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Adynaton (/ˌædɪˈnɑːtɒn, -tən/;[1] plural adynata) is a figure of speech in the form of hyperbole taken to such extreme lengths as to insinuate a complete impossibility:[2]

I will sooner have a beard grow in the palm of my hand than he shall get one on his cheek.[3]

The word derives from the Greek ἀδύνατον (adunaton), neuter of ἀδύνατος (adunatos), "unable, impossible" (a-, "without" + dynasthai, "to be possible or powerful").[4]

Classical and medieval usage

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Adynaton was a widespread literary and rhetorical device during the Classical Period. In the Eclogue of Plutarch, there is a long list of proverbs and the first section is titled ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΑΔΥΝΑΤΩΝ, consisting of proverbs that are built on adynaton.[5] The adynaton form was often used for vows and covenants, such as in the 16th Epode of Horace, 25-34.

Its plural form (adynata) was translated in Latin as impossibilia. A frequent usage was to refer to one highly unlikely event occurring sooner than another:

One can expect an agreement between philosophers sooner than between clocks.

— Seneca, The Pumpkinification of Claudius

Zenobius's collection of proverbial expressions includes "to count sand" to characterize something impossible or unattainable.[6]

However, it largely fell into disuse during the Middle Ages before undergoing a minor revival in the works of romantic poets, who would boast of the power of their love, and how it could never end.

Together, we shall sooner see, I, & you, The Rhône tarry, & reverse its course, The Saône roil, & return to source, Than this my fire ever die down

— Maurice Scève

Fiction, folklore and drama

[edit]

Adynata are sometimes used within works of fiction or drama:

Part heat from fire, then, by that notion,
Part frost from snow, wet from the ocean!
Ask less!

— Henrik Ibsen, Brand

Impossible tasks appear often in legends and folklore, and can form elements of ballads, riddles and proverbs. Examples include: the tale of "The Spinning-Woman by the Spring",

Modern usage

[edit]
Main article: List of idioms of improbability

Some modern adynata include:

  • In modern Greek: “The fly ate iron” [7]
  • In Uyghur of China, “To avoid hurting my friend’s feelings, I got pregnant (said by a male).”[8]
  • In Bulgarian: когато цъфнат налъмите (kogato tsâfnat nalâmite, "when the clogs blossom")[9] and когато върбата роди круши (kogato vârbata rodi krushi, "when pears grow on a willow tree").[10] koga se pokači svinja s z´´lti čehli na krusa (when the pig in yellow slippers climbs the pear tree)[11]
  • in Dutch: Als Pasen en Pinksteren op één dag vallen ("when Easter and Pentecost are the same day");[12] from a poem by Gerrit Komrij: "Eer maakt men lakens wit met inkt (...) dan dat ik (...) zeg wat ik thans lijden moet" ("Sooner will sheets be bleached with ink (...) than my suffering revealed by me"). "Op St. Juttemis" ("On St. Jutmas", i.e. the feast day of a nonexistent saint)
