What is the literary device where a word holds two meanings in a phrase?

Question

For example,

He showed the strength of his arms and his heart when he pushed the fallen horse out of the mud slide.

@TannerSwett that's it. I always forget it for some reason – David Coffron Sep 28 '18 at 17:31 — David Coffron, Sep 28 '18 at 17:31

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 28 '18 at 18:20

0

I cannot see how the strength of his muscles, the arms and the heart, are two very different things. Perhaps it is the strength of his feelings for the horse, a living thing - assuming the horse was alive after the slide, that is being referenced.

The usage can be called a semantic syllepsis, or zeugma based on answers to similar questions.

answered Sep 28 '18 at 18:20

Elliot

1

Strength of one's heart is a case of figurative language. He "had the heart to save the horse" – David Coffron Sep 28 '18 at 18:22

What is the literary device where a word holds two meanings in a phrase?

1 Answers1