There's a "Trendy words I don't like thread". It has been pleasing to see that there was hardly any disagreement about the validity of the posted words.
But there are words -- pithy or evocative or otherwise memorable -- which could be used more.
I just came across "baffled", which I've always liked when I've heard it, but has not been part of my active vocabulary.
It very much beats the "I'm confused", said with an emphatic undertone that implies that my confusion is your fault!
Has anyone else come across words like that? Which words?
Covalence.
Coherent.
Cogent,
Calm.
(I'd like the things they represent to be around more, so we'd have more cause to use just those words to describe them, actually).
M.
Quote from: dismalist on October 02, 2020, 02:38:56 PM
There's a "Trendy words I don't like thread". It has been pleasing to see that there was hardly any disagreement about the validity of the posted words.
But there are words -- pithy or evocative or otherwise memorable -- which could be used more.
I just came across "baffled", which I've always liked when I've heard it, but has not been part of my active vocabulary.
It very much beats the "I'm confused", said with an emphatic undertone that implies that my confusion is your fault!
Has anyone else come across words like that? Which words?
I used "baffled" only moments ago. I'm baffled as to what happened to that book on ancient Rome that I returned months ago--physically brought it back to the library--only to have it disappear into thin air. I was just reminded that the missing book is still on my library account. Kind of embarrassing when you're the librarian....
I'm baffled at what happened to a truly important book I got in 1973 that was signed by the author that I would have NEVER lent out.
It disappeared 20 years ago and I still can't find it....
M.
Somewhat. Rather. Prefer.
I'm sorta somewhat tired of fish.
I'm kinda rather frustrated with contradictory guidance on this virus.
I would kinda like prefer people to omit the modifier, but I'm sorta resigned to unnecessary modifiers.
Residual
Eponymous
Intemperate
Contiguous
I think I might just like the prosodic da-DUM-da-da of the stress patterns. (What is that called? Wikipedia suggests that it is a 'secundus paeon'. Is that right, oh metrical experts?)
I noticed how often Trump uses overrated when critiquing someone, one of his few vocabulary habits one could do well to adopt. If a person has high credibility and success such that your attempt to critique them will likely move no minds, call them overrated. It's persuasion gold since it's almost impossible to argue against the fact that anyone highly regarded isn't overrated.
Now baffled again. We have a staff member who's quite good at math in the abstract, but seems altogether incapable of making changing and keeping proper track of the cash drawer. What's going on here?
Quote from: apl68 on October 03, 2020, 07:46:28 AM
Now baffled again. We have a staff member who's quite good at math in the abstract, but seems altogether incapable of making changing and keeping proper track of the cash drawer. What's going on here?
This sounds like a distinction between "math" and "arithmetic". Being good at one doesn't automatically mean being good at the other.
Quote from: ergative on October 03, 2020, 01:34:25 AM
Residual
Eponymous
Intemperate
Contiguous
I think I might just like the prosodic da-DUM-da-da of the stress patterns. (What is that called? Wikipedia suggests that it is a 'secundus paeon'. Is that right, oh metrical experts?)
Oh, I like those words.
Your metrical pattern looks like a dactyl with a previous unstressed syllable from the preceding dactyl. I tried looking it up as you have it, and I tried looking up secundus paeon, but didn't find it.
Here are some more words:
continual
defenestrate
vibrant
liminal
ostensibly
eclectic
:)
[quotePosted by: Larimar
« on: Today at 08:35:54 AM »Insert Quote
Quote from: ergative on Today at 01:34:25 AM
Residual
Eponymous
Intemperate
Contiguous
I think I might just like the prosodic da-DUM-da-da of the stress patterns. (What is that called? Wikipedia suggests that it is a 'secundus paeon'. Is that right, oh metrical experts?)
Oh, I like those words.
Your metrical pattern looks like a dactyl with a previous unstressed syllable from the preceding dactyl. I tried looking it up as you have it, and I tried looking up secundus paeon, but didn't find it.
Here are some more words:
continual
defenestrate
vibrant
liminal
ostensibly
eclectic
:)][/quote]
Eclectic is one of my favorite words.
Here are others:
inadvertent/inadvertently
deliberate/deliberately
imprudent
inauspicious
dispossessed
iambic
On edit: couldn't get the quote function to work
in public discourse, not academic)
precarious,caused,probability
some ---- People disagree and argue because they mean some, not all.
Thanks to Meville, I know that gurried means "covered in fish slime."
