Examples of Tropes: Overstatement / Understatement

Hyperbole

Use of exaggerated terms for emphasis or effect.

Example :

His eloquence could split rocks

Auxesis

Reference to something with a name disproportionately greater than its nature (a kind of hyberbole).

Example :

The wound given to my client... (when referring to a scratch)

Litotes

Understatement used deliberately.

Examples:

Running a marathon in under two hours is no small accomplishment.

It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain. —J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Meiosis

Reference to something with a name disproportionately lesser than its nature (a kind of litotes).

Example :

The scratch my client gave to the plaintiff... (when referring to a sizeable wound)