fit.
Tragedy can also be expressed by zeugma. ‘The storm sank my boat and my dreams’ is an interesting way to capture pathos.
Cinema has also used zeugmas, albeit less than literature. For example, this line mouthed by Uncle Fester in the Hollywood movie Addams Family Values: ‘I live in shame… and the suburbs’. Television has seen its fair share of zeugmas, too. A popular and familiar zeugma is in Star Trek: The Next Generation. ‘You are free to execute your laws, and your citizens, as you see fit.’
Exercise
Identify the author and novel from where these zeugmas are excerpted:
1. ‘They tugged and tore at each other’s hair and clothes, punched and scratched each other’s nose, and covered themselves with dust and glory.’
2. ‘She looked at the object with suspicion and a magnifying glass.’
3. ‘He carried a strobe light and the responsibility for the lives of his men.’
4. ‘I fancy you were gone down to cultivate matrimony and your estate in the country.’