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Rhetorical vocabulary: words that might be helpful to a Usenet poster

Acroama A discourse given by a very "in the know" person to the "unwashed newbies". 
 Aleatory Random ramblings. Postings where the interpretation is largely a matter of chance.
 Amphiboly  A deliberate or accidental ambiguity of meaning (compare to double entendre which is unquestionably deliberate). I thought about you sitting behind a truck in a traffic jam.
 Anonymuncule Latin for "nameless little man". Someone who posts hurtful messages under the veil of anonymity.
Cacoethes scribendi Juneval's Satires. Greek, roughly translating to "evil motivation in writing". This is the senior literary antecedent for the modern day "flame".
Epanorthosis Greek for "setting straight again". A nitpick.
Epiplexis A form of rhetoric where personal attack is used as a persuasive device. "Even idiots like you should be able to understand that."
Epitome Greek for "cutting short". Abridging prior posts. Quoted text. Sometimes accompanied by editorial inserts like [snip].
Euphuism An overly ornate writing style, heavy with allusion, metaphor, and florid descriptors.
Excursus An incidental digression or examination. The potential of any posting to spur follow-up posts which are only tangential to the original post.
Flyting A ritualistic cursing match or vehement exchange between heroic contestants. By the middle ages, the heroic element had vanished, and scatological references had appeared ("The Owl and the Nightingale", c 1250).
 Gamaliel Another word for "guru".
 Gobbledegook Nonsense, drivel, heavy with jargon.
 Goliardic Wandering bards. Writings filled with gusto, caustic humor, and earthiness.
Gullaby Apparently "gullible" + "lullaby". A malicious rumor passed on and believed by a wide number of people. An example might be "beware of a message with 'teamwork' in the subject, it contains a virus, and reading it will infect your system."
 Idiolect Language and form distinct to an individual. The AFU newsgroup, for example, has identified anonymous posters by their punctuation, grammar, and style.
 Invective Writing which is abusive. It can be directed towards an individual or a group.
 Jeremiad A sustained, recurring complaint. Using any pretext to introduce the same complaint.
Logomachy  Greek for "word contest". A dispute about the meaning of a word.
 Logorrhoea Excessive writing style. Verbal diarrhea.
 Palinode The act of retracting something said earlier.

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