  • In Egyptian Arabic: بكرة في المشمش (bukra fil mish-mish, "tomorrow when the apricots bloom")[13][14]
  • In English: When pigs fly!,[15] and Not before Hell freezes over![16] and its derivative A snowball's chance in hell.[17] When the moon turns to green cheese.[11]
  • in Finnish: kun lehmät lentävät ("when cows fly") or kun lipputanko kukkii ("when flagpole blossoms") [18]
  • In French: Quand les poules auront des dents ("When hens grow teeth"), La semaine des quatre jeudis ("The week of the four Thursdays") .[19] "À la St. Glinglin" (on the feast day of the nonexistent St. Glinglin); "Aux calendes grecques" (on the Greek Kalendae, which of course only existed on the Roman calendar)
  • In German: Wenn Schweine fliegen könnten ("When pigs can fly"); Wenn Ostern und Weihnachten zusammenfallen ("When Easter and Christmas coincide")[20]
  • In Hungarian: majd ha piros hó esik ("when it's snowing red")[21]
  • in Romanian: La Paştele Cailor ("on horses' Easter")[22]
  • In Italian: Quando gli asini voleranno ("When donkeys fly").[23]
  • In Latvian: Kad pūcei aste ziedēs ("When an owl's tail blooms")[24]
  • In Levantine Arabic: لما ينوّر الملح (lamma ynawwer al-malħ), ("when salt blooms")[25]
  • In Malay: Tunggu kucing bertanduk ("when cats grow horns").[26]
  • In Malayalam: "കാക്ക മലർന്നു പറക്കും (kākka malarnnu paṟakkuṃ)" ("When [the] crow will fly upside down").[27]
  • In Polish: Prędzej mi kaktus na dłoni wyrośnie ("Sooner the cactus grows on my palm.").
  • In Portuguese: quando as galinhas tiverem dentes ("when hens grow teeth"),[28] nem que a vaca tussa ("not even if the cow coughs"),[29] nem que chovam canivetes ("not even if it rains penknives"), no dia de São Nunca à tarde ("in the afternoon of St. Never's day").[30]
  • In Russian: когда рак на горе свистнет (kogdá rak na goré svístnet, "when the crawfish whistles on the mountain").[31]
  • In Serbian or Croatian: kad na vrbi rodi grožđe ("when grapes grow on a willow").[32]
  • In Slovak: keď budú padať traktory ("when tractors will fall") or na svätého dindi ("On St. Dindi" probably taken from French.)
  • In Spanish: Cuando las vacas vuelen ("When cows fly"),[33] instead of "las vacas" the words "los chanchos" are also used, replacing "the cows" with "the pigs" or, in Spain (presumably) there could also be used Cuando las ranas críen pelo ("When the frogs grow hairs") [34]
  • In Sumerian: “My ox will provide milk for you!”[35]
  • in Swedish: två torsdagar i veckan ("two Thursdays in the same week"). It is also said as "two Sundays in the same week", but other weekdays are rarely used.[36]
  • In Turkish: balık kavağa çıkınca ("when fish climb poplar trees").[37]
  • In Persian: vaght-e gol-e ney ("when bamboo blossoms") [38]

