Word of the Day — October 25, 2012

Hyperbole — high-PURB-oh-LEE — exaggerated statements, or statements not to be taken literally

Example: "In the N.Y. Times, Frank Bruni attacks Rick Santorum for his strident editorial in defense of home schooling for religious reasons: 'When Santorum said that long ago, when he encountered John F. Kennedy's words on the rightful separation of church and state, he felt like throwing up. I wonder not only about the degree of hyperbole in that memory, but also where and what Santorum ate just before he acquainted himself with Kennedy's speech. I think he got a bad clam.'"