Is "full summary" a contradiction in terms?

fungamr

Not automatically, no. A contradiction in terms or oxymoron contends that the 2 parts are incompatible (sometiomes jokingly). So yes in the sense that a summary is a precis and therefore cannot be 'full' as in the full version of whatever the summary shortens. But no in the sense that a summary, if correctly written, is indeed full within the boundaries of what it is supposed to do - ie summarize. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/summary Oct 23 11, 7:53 PM