See also

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ "adynaton". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2020-11-26.
  2. ^ Stephen Cushman; Clare Cavanagh; Jahan Ramazani; Paul Rouzer (26 August 2012). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics: Fourth Edition. Princeton University Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-4008-4142-4. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  3. ^ Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2
  4. ^ ἀδύνατος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
  5. ^ p. 390. Rowe, Gary. 1965. The adynaton as a stylistic device. The American Journal of Philology 85.4:387-396.
  6. ^ William F. Hansen, Ariadne's Thread: A Guide to International Tales Found in Classical Literature, p. 98
  7. ^ p. 125. Marketos, Babēs I., ed. A Proverb for it: 1510 Greek Sayings. New World Publishers, 1945.
  8. ^ p. 6. Fiddler, Michael. "Friends, enemies, and fools: A collection of Uyghur proverbs." GIALens 11.3: (2017)1-15.
  9. ^ Keti Nicheva (1987). Bŭlgarska frazeologii︠a︡. Nauka i izkustvo. p. 99. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  10. ^ M. Leonidova (1986). Problemy strukturno-semanticheskoĭ tipologii bolgarskikh i russkikh frazelogizmov. Gos. izd-vo Narodna Prosveta. p. 155. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  11. ^ a b "15 - Phraseologisms". LOGOS – Multilingual Translation Portal. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  12. ^ Leon Gillet. Spaans Idiomaticum Herbekeken. Spaans-Nederlands. Academia Press. pp. 185–. ISBN 978-90-382-1141-1. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  13. ^ Al Qasimi, Nouf. "There's an old Arabic proverb: You can have apricots tomorrow". The National. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  14. ^ Al Qasimi, Nouf. "Mish Mish". Jewish Film Institute. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  15. ^ Christine Ammer (1997). The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Houghton Mifflin. p. 709. ISBN 978-0-395-72774-4. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  16. ^ Paul Heacock (22 September 2003). Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms. Cambridge University Press. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-521-53271-6. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  17. ^ The Free Dictionary - not have a snowball's chance in hell. Retrieved on 2013-07-15.
  18. ^ kun lehmät lentävät - Sivistyssanakirja, synonyymit - Suomi Sanakirja. Suomisanakirja.fi. Retrieved on 2013-05-27.
  19. ^ Roy Fuller (1 January 2000). Animal Idioms. Presses Univ. du Mirail. p. 122. ISBN 978-2-85816-539-1. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  20. ^ Derrick De Kerckhove; Martina Leeker; Kerstin Schmidt (2008). McLuhan neu lesen: Kritische Analysen zu Medien und Kultur im 21. Jahrhundert. transcript Verlag. p. 485. ISBN 978-3-89942-762-2. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  21. ^ Éva Szabó (2005). Hungarian Practical Dictionary: Hungarian-English, English-Hungarian. Hippocrene Books. p. 431. ISBN 978-0-7818-1068-5. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  22. ^ Mioara Avram; Marius Sala (2000). May We Introduce the Romanian Language to You?. Romanian Cultural Foundation Publishing House. p. 157. ISBN 978-973-577-224-6. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  23. ^ Matthew Lawry (25 July 2012). The Phonetic Guide to Italian: Learn Italian in about a Year. AuthorHouse. p. 285. ISBN 978-1-4772-1927-0. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  24. ^ Dzidra Kalnin̦a (2003). Angl̦u-latviešu, latviešu-angl̦u vārdnīca. Avots. ISBN 978-9984-700-90-8. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  25. ^ "لمّا ينوّر الملح". فلسطين أون لاين (in Arabic). 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  26. ^ Ainon binti Mohd & Abdullah bin Hassan (2005). Kamus Peribahasa Kontemporari - Edisi Ke-2. PTS Professional. p. 431. ISBN 978-983-3376-38-4. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  27. ^ Kattakada. "Malayalam Adynation". Wikisource. Wikimedia. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  28. ^ Cristina Mourón Figueroa; Teresa Moralejo Gárate (1 January 2006). Studies in Contrastive Linguistics: Proceedings of the 4th International Contrastive Linguistics Conference, Santiago de Compostela, September, 2005. Univ Santiago de Compostela. p. 361. ISBN 978-84-9750-648-9. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  29. ^ Azussa Matsuoka; Luciene Ferreira da Silva Guedes (November 2009). "Análise das construções idiomáticas negativas enfáticas" (PDF). Gatilho (in Portuguese). Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora.
  30. ^ Mark G. Nash; Willians Ramos Ferreira (2009). Michaelis Dicionário de Expressões Idiomáticas (Dictionary). Editora Melhoramentos. p. 151. when pigs fly Amer dit (...) Algo como: 'quando a galinha criar dentes'; no dia de São Nunca.
  31. ^ Agnes Arany-Makkai (1 September 1996). Russian Idioms. Barron's. p. 222. ISBN 9780812094367. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  32. ^ Željko Bujas (1999). English-Croatian dictionary. Globus. p. 487. ISBN 9789531670784. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  33. ^ Rafael Ordozgoiti de la Rica; Ignacio Pérez Jiménez (1 January 2003). Imagen de marca. ESIC Editorial. p. 147. ISBN 978-84-7356-342-0. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  34. ^ “Cuando la rana eche pelos”… ¡y realmente lo hizo! ~ Culturizando. Culturizando.com. Retrieved on 2013-05-27.
  35. ^ p. 15, Gordon, Edmund I. "Sumerian Animal Proverbs and Fables:" Collection Five"(Conclusion)." Journal of Cuneiform Studies 12, no. 2 (1958): 43-75.
  36. ^ Hjalmar Bergman (1952). Samlade skrifter: Farmor och vår herre. Bonnier. p. 137. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  37. ^ Hacettepe University journal of the Faculty of Letters. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi. 2001. p. 50. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  38. ^ "معنی وقت گل نی | واژه‌نامه آزاد". www.vajehyab.com.

