Janus Words
© Barb Alexander
Named for the two-faced god in Roman mythology, Janus words (also
called amphibolous words or auto-antonyms) are a
special breed-they are words which contradict themselves. In other
words, they mean one thing and the opposite of that meaning!
Some examples of Janus words are:
- cleave
(Means both to bring together and to separate) - custom
- The local custom is to eat lasagna on Thanksgiving. (That's what is usually done.)
- Your butternut-squash-and-hazelnut lasagna will be custom-made. (It's not the normal thing, so it has to be made especially for you.) - fast
- He can run very fast. (He is going somewhere quickly.)
- He holds fast to his beliefs. (His beliefs are not going anywhere; he is not changing them.) - handicap
(Usually something you want in golf but not in life) - (to) go off
- The fire alarm went off. (It is sounding.)
- The fire alarm went off. (We can't hear it any longer.) - left
-Jean is the only one left in the office. (Jean is still here.)
-Jean has left. (Jean is no longer here.) - sanction
(Means both to bless and to ban) - strike
- Alice struck out in Sunday's softball game. (She did not hit the ball.)
- Alice struck her brother on the arm when he teased her about the softball game. (She did hit him !) - trim
(When you get your hair trimmed, some of your hair is removed. When you trim a Christmas tree, you are adding decorations to it-unless you are Chevy Chase portraying President Ford in that old SNL skit, in which case you are actually trimming the tree with a scissors!)
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The copyright of the article Janus Words in English Grammar is owned by Barb Alexander. Permission to republish Janus Words in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
