A litote is a nice, almost secretive understatement saying something negative or unpleasant without any negative/unpleasant words used in the statement.
You: Writing this paper is not the most enjoyable way to spend a Friday night.
We’re gonna give you the benefit of the doubt here and assume that you are a generally nice person. If we’re right and that is the case, you probably use litotes all the time. Here’s an example: Your friend tries a new cookie recipe for the first time, and instead of tasting like delicious morsels they taste more like something you might find in a dumpster. So when your friend ask you how the cookies taste, to soften the blow, you might use a double negative and say something like, “They didn’t not taste good.” And boom you’ve just used a litote. Think of this literary device as a cushiony pillow. A litote is a nice, almost secretive understatement saying something negative or unpleasant without any negative/unpleasant words used in the statement. Litotes can be ironic and not all litotes are double negatives. Here’s another one you probably use all the time: “She’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.” This is a litote because there are no “bad” words in the phrase, like “stupid” or “dumb.” The fact that the person in question is unintelligent is only implied, never stated outright.
Now that you’ve wrapped your mind around the kindness of litotes, try to pick out the ones here:
Fire and Ice
BY ROBERT FROST
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
All Star (Excerpt)
BY SMASH MOUTH
Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed
She was lookin' kinda dumb with her finger
And her thumb in the shape of an L on her forehead
Well the years start coming, and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do, so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the backstreets?
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow
Hey now, you're an all star get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rockstar get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
It's a cool place and they say it gets colder
You're bundled up now wait till you get older
But the meteor men beg to differ
Judging by the hole in the satellite picture
The ice we skate is getting pretty thin
The water's getting warm so you might as well swim
My world's on fire, how about your's?
That's the way I like it and I'll never get bored
Hey now, you're an all star get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rockstar get the show on, get paid
All that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold