switcharoo
a surprising reversal of meaning, making someone stop and think
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Mrs Clinton's next chance to pull a rhetorical SWITCH-A-ROO came during the economic portion of the debate. After a discussion of their tax proposals - and a predictable exchange of allegations over who's cutting and who's raising them too much - Mr Trump went after Mrs Clinton on her past support of trade deals.
The Economist
The Economist
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switcheroo (or switcharoo or switch-a-roo)
noun (colloquial)
A switcheroo is a sudden unexpected variation or reversal, often for a humorous purpose.
As a comedic device, this was a favorite of Woody Allen; for a time, he used so many switcheroos that friends referred to him as "Allen Woody." Allen's switcheroo gags include: Carrying a bullet in his breast pocket; he claimed someone once threw a Bible at him and the bullet saved his life.
The phrase "Man bites dog" is a shortened version of a story in journalism which describes how an unusual, infrequent event (such as a man biting a dog) is more likely to be reported as news than an ordinary, everyday occurrence with similar consequences, such as a dog biting a man.
As an example of a related phrase, a story titled "Deer Shoots Hunter" appeared in a 1947 issue of the Pittsburgh Press, mentioning a hunter that was shot by his own gun due to a reflex kick by the deer he had killed.
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SYNONYMS
turnaround, U-turn, about-turn, turn-around
turnround [Br.], about-face [Am.], volte-face [literary]
noun (colloquial)
A switcheroo is a sudden unexpected variation or reversal, often for a humorous purpose.
As a comedic device, this was a favorite of Woody Allen; for a time, he used so many switcheroos that friends referred to him as "Allen Woody." Allen's switcheroo gags include: Carrying a bullet in his breast pocket; he claimed someone once threw a Bible at him and the bullet saved his life.
The phrase "Man bites dog" is a shortened version of a story in journalism which describes how an unusual, infrequent event (such as a man biting a dog) is more likely to be reported as news than an ordinary, everyday occurrence with similar consequences, such as a dog biting a man.
As an example of a related phrase, a story titled "Deer Shoots Hunter" appeared in a 1947 issue of the Pittsburgh Press, mentioning a hunter that was shot by his own gun due to a reflex kick by the deer he had killed.
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SYNONYMS
turnaround, U-turn, about-turn, turn-around
turnround [Br.], about-face [Am.], volte-face [literary]
