I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.

Really? Do you have such a large appetite that you could eat an entire horse? I don’t think so. What you are using here is a figure of speech known as hyperbole (pronounced: hy-PER-buh-lee) which is an exaggerated or extravagant statement used to create a dramatic or humorous effect.

Surely you will get a strong reaction when you speak this way. Not meant to be taken literally, using hyperboles is simply a way to be dramatic or humorous with overstatements. I like using hyperboles because they’re funny, excessive, and entertaining. Sometimes people think I'm serious so that gives me an extra laugh. How could someone take you seriously when using exaggerations? I don’t know, but here are some examples of hyperbole:

I had to wait an eternity for the file to download.




He has tons of friends
.

He ate a mountain of mashed potatoes.




I will die if she asks me to dance.


I have told you a million times not to use my car!

There's a spider in my bathroom that's the size of a Buick (line from a Woody Allen movie)

Try applying hyperbole to your conversations and see what kind of reactions you receive....and don’t wait an eternity. Start today!