phrasemaking
Minting memorable language
Phrasemaking is the craft of constructing memorable, striking expressions—the kind that stick in people's minds or get quoted.
Politicians and speechwriters engage in phrasemaking when they coin slogans or craft sound bites designed to resonate.
The term can be neutral, describing skilled verbal artistry, or slightly dismissive, suggesting someone is more concerned with clever wording than with substance: His speech was all phrasemaking and no policy.
Signature line of words
- taglineMemorable branding phrase
- mottoGuiding behavioral phrase
- sloganMemorable promotional phrase
- quipBrief, clever remark
aphorism · epigram · maxim · adage · saying · proverb · cliché · bon-mot
Clever, inventive humor
- clevernessMental quickness and skill
- flairStylish natural aptitude
- inventivenessCapacity for original creation
- originalityNovel creative quality
ingenuity · wordplay · imagination · inspiration · novelty · playfulness · brilliance · spontaneity
Convincing through reasoning
- oratoryFormal eloquent discourse
- eloquencePersuasive verbal grace
- rhetoricArt of persuasive language
- logosBrand identification symbols
ethos · pathos · discourse · argumentation · speechwriting · grandiloquence · flourish · emphasis
Skilled prose artisan
- dictionChoice of words
- phrasingManner of expressing something
- wordingSpecific language chosen
- expressionConveyed thought or feeling
prose · style · eloquence · articulation · cadence · rhythm · polish · refinement
catchphrase
Signature line of words
quip · aphorism · epigram · maxim · adage · saying · proverb · cliché · bon-mot · one-liner
wit
Clever, inventive humor
- clevernessMental quickness and skill
- flairStylish natural aptitude
- inventivenessCapacity for original creation
originality · ingenuity · wordplay · imagination · inspiration · novelty · playfulness · brilliance · spontaneity · improvisation
persuasion
Convincing through reasoning
logos · ethos · pathos · discourse · argumentation · speechwriting · grandiloquence · flourish · emphasis · repetition
wordsmith
Skilled prose artisan
expression · prose · style · eloquence · articulation · cadence · rhythm · polish · refinement · craftsmanship
metaphor
Implied identity comparison
- simileComparison via "as"
- imageryVivid descriptive language
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
analogy · personification · hyperbole · euphemism · irony · allusion · metonymy · synecdoche · oxymoron · paradox
phrasemakingspontaneous speech
Unrehearsed verbal expression
ad-libbing · thinking aloud · stream of consciousness · improvisation · extemporizing
phrasemakingstraight talk
Honest, direct communication
directness · bluntness · substance · unvarnished truth · matter-of-factness
phrasemakingterseness
Extreme brevity of expression
brevity · concision · laconism · succinctness · economy of words
making, phrase, paraphrase, phrases, phraseology, paraphrased, paraphrasing, phrasal, misphrasing