reverse dictionary lookup

[ewx]

The sun is a lightbulb

A candle's a treat

In the first of those lines, the sentence is the opposite way around to usual: it's telling you something about the lightbulb, not the sun, and you'd usually write "the lightbulb is ..." to mean that. Is there a name for this kind of inversion?

The second line follows the normal order, which would be unremarkable on its own, but is another kind of inversion in the context of the first line. Again, is there a name for this structure?

Comments

[saraphale.livejournal.com]

How is the first sentence telling you something about the lightbulb?

[sbp.livejournal.com]

The sun is a lightbulb

Well it certainly was in the HHGG TV show - they used a lightbulb as the sun in an FX shot of sunrise over a field.

[imc.livejournal.com]

I still can't see how the first sentence is supposed to turn the second sentence into an `inversion'.

[thomsworld.livejournal.com]

Hi all. Came upon this by accident. I'd agree that the sentence isn't about the lightbulb. The 'lightbulb' is being used as a metaphor for the sun.

My guess is, if the sun is a lightbulb, what could be a candle? A candle isn't as bright as a lightbulb, so perhaps the moon?