Egregious
Morose and lugubrious
Cockamamie
Fractious
Ebullient
Cordial (not in reference to a beverage)
Toothsome
Scofflaw
jejune
lachrymose
And then, of course, we could use the word lachrymator instead of the term tear gas!
Inchoate
anathema
I love all this stuff! I've known all the words, save one, but do not use all that many talking and writing.
The one new word I learned is
gurried:
QuoteThanks to Meville, I know that gurried means "covered in fish slime."
Can't wait to use it :-)
Please
flaneur
behoove
perspicacity
Racist.
Oh, no, scratch that.
Compassion.
Even if it's already been mentioned above.
M.
supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
"Lugubrious" reminds me of a dear aunt, whom I didn't know well until I was grown, but my father, her brother, always mentioned with pride what an extensive vocabulary she had. We were singing together at a workshop on sacred music, and she mentioned that she'd always disliked the lugubrious tune of a particular well-known piece. And that was when I knew that she and I were indeed related! I too had always disliked that tune, and I so loved that she termed it "lugubrious," because that's exactly what it was.
"Inchoate," on the other hand, reminds me vividly of my music theory prof, who used the term to discuss early developments of functional harmony.
Coeval. Often a better choice than "contemporary."
Defenestrate
Quote from: apl68 on October 05, 2020, 07:28:34 AM
Defenestrate
An all too common occurrence on "Game of Thrones," for those who watched the show or knew someone who did. :D
Discernment.
I do think I might try to use Baffled in my next faculty meeting.
An English teacher recently praised me for using ebullient in a sentence.
My mother was once womanning a stall at a college fair at my sister's high school. While talking to a prospective student, she used the term 'ludicrous'. The prospective student said, 'Oh, you must be [sister]'s mother.'
I was once surprised when grading an undergrad paper to see the student use "crapulent." And he used it correctly!
pithy
evocative
[ducks and runs]
mellifluous
Forthwith
Quote from: dismalist on October 03, 2020, 04:11:54 PM
I love all this stuff! I've known all the words, save one, but do not use all that many talking and writing.
The one new word I learned is gurried:
QuoteThanks to Meville, I know that gurried means "covered in fish slime."
Can't wait to use it :-)
Wow, that's a keeper!
(Any bets on whether the Spelling Bee accepts it?)
fallacious
(heard in an MIT OCW lecture on probability)
Specious.
Disingenuous.
Prevarication.
Duplicitous
(Something about election season ...)
https://www.news.com.au/oldfashioned-words-that-should-be-brought-back-into-modern-language/news-story/be009f7c855959f4e43143c3cc0d2630
https://www.dailywritingtips.com/100-whimsical-words/
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/24-old-english-terms-you-should-start-using-again.html
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/59924/50-old-british-dialect-words-incorporate-conversation
My wife went through a Wilkie Collins phase, and would occasionally try to bring back such phrases as "bitch the pot" and "a case of the morbs."
I learned the term "shallowpate" recently -- in the most recent Barbara Kingsolver novel, maybe?
Quote from: saffie on October 06, 2020, 05:05:39 PM
fallacious
(heard in an MIT OCW lecture on probability)
I hear that one all over the place, and it's almost always misused. Much like 'valid' or 'invalid', 'sound', and 'begs the question'.
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on October 07, 2020, 09:07:49 AM
Quote from: saffie on October 06, 2020, 05:05:39 PM
fallacious
(heard in an MIT OCW lecture on probability)
I hear that one all over the place, and it's almost always misused. Much like 'valid' or 'invalid', 'sound', and 'begs the question'.
Except whenever I hear that word I think "fellatio" and giggle.
Quote from: ciao_yall on October 07, 2020, 10:03:13 AM
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on October 07, 2020, 09:07:49 AM
Quote from: saffie on October 06, 2020, 05:05:39 PM
fallacious
(heard in an MIT OCW lecture on probability)
I hear that one all over the place, and it's almost always misused. Much like 'valid' or 'invalid', 'sound', and 'begs the question'.
Except whenever I hear that word I think "fellatio" and giggle.
Ditto, except 'phallacious'
My friend informs me that his 20-something woke daughter says we must not use the word 'exotic' any more. It implies that things that are familiar to white people are the norm and things that are less familiar are strange or interesting in a strange way. Which is kinda how life is. So I'm going to use the word 'exotic' if the opportunity comes along. But not pejoratively.