References and further reading

[edit]
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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Adynaton

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Adynaton is a that declares the impossibility of an event or action, typically through an exaggerated or so extreme that it implies the scenario cannot occur. This device heightens emphasis by contrasting the desired outcome with an absurd or unattainable condition, such as stating something will happen "" or "." Often classified under figures of thought, adynaton serves to underscore , irony, or emotional intensity in . Derived from the Greek prefix a- (meaning "without" or "not") and dynasthai (meaning "to be able" or "to have power"), adynaton literally translates to "impossible" or "powerless," reflecting its core function of expressing what cannot be. It is also known by terms such as adynata (plural form) or impossibilia, and it overlaps with hyperbole but distinguishes itself by invoking outright impossibilities rather than mere exaggeration. In classical rhetoric, it falls under figures of pathos, evoking emotional responses through the frustration or wonder of the unattainable. Historically rooted in ancient Greek and Roman rhetorical traditions, adynaton appears in literary works to amplify dramatic effect or convey inexpressible emotions. For instance, in William Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 2, the character Falstaff declares, "I will sooner have a beard grow in the palm of my hand than he shall get one off his cheek," illustrating the device's use in hyperbolic denial. Similarly, in Othello, Othello exclaims, "I cannot speak enough of this content; / It stops me here; it is too much of joy," expressing the impossibility of articulating overwhelming emotion. Beyond Elizabethan drama, adynaton influences modern idioms and persuasive writing, reinforcing its enduring role in emphasizing improbability across genres.

Definition and Etymology

Definition

Adynaton is a defined as an extreme form of that asserts an absolute impossibility to underscore the improbability or outright rejection of a . It employs deliberate to depict scenarios that defy natural laws or physical , such as pigs flying or a growing on the palm of one's hand, thereby emphasizing unlikelihood through . Unlike ordinary , which amplifies for emphasis without necessitating literal unbelievability, adynaton specifically hinges on the recognition of impossibility to heighten al impact. The device's core characteristics include its use of intentional, often humorous or ironic, to convey dismissal, , or strong emphasis, making the impossible scenario serve as a vivid proxy for . Adynaton typically follows a conditional , linking an action or to an implausible event—e.g., "I will comply when rivers flow uphill"—which ties the fulfillment of one to the occurrence of the other, reinforcing the speaker's resolve via the evident futility. This exploits the audience's shared understanding of natural limits to amplify emotional or persuasive force without direct confrontation. Rooted in ancient rhetorical traditions, adynaton emerges from classifications of impossibility within , as articulated by in On Style (§§124–127), where such exaggerations are tied to expressions of the unattainable to elevate stylistic grandeur.

Etymology

The term adynaton originates from ἀδύνατον (adúnaton), the neuter singular of the adjective ἀδύνατος (adunatos), signifying "impossible" or "unable." This compound word consists of the privative prefix ἀ- (a-), which indicates or absence, combined with δύνατος (dynatos), meaning "possible" or "capable," derived from the verb δύναμαι (dynamai), "to be able" or "to have power." The word entered Latin as adynaton during , where it denoted "impossibility" and appeared in rhetorical contexts, often in the plural form adynata translated as impossibilia to describe exaggerated impossibilities in oratory and . In English, adynaton was adopted through the study of classical texts by and post-Renaissance scholars, with its earliest attested use in 1654 by physician and natural philosopher Walter Charleton in his Physiologia Epicuro-Gassendo-Charltoniana, marking its integration into English rhetorical terminology. The term has since been borrowed directly into other European languages with minimal alteration, such as French adynaton and German Adynaton, preserving its Greek-Latin roots in discussions of rhetorical devices. The underlying Greek stem δυν- ("power" or "ability") continues to influence modern English vocabulary, as seen in words like dynamic (relating to power or force) and adynamic (lacking power), though adynaton specifically denotes the rhetorical figure of impossibility.

