Syllepsis
Syllepsis is a figure of speech in which one word simultaneously modifies two or more other words such that the modification must be understood differently with respect to each modified word. This creates a semantic incongruity which is often humorous.Examples:
- He leaned heavily on the podium and stale jokes.
- He lost his hat and his temper.
- She went home in a flood of tears and a sedan chair -- Charles Dickens
- You held your breath and the door for me. -- Alanis Morrissette, in "Head Over Feet":
