I recently chatted with a family member about their upcoming trip to Europe and the foods they might try. I remarked, “When in Rome…” as an encouragement to embrace the local cultures. The full expression is, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” — a recommendation to adopt the customs of a new place. But have you ever noticed that we rarely finish that phrase? It’s more common to cite just the first half of the familiar saying. When we leave out the latter part of a saying or subordinate clause, expecting the listener to fill in the rest, it’s called an “anapodoton.”
“Anapodoton” (plural: “anapodota”) comes from the Greek word anapodosis, meaning “without a main clause.” This rhetorical device doesn’t work with just any phrase; it relies on expressions that are so well known that even a fragment of them conveys the full meaning. In fact, some anapodota are more common than their complete counterparts in everyday speech. Here are a few popular examples:
“Birds of a feather” / “Birds of a feather flock together”
Meaning: People who are alike tend to do things together or share beliefs.
“If the shoe fits” / “If the shoe fits, wear it”
Meaning: Someone should accept a true remark or criticism about themselves.
“When life gives you lemons” / “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”
Meaning: Turn difficult situations into something good by thinking positively.
“When the going gets tough” / “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”
Meaning: When faced with a difficult situation, resilient and strong individuals will take action to problem-solve.
These anapodota are a fun reminder of how much shared cultural knowledge plays into our ability to communicate with each other, allowing us to fill in the blanks when we need to.
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