Historical Usage

Classical Period

Adynaton emerged as a in and Roman literature during the Classical period, from the BCE to the CE, where it served to underscore the impossibility of certain events to strengthen arguments. One of the earliest compilations of adynata appears in ancient Greek proverb collections, including apocryphal works attributed to such as Proverbs on Impossible Actions (Adynata), listing proverbial expressions of absurdity such as drawing water with a or oxen flying, drawn from earlier Greek traditions to illustrate ethical and logical absolutes. In oratory, figures like employed hyperbolic impossibilities in speeches such as the Philippics to emphasize the urgency of political action, portraying scenarios like ' submission to Philip II as inconceivable without immediate resistance, thereby heightening persuasive impact. Roman writers adapted adynaton for poetic exaggeration, integrating it into lyric and epic forms to evoke dramatic tension or irony. In Horace's Epodes, the sixteenth poem features a vivid adynaton where the speaker vows eternal separation unless "rocks should swim forth from the bottom of the sea" (simul imis saxa renarint vadis levata), symbolizing an unbreakable oath amid civil strife. Similarly, the fifth epode includes Canidia's declaration that the sky would sink below the earth before her love could cease (priusque caelum sidet inferius mari tellure porrecta super), amplifying themes of obsessive passion. further employed adynaton in works like the Amores and , using inversions such as rivers flowing backward to exaggerate emotional turmoil or mythological transformations, enhancing narrative intensity. Ancient rhetorical handbooks classified adynaton as an extreme variant of , valued for its capacity to amplify emotion in discourse. , in Rhetoric Book III, Chapter 11, describes as a metaphorical exaggeration suited to oratory, where it conveys magnitude through impossible comparisons, though he cautions against overuse to avoid incredulity. , in (circa 1st century CE), echoes this by praising 's role in elevating style when rooted in vivid , citing examples from and to show how it transports the audience beyond rational bounds toward grandeur. In the cultural milieu of and , adynaton played a key role in oratory and to assert ethical or metaphysical absolutes, such as the inevitability of fate or the folly of moral compromise. Philosophers like those in the Socratic tradition invoked impossibilities in debates to dismantle fallacious reasoning, while orators used it to rally public sentiment on issues like democracy's endurance, reflecting a broader Hellenistic interest in proverbial wisdom collections that preserved such devices for didactic purposes. This prevalence underscores adynaton's function as a bridge between poetic flair and logical argumentation in Classical intellectual life.

Medieval and Renaissance Periods

During the Middle Ages, the use of adynaton declined significantly as emphasized logical disputation and theological precision over classical rhetorical flourishes, leading to a more restrained approach in Latin . This shift marginalized hyperbolic figures like adynaton, confining them to rare instances in texts or moral fables where impossibility underscored divine truths, such as in allegorical narratives drawing on biblical impossibilities. The marked a revival of adynaton, fueled by the rediscovery and emulation of classical texts through , which reintroduced rhetorical devices into as tools for vivid expression and . In Geoffrey Chaucer's , particularly , the character Dorigen employs adynaton in a rash oath, vowing fidelity only if "every rok... were away" from the coast, an "impossible" feat against nature to emphasize her devotion's unlikelihood. Similarly, in the 's Paradiso invokes adynaton to convey the ineffable, likening his vision of divine essence to "," an ancient geometric impossibility symbolizing the limits of human language before the eternal. This resurgence extended adynaton into vernacular languages across , from the 12th to 16th centuries, as humanist scholars adapted classical to courtly poetry and moral allegories in tongues like and Italian, enhancing accessibility and emotional impact. Key figures such as Desiderius Erasmus further elevated it in satirical works; in his Adages, he analyzes adynaton as a for impossible tasks, using proverbs like those of ancient poets to critique political and religious absurdities, thereby bridging classical precedent with contemporary critique.

Examples in Literature and Folklore

In Fiction and Folklore

Adynaton plays a prominent role in narratives, where impossible tasks or hyperbolic impossibilities are assigned to characters to test virtue, expose trickery, or facilitate supernatural resolution. In the Brothers Grimm's "" (KHM 21), the stepmother scatters a dish of lentils among the ashes and demands the girl separate them before evening, an adynaton-like feat symbolizing the girl's undeserved hardship and moral superiority, ultimately achieved through the aid of white doves. Similarly, in Russian folklore as recorded by , the tale "" features the wicked stepmother and sisters imposing impossible sorting tasks on the heroine, such as separating poppy seeds from or rotten grain from good by dawn, which highlight themes of endurance and divine intervention through Vasilisa's magical doll. In prose fiction, adynaton contributes to whimsical and satirical storytelling by embedding absurd impossibilities that defy logic and reality. Lewis (1865) exemplifies this through a series of hyperbolic scenarios, such as the Cheshire Cat's gradual disappearance leaving only its grin or the Mock Turtle's nonsensical curriculum of "Reeling and Writhing," which underscore the novel's exploration of childhood wonder and adult absurdity via impossible events that propel the plot. Cross-culturally, adynaton motifs recur in global patterns, classified under the Aarne-Thompson-Uther (ATU) index as types involving impossible quests or tasks, such as ATU 480 ("The Kind and the Unkind Girl"), which appears in European, Asian, and other traditions with variations like sorting mixed seeds or fetching unreachable objects. In Asian folklore, similar hyperbolic elements appear, as in Chinese tales where phrases like "when the sea dries up and the rocks crumble" denote eternal fidelity or utter impossibility, often resolving romantic or heroic dilemmas through exaggerated vows. These narrative functions of adynaton—heightening dramatic tension through unattainable challenges, enabling plot resolution via magical or moral aid, and imparting lessons on perseverance and —originate in oral traditions and persist in compiled collections, allowing storytellers to exaggerate struggles for didactic effect.

