repetition
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rep·e·ti·tion
(rĕp′ĭ-tĭsh′ən)repetition
(ˌrɛpɪˈtɪʃən)re`-pe•ti′tion
v.t.
rep•e•ti•tion
(ˌrɛp ɪˈtɪʃ ən)n.
Repetition
See Also: CONTINUITY, DULLNESS
- Continue unceasingly like a drip from a leaking faucet —Anon
- Iteration, like friction, is likely to generate heat instead of progress —George Eliot
- Kept on repeating the words like a talisman —Edith Wharton
- Life as repetitive as the seasons —J. B. Priestly
- Like warmed-up cabbage served at each repast the repetition kills the wretch at last —Juvenal
- Monotonous … like a tap with a worn-out washer dripping … in a kitchen sink —Gerald Kersch
In Kersh’s novel, Repetition, the dripping faucet image describes a character’s voice.
- Recited tirelessly as a language record —Marge Piercy
In Piercy’s poem, A Cold and Married War, the narrator is reciting her sins and errors.
- (Rages … which seemed to) recur in cycles, like menstruation — Ursule Molinaro
- (Thought) repeated like a lesson —William H. Gass
- Repeated like a rhyme —Amy Lowell
- Repeats … like an advertisement in neon —Marge Piercy
- Repetitive as hieroglyphs —Derek Walcott
- (Disembodied and) repetitive as the sea in a shell —Elizabeth Spencer
- [The sweep hand of a clock] went around and around like a door-to-door salesman —Raymond Chandler
Repetition
hark back To revert, to go back, to retrace one’s steps, to return to an earlier subject; to recall, to revive. This expression was originally used in hunting in reference to hounds who returned along the trail in order to pick up a lost scent. It has been used in its extended, figurative sense since the early 19th century.
He has to hark back again to find the scent of his argument. (Robert Louis Stevenson, Familiar Studies of Men and Books, 1882)
harp on To dwell on tediously, to repeat endlessly and monotonously, to belabor, to beat into the ground; also to harp on one or the same string. Ancient harpists reputedly played on only one string in order to demonstrate more fully their skill on the instrument. The phrase appears in Richard Grafton’s A Chronicle at Large and Mere History of the Affairs of England (1568), where it is attributed to Sir Thomas More:
The Cardinal made a countenance to the Lord Haward that he should harp no more upon that string.
The expression and its variants date from the 16th century.
return to one’s muttons To get back to the subject at hand, to return to the point at issue; to stick to the point, to get back on track. Little known in the U.S., this British expression derives from the French Revenons à nos moutons ‘Let’s get back to our sheep.’ The line originated as an often repeated admonition in an early French play by Blanchet, L’Avocat Pathelin, in which the plaintiff continually tried to discredit the defense’s lawyer by claiming he had stolen from him. The judge’s attempts to concentrate on the charge against the defendant, that he had stolen sheep, were marked by addressing the line Revenons à nos moutons to the plaintiff. The phrase was much quoted by Rabelais, which accounts for its wider currency.
ride a hobbyhorse See OBSESSION.
ring the changes To repeat the same thing in different ways; to vary the manner in which one performs a routine task. Originally, ring the changes referred to performing all possible permutations in ringing a set of bells. The expression is commonly applied figuratively to describe changing the order of a series of words, restating a fact or opinion in several different ways, or varying one’s technique in accomplishing an otherwise routine task.
They shall only ring you over a few changes upon three words: crying, Faith, Hope and Charity; Hope, Faith and Charity, and so on. (John Eachard, The Grounds and Occasions of the Contempt of the Clergy and Religion Enquired Into, 1670)
run that by me again A somewhat rude request to have information repeated, usually (but not necessarily) similar in tone to “Come again.” The likelihood is that the expression’s origin lies in the electronic re-runs and replays made commonplace by tape recordings and videotape.
repetition
| Noun | 1. | repetition - an event that repeats; "the events today were a repeat of yesterday's" periodic event, recurrent event - an event that recurs at intervals sequence - several repetitions of a melodic phrase in different keys cycle - a periodically repeated sequence of events; "a cycle of reprisal and retaliation" recurrence, return - happening again (especially at regular intervals); "the return of spring" |
| 2. | repetition - the act of doing or performing again continuance, continuation - the act of continuing an activity without interruption echolalia - (psychiatry) mechanical and meaningless repetition of the words of another person (as in schizophrenia) iteration - doing or saying again; a repeated performance redundancy - repetition of an act needlessly reiteration, reduplication - the act of repeating over and again (or an instance thereof) copying - an act of copying action replay, instant replay, replay - the immediate rebroadcast of some action (especially sports action) that has been recorded on videotape renewal - the act of renewing replication - the repetition of an experiment in order to test the validity of its conclusion; "scientists will not believe an experimental result until they have seen at least one replication" | |
| 3. | repetition - the repeated use of the same word or word pattern as a rhetorical device rhetorical device - a use of language that creates a literary effect (but often without regard for literal significance) anadiplosis, reduplication - repetition of the final words of a sentence or line at the beginning of the next epanalepsis - repetition after intervening words epanodos - repetition of a group of words in reverse order epiphora, epistrophe - repetition of the ends of two or more successive sentences, verses, etc. gemination - the doubling of a word or phrase (as for rhetorical effect) ploce - (rhetoric) repetition to gain special emphasis or extend meaning polyptoton - repetition of a word in a different case or inflection in the same sentence; "My own heart's heart" epanaphora, anaphora - repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses anaphora - using a pronoun or similar word instead of repeating a word used earlier symploce - repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning and another at the end of successive clauses, i.e., simultaneous use of anaphora and epistrophe |