figures of speech - Is unknown certainty oxymoronic?


If someone started a story thus,



In a time lost, in a certain yet unknown place, is the Castle of Umberdeen ...



How could an entity be a certainty and yet unknown? It does not make sense. But then, do we need to apply logical mathematical principles to a fantasy romance.


Is the kick-off sentence to the story oxymoronic? Perhaps, someone has a different interpretation of "certain".



Answer



The use of certain in this context actually means particular, so if you imagine the sentence as ...in a particular yet unknown, it's not so confusing. Although the use of certain in this way is common and it's fine, it's not oxymoronic because the nuance of meaning is different from what you were thinking.


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