In Drama and Poetry

In , adynaton serves as a rhetorical tool to heighten tension or provide through declarations of impossibility, punctuating in both classical and early modern theatrical works. In , such as the plays of , characters often employ impossible vows or hyperbolic oaths to underscore the futility of endeavors or the inexorability of fate, emphasizing emotional and moral dilemmas on . This persisted into Elizabethan drama, where adynaton was used to add wit and dismissal in comedic exchanges; for instance, in Shakespeare's , Falstaff dismisses the Prince's maturity with the line, "I will sooner have a beard grow in the palm of my hand than he shall get one off his cheek," illustrating comic to reject an unlikely event. During the Restoration period, playwrights continued this practice in witty repartee, leveraging adynaton to critique social norms or heighten performative irony in . In poetry, adynaton evolves from epic forms to lyrical expressions, enhancing rhythm, imagery, and the sense of impossibility to convey profound emotional or philosophical depths. In Homer's , hyperbolic similes and declarations of improbability, such as scenarios where natural orders reverse, establish adynaton's early role in building narrative scale and inevitability, influencing subsequent verse traditions. Romantic poets like Byron and Shelley adapted this device for heightened emotional intensity, incorporating extreme exaggerations in odes and satires to evoke passion or irony; Byron's , for example, employs hyperbolic impossibilities to satirize societal pretensions and romantic ideals. This lyrical evolution extends to modern verse, where adynaton amplifies themes of through absurd scenarios, as in W. H. Auden's "As I Walked Out One Evening," with lines like "I'll love you till and meet, / And the river jumps over the mountain," focusing on the rhythmic absurdity of eternal commitment.

