garden-path

[ gahr-dn-path, -pahth ]

/ ˈgɑr dnˌpæθ, -ˌpɑθ /

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adjective

noting or pertaining to a sentence that is easily parsed incorrectly because its beginning suggests it has an interpretation that it clearly does not have.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

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Words nearby garden-path

gardenia, gardening, gardening leave, Garden of Eden, garden party, garden-path, garden pea, garden snail, Garden State, garden suburb, garden-variety

How to use garden-path in a sentence

We see detoxing as a path to transcendence, a symbol of modern urban virtue and self-transformation through abstinence.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Tend to your own garden, to quote the great sage of free speech, Voltaire, and invite people to follow your example.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The anti-crime cops began searching the likely path of flight.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Senhor José remains stationary, but this lengthy series of clauses propels the reader along an unmarked path.
The Lost Novel of Nobel-Winner José Saramago|Charles Shafaieh|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST

But they had not quit and here they now were as the Emerald Society Pipes and Drums came into the Garden.
Cop Families Boo De Blasio at NYPD Graduation|Michael Daly|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It ended on a complaint that she was 'tired rather and spending my time at full length on a deck-chair in the garden.'
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
Ten minutes later, veiled and cloaked, she stepped out alone into the garden.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
It goes without saying that Ferns of all kinds are interesting plants to grow in the garden and house.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Of course it is only the hardiest Ferns which can be expected to grow well in the town garden.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
In such conditions many kinds which do not flourish very freely in the open garden, grow into handsome specimens.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin