“Dichotomy (noun): A division or counterposing into two groups or positions, usually contradictory or mutually exclusive; a specified, vis–a-vis contrast. Adjective: dichotomous; adverb: dichotomously; noun: dichotomousness, dichotomist; verb; dichotomize.
‘I submit to you staffers that the solution establishes itself before our very eyes: namely, that an absolute—in any particular field—must be presented as a dichotomy! Yes, if one mother company, such as our Vanity, could confront the public with with a pure dichotomy, in any particular product, it would gain virtual monopoly there. Yes, and we will present such a dichotomy.’ Terry Southern, The Magic Christian”
Excerpted from: Grambs, David. The Random House Dictionary for Writers and Readers. New York: Random House, 1990.
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