Word of the Day

[ivanov.ruslan]

Doctor Foster went to Gloucester.....

[Aktungbby]

Autobahn / Audubon.!

An inspiration there! diet of worms vs Diet of Worms trying to curtail Martin Luther's 95 Theses ( a real can of worms) @AndyJWest:

Cleave. A useful word, meaning to stick together. Or to split apart...

Would certainly describe Henry VIII to a 'T': He married Anne of Cleves (cleave unto) and then immediately divorced( Cleave apart) her; beheading his minister Cromwell into the bargain; Cleaving head from shoulders...."I liked her before not well, but now I like her much worse." He described her as having unpleasant body odour and sagging breasts" ie her 'cleavage' didn't suit his royal taste! Anne outlasted all Hank's wives-one tough kraut! and unlike wives Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard-both beheaded... No further serious 'cleavage' issues ensued!

[vienna]

"I was in the bow of the ship when an archer, with his bow, introduced himself, with a deep bow, and also introduced his daughter, who had a blue bow in her hair. At his point, a violinist joined us, with his instrument and its bow, but i has to leave due to another engagement, so I asked their pardon, since I had to bow out..."

One of my exes was studying Japanese at university and was bothered by the similarity of some words in the language. The most commonly cited example is hashi: depending on the context, inflection or accent emphasis, hashi can mean either "bridge", "edge", or "chopsticks". I used an example of the English word "bow" similar to to one above to show her such soundalikes are common in all languages...


<O>

[Torplexed]

Factoid and it's descent into meaninglessness.

The “-oid” ending in English is normally added to a word to indicate that an item is not the real thing. A humanoid is not quite human. Originally “factoid” was an ironic term indicating that the “fact” being offered was not actually factual. However, CNN and other sources took to treating the “-oid” as if it were a mere diminutive, and using the term to mean “trivial but true fact.” As a result, the definition of “factoid” is now hopelessly muddled and it’s probably better to avoid using the term altogether. Thanks CNN.

[Eichhörnchen]

"Oooph! Mein hemorrhoids are most definitely real..."

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by Torplexed

Factoid and it's descent into meaninglessness.

The “-oid” ending in English is normally added to a word to indicate that an item is not the real thing. A humanoid is not quite human. Originally “factoid” was an ironic term indicating that the “fact” being offered was not actually factual. However, CNN and other sources took to treating the “-oid” as if it were a mere diminutive, and using the term to mean “trivial but true fact.” As a result, the definition of “factoid” is now hopelessly muddled and it’s probably better to avoid using the term altogether. Thanks CNN.

A factoid is still something else than a fact, only Fox news treats it as such

No you are right, the meaning has changed. But a factoid as i understand has now become a fragment or a small part of some complex fact (?)

And the junkyard or scrapyard, has become a recycling park
The Ministry of war is now the Ministry of defense, and so on.
I guess Miniwar has turned to Minideaf, then.

Orwellian Newspeak in full swing.

[vienna]

The word sophisticate, and its derivations, also has been redefined to mean its opposite. Originally, sophisticate was used to describe something false, tampered with or defiled; it now describes something, or someone, of a worldly, educated, or highly fashionable status...

Oddly, one other word, from the same root, still retains the original meaning of the root: sophistry, the use use of false or misleading arguments or deceptive actions for the purpose of deceit...

So, in the vein of the above post, is Fox News sophisticated or sophistry?...


<O>

[Sailor Steve]

"Gross" originally meant large, or great; slowly came to mean overly large or obese, so much so that it meant disgustingly obese. Now people use "gross" to describe anything disgusting or sickening.

[Jimbuna]

"I sent my résumé hoping to find a job and resume working."

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

"I sent my résumé hoping to find a job and resume working."

That is one of my favourite peeves to pet. Either spell it with no accents (the 'merica way) or with two accents (the way the rest of the world seems to spell it. )

But not with only one accent mark.

It ain't writtin' English good.

[Torplexed]

People unfamiliar with the French-derived word “risqué” (‘slightly indecent”) often write “risky” by mistake. Bungee-jumping is risky, but nude bungee-jumping is risqué.