I received yet another invitation that ended with the phrase "Please RSVP ..."
Redundant.
RSVP = Répondez s'il vous plaît
S'il vous plaît = Please (or more literally, If it pleases you).
Therefore, Please RSVP = Please reply please.
Redundant.Or, according to Wikipedia (that source of all knowledge), it is a Pleonasm. This is a Greek word for TMI.
Pleonasms, or redundancies, appear everyday. A common one is when the cashier in the store asks you to enter your PIN number. Since PIN = Personal Identification Number, PIN number = Personal Identification Number number.
Even Librarians and other book loving people are guilty. I often hear ISBN number. Just in case you don't know, ISBN = International Standard Bibliographic Number. ISBN number is another pleonasm.
Pleonasm is a new word for me. I wonder how many times I can incorporate "pleonasm" into my conversation today.
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