Modern and Contemporary Usage

Idiomatic Expressions

Adynaton manifests in idiomatic expressions as hyperbolic phrases denoting absolute impossibility, often employed to convey or outright dismissal in everyday . Common English examples include "," which implies an event will never happen, originating from a 1581 literary reference in Walter Haddon's Against Jerome Osorius Byshopp of Siluane in Portingall, where it appears as "pigs fly with their tails forward," evolving into the modern vernacular form by the 17th century. Similarly, "when freezes over," first attested in 19th-century , underscores eternal improbability by inverting the traditional image of hell as a fiery . Another variant, "in a pig's eye," serves as an emphatic or expression of disbelief, rooted in 19th-century U.S. without a precisely documented literary precursor but aligned with barnyard-themed hyperbolic rejections. These expressions find parallels across languages, adapting to local cultural imagery for equivalent hyperbolic effect. In French, "quand les poules auront des dents" (when hens grow teeth) mirrors the of flight for flightless pigs, drawing on as a familiar domestic symbol. The Spanish counterpart, "cuando las ranas críen pelo" (when frogs grow hair), substitutes amphibians to evoke a similarly impossibility, reflecting Iberian folklore's emphasis on natural incongruities. In Uyghur, "qachqul bolguncha" (until the crow turns white) employs avian transformation, a motif common in Central Asian and Near Eastern traditions for denoting unattainability. The evolution of these idioms traces from rhetorical or literary origins to widespread use, transitioning through oral traditions and print media to become embedded in colloquial speech. Early forms often appeared in polemical writings or proverbs, gradually simplifying for conversational brevity while retaining hyperbolic cores; variations emerge culturally, substituting like pigs, hens, frogs, or crows to align with regional environments and symbolic absurdities, thus preserving the adynaton's essence of impossibility across contexts. In conversation, these idioms fulfill a pragmatic role by softening direct refusals or denials, allowing speakers to humorously deflect requests or express doubt without overt confrontation, thereby maintaining politeness and rapport. Sociolinguistically, they function as markers of interpersonal conflict or skepticism, often in informal settings where literal bluntness might threaten face. In film and television, adynaton often appears as hyperbolic impossibilities that underscore skepticism or irony, particularly in comedic contexts. A notable example occurs in the 1995 episode "Lisa the Vegetarian" of The Simpsons, where Mr. Burns dismisses a donation request with the phrase "when pigs fly," only for a pig to literally soar past his window moments later, subverting the impossibility for humorous effect. This moment exemplifies how adynaton can pivot into literal fulfillment to heighten narrative surprise in animated series. In music lyrics, adynaton serves to convey eternal devotion or ironic unlikelihood through impossible scenarios. Stevie Wonder's 1977 song "As" employs multiple adynata, such as "I'll be loving you till the rainbow burns the ground where my feet stand," to exaggerate the permanence of beyond conceivable limits. In hip-hop, post-2000 artists have adapted the trope for personal defiance; Tyler, the Creator's 2009 track "Pigs Fly" reimagines "pigs flying" as a for witnessing the improbable through a skewed perspective, with lines like "I bet you've never seen a fly (Nope) / Well you ain't been looking through my eyes." Digital culture has amplified adynaton via memes and interactive media, where phrases like "when pigs fly" denote absolute improbability in viral formats. On platforms such as TikTok and Reddit, memes featuring flying pigs illustrate dismissed ideas, such as political promises or personal goals, often paired with ironic visuals to mock feasibility since the 2010s. Video games incorporate adynaton through absurd, seemingly impossible quests that challenge players' persistence; for instance, Yakuza series side quests demand convoluted tasks like retrieving bizarre items under time constraints, evoking hyperbolic unlikelihood to blend humor with gameplay frustration. Contemporary evolutions of adynaton in global pop culture localize impossibilities for cultural resonance. In Bollywood, the 2009 film Pyaar Impossible! features a title song declaring love as an unattainable feat, using adynaton to dramatize romantic barriers in a upbeat track.

References

  1. https://rhetoric.byu.edu/Figures/A/adynaton.htm
  2. https://www.attalus.org/old/demetr2.html
  3. https://www.yourdictionary.com/adynaton
  4. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adynaton
  5. https://www.oed.com/dictionary/adynaton_n
  6. https://continuum.fas.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Lelli-E._History-of-Graeco-Roman-Proverb.pdf
  7. https://www.jstor.org/stable/292936
  8. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2007.01.0033%3Abook%3DEpodes%3Apoem%3D16
  9. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26309415
  10. https://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/rhetoric.3.iii.html
  11. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/17957/17957-h/17957-h.htm
  12. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/rh.2001.19.2.175
  13. https://people.bu.edu/bobl/dantecircle.pdf
  14. https://www.siue.edu/~ejoy/eng208lecture_notes_Sidney.htm
  15. https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Adages_of_Erasmus.html?id=VmJn6IFMyicC
  16. https://folkmasa.org/motiv/at.php?mishtane=480
  17. https://folkmasa.org/yashpeh/The_Folktale.pdf
  18. https://users.wpi.edu/~jcocola/publications/cocola.renunciations-of-rhyme-in-byrons-don-juan.pdf
  19. https://literarydevices.net/adynaton/
  20. https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/a-whole-barnyard-of-farm-idioms
  21. https://www.theidioms.com/when-hell-freezes-over/
  22. https://www.connexionfrance.com/magazine/oh-la-vache-17-french-animal-expressions-to-try/389022
  23. https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/in-a-pigs-eye.html
  24. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701158/quotes/?item=qt1929673
  25. https://literarydevices.com/adynaton/
  26. https://genius.com/Tyler-the-creator-pigs-fly-lyrics
  27. https://imgflip.com/meme/37405130/Pigs-Fly
  28. https://www.reddit.com/r/patientgamers/comments/hrglne/what_are_some_of_the_most_ridiculous_original/
  29. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bjd9hbDSFt0
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