Tautophrase

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Tautophrase is a neologism coined by William Safire in The New York Times to refer to sentences that repeat an idea in the same words. Examples include:

  • "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do" (John Wayne)
  • "If you want to fix the text, fix the text." (John R. Bolton)
  • "A rose is a rose is a rose." (Gertrude Stein)
  • "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." (Sigmund Freud)
  • "I yam what I yam and that's all that I yam!" (Popeye)
  • "Let bygones be bygones."
  • "What's done is done."
  • "Facts are facts."
  • "A deal is a deal is a deal."

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