Question

Is "of no moderate depth or scope" a litote, hyperbole, synecdoche, allusion, or metaphor?

Answer 1

I vote for Litote, since the phrase "of no moderate" is implying that the thing described is quite significant.

Let's look at some definitions.

Explanation:

All the following from www.dictionary.com/

li·to·te
ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary (e.g., you won't be sorry, meaning you'll be glad ).

hy·per·bo·le
1. exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
synonyms : exaggeration, overstatement, magnification, embroidery, embellishment, excess, overkill, rhetoric
2. More informal: purple prose, puffery
antonym : understatement

syn·ec·do·che
a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in:
" Cleveland won by six runs." (meaning “Cleveland's baseball team won ....”).

al·lu·sion
an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.
"He made an allusion to Shakespeare"

met·a·phor
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

"“I had fallen through a trapdoor of depression,” said Mark, who was fond of theatrical metaphors"

SO , it's not an exaggerated claim (it's an understatement ), a part is not representing a whole, it's not trying to call something to mind without specifically mentioning it, and it's not a figure of speech that is not literally applicable.

I say it's an example of a litote . What do you say?

Connie