In rhetoric, an ellipse is the suppression of a word or phrase that is technically necessary, but either of such minor importance to the thought being conveyed, or so commonly understood, that it can be elminated while maintaining intelligibility. Ellipse is used for brevity, to render an expression more lively or more forceful, as an idiom, or to avoid profanity. Ex.
Georgia left for the airport promptly at ten. Georgia left ... at ten. My wife and I are expecting a baby. My wife and I are expeecting ... . I'm a mean green mother fucker from outer space. I'm a mean green mother ... from outer space.
References
- Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920). Greek Grammar. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 677–678. ISBN 0-674-36250-0.
