Par'hyponoian

Par'hyponoian, from Greek ὑπόνοια hypónoia "logical assumption," is a logical or thought trope, consisting of the replacement of a second part in a phrase or a text that would have been logically expected from the first part.^[1]

Examples

Clement Attlee is a sheep in a sheep's clothing.

— Winston Churchill

The pun is based on the unexpected modification of a well-known idiom.

Former president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, died yesterday. Sean Penn actually went down to Venezuela and met Chávez a few times. He's a polarizing figure that a lot of Americans really don't like. Chávez was one, too.

— Craig Ferguson

"A polarizing figure" is something that would have been expected to be said about the president Hugo Chávez.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney visited a zoo, where he saw a grizzly bear. There was a powerful moment between the bloodthirsty, ruthless beast with claws and fangs, and on the other side, the honey-eating furry mammal in the cage.^{[citation needed]}

"Bloodthirsty beast" would have been expected to define a bear.

See also

• Figure of speech
• Non sequitur