Hyperbole is used to create emphasis. It is a literary device often used in poetry, and is frequently encountered in casual speech. It is also a visual technique in which a deliberate exaggeration of a particular part of an image is employed. An example is the exaggeration of a person's facial feature in a political cartoon.
Some examples of use of hyperbole include:
This cat smells like a year's worth of spoiled milk! ( The cat smells bad.)
These books weigh a ton. (These books are heavy.)
I could sleep for a year. (I could sleep for a long time.)
The path went on forever. (The path was really long.)
He beat him into a pulp. (He beat him severely.)
He must have jumped a mile. (He jumped high into the air.)
I'm doing a million things right now. (I'm busy.)
Boston State-House is the hub of the solar system. (Boston State-House is an important place.)
"Ladies and gentlemen, I've been to Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and I can say without hyperbole that this is a million times worse than all of them put together." This uses hyperbole to illustrate the use of hyperbole.
-Kent Brockman, "The Simpsons"
"There are no lessons in winning. In losing, there are a thousand."
-Master Fung, "Xiaolin Showdown"
I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse. (I'm very hungry)
He was so big he used a tree trunk for a toothpick. (He is a huge person.)
This coffee tastes like an old man has been heated to render out the earwax. (This coffee tastes horrible.)
I've told you a million times, stop exaggerating. (I've told you many times not to exaggerate.)
A common source of unwitting humour is when hyperbole is preceded by the word "literally":
"I literally had to work with both hands tied behind my back. If I wanted time off I literally had to fight for it."
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