Actuezza
Pronunciation : [akuˈtettsa] N or F
Definition: Acutezza is the act or use of word play. It is also an Italian derived word. Therefore, the direct translation from Italian to English is acuteness; shrewdness; shrillness
Acutezza in Rhetoric
Rhetors most commonly use word play to give the audience a relevance to themselves and a sense of likability. Rhetors also use Acutezza to mask an unpleasant sounding phrase as a means of persuasion. At times Acutezza can seem clever or witty as if the Rhetor is trying to "pull one over" on the audience similar to an enthymeme,which can be the case, but more often than not the speaker is only trying to make his case sound better and as positive as possible. However, in addition to speech, Acutezza can be seen visually as well. This is done through positioning the words in a certain manner on a page to reflect the actual content of the sentence or phrase. If you look to the picture on the left you see an example of physical word play in the Stinky Cheese Man. Notice how the words shrink on the page as you read about a giant talking to a small person. The reader becomes both physically and mentally persuaded through looking at the poem and understanding the content.