Escher sentence

plural Escher sentences

1. A sentence which initially seems acceptable (grammatical and parseable), but upon inspection is nonsensical.

   […

   2020, Viviane Déprez, M. Teresa Espinal, The Oxford Handbook of Negation

   2 more examples

   Escher sentences are extremely rare. One or two examples have circulated in the linguistics blogs, with minor lexical mutations, but no one has come up with an example culled from text or even from spontaneous spoken conversation. […] Unlike Escher sentences, most expressions do not cause such a clash between immediate and more reflective judgements.

   2012, James R. Hurford, The Origins of Grammar: Language in the Light of Evolution II, page 215

   Whimsical Warbler: Why should we vote? I propose a dictatorship and nominate myself as dictator, since less birds have as much authority in this archipelago than I have. 'a confused pause ensues as the entire audience, speakers, and Chair slowly tried to parse that phrase' Single-Shot Sicklebill: Did you dare to heckle me with an Escher sentence? Away with you, you scoundrel!

   2024, Inavamsi Enaganti, Nivedita Ganesh, Bud Mishra, The Mischief Of Math, page 57