Language! (words change meaning)

[pmcgee]

I thought there was another thread around on the meanings of words - but I can't find it.

Words change meaning over time. I've heard heaps of them ... make little notes ... lose them ... :)

There was a link to this article on the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution.
The Second Amendment was Ratified to Preserve Slavery (http://truth-out.org/news/item/13890-the-second-amendment-was-ratified-to-preserve-slavery)

The thing that caught my eye was the first draft of James Madison ...

"but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms, shall be compelled to render military service in person."

I realise now that is referring to a Conscientious Objector.

Af first I took it as someone really keen on tooling up :rolleyes:

Now ... where are those notes ... :?

[artme]

An interesting point, indeed.

You are right. Language changes, as do word meanings.

That, however, does not excuse absolutely incorrect grammar and the mangling
of accepted phrases.

I am always p... off by those who say "between x to y' instead of "between x and y".
I have heard even more mangled versions.

How come some of our most noted TV presenters are sometimes so ignorant of such matters.

I've started. Best stop now!!

[enelef]

Oh Artme, Artme, Artme.:sigh:

There is no need to constantly use correct grammar in fictional writings.
So why should we hold TV presenters and Journalists to higher ideal than that to which they aspire to?:no:

[AlexS]

...that to which they aspire to?
Redundant "to".:wink:

[enelef]

Arghhh - Guilty as hell - your honour - :guilty:

Guess there is nothing more to do than retire to the shed......:whistling2:

[pmcgee]

"Bonfire" - this off the radio - and some poking around on the internet.

The suggestion was that, pre-abattoirs, the towns-folk would gather the remains of animals culled for dinner in the town square and burn them all together in one go ... hence "bone-fire".

Later on to take on a more sinister meaning for "bone-fire" with the burning of witches or religious heretics.

Until much later ... big happy celebration. "Bon-fire"
__

Reading up a bit it seems more complicated than that explanation ... many cultures having rituals around fires going back forever. But I found two interesting quotes:

1. 1677: Letter from Charles Hatton describing 17 November celebrations, quoted by Cressy, 1989: 177

"mighty bonfires and the burning of a most costly pope, carried by four persons in divers habits, and the effigies of two devils whispering in his ears, his belly filled with live cats who squalled most hideously as soon as they felt the fire; the common saying all the while it was the language the pope and the devil in a dialogue betwixt them."

Oooh. :C

2. Urbandictionary.com

Bonfire: a gathering of 3 or more gingers.

:rotfl:

[chambezio]

I must have been taught English at school by some anal teachers because now if I hear anyone using the wrong word or what ever, makes me squirm.
My Dad was born in 1914, he would pronounce the word basic as "bassic". I was taught bAsic"
Another one is controversy, there is more emphasis on the last half of the word now
hen there is the miss use of the word then/than
I was taught " This is better than that" as apposed to "This better then that" Even Americans have trouble getting it the right way round.
What about "cool'? I grew up with knowing it was a measurement of temperature. Or how Maynard G Krebbs was described. Now he was cool.
The over use/miss use of awsome
One could go on and on

[pmcgee]

I like Robin Williams - Science Show - Radio National.

He always very deliberately says ... "Isss-ue" as opposed to "Ishue"

"Shed-ule" vs "Sked-ule".

My dad from queensland was for "Cassel" vs "Car-sel".
Mind you ... they also said "Fill-em" for a movie show.
:q

Paul

[Bushmiller]

Oh dear Paul

Guess what you have opened here?

250131

Language does indeed change over time, but it also varies at the same time just because of dialects and indeed american, australian and pommy english.

One of my favourites from Shakespeare (it was the day I was paying attention at school) was when on hearing of Fulvia's death Cleopatra mischeviously asks "can Fulvia die?"

So what I hear you say, but Fulvia is Anthony's ex and Cleopatra of course is having it off with Anthony. "Die" in Billy S's time had the same conotation as "come" does for us today :). Queen Cleo was casting aspertions on Fulvia's ability to reach a sexual climax thus making her out to be a cold, sexless witch (sounds like).

So next time you say "I'd die for a beer," remember Anthony and Cleo and be careful to whom you are speaking :wink: .

Regards
Paul

[pmcgee]

Google Ngram Viewer (http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=rabbet+plane%2Crebate+plane&year_start=1800&year_end=2008&corpus=17&smoothing=3&share=)

This was linked to in the context of discussing a German phrase ... and I thought it might provide some fun ...

The occurence of "rebate" and "rabbet" in American English over the last 200 years.

Interesting that it should change after the Civil War instead of after Independence ?!?

:?
Paul

[rwbuild]

....and of course (as opposed to cause) lets not forget our illustrious leader and the big bowling alley acka 'hyperbowl' as opposed to hyperbole

[Sturdee]

.... our illustrious leader

:? :no: :no:

Peter.

[chambezio]

I was watching my hero Norm a while back and he was talking about making windows. He referred to a member being a"muntin", not a mullion as we would have here. It was such a strange sounding word, made me wonder about its origin
My daughter reckons I am on a quest to have as much machinery as Norm. I told her "she was dreamin". (to coin a phrase)
Another great line from a great Aussie movie "The Odd Angry Shot", was when they were out on patrol and stopped for a breather in thick hot steamy jungle, their clothes stuck to them trough sweat, faces striped with cammo paint and John Jarrat says to his mates in a whisper "What I would give for a Passiona".
I thought that would be appropriate being Australia Day Weekend

[rwbuild]

:? :no: :no:

Peter.

My subtle sarcasm :rolleyes:

[pmcgee]

John Jarrat says to his mates in a whisper "What I would give for a Passiona".
I thought that would be appropriate being Australia Day Weekend

Cottee's Cordial - Story Beginnings (http://www.cottees.com.au/html/PAGES/Story_Beginnings.aspx) :)

[pmcgee]

On the BBC's "My Word" radio program on Sunday, the lady devised the meaning of "egregious" from its latin root "grex" = flock.

I thought that was a neat derivation ... and also detected a bit of a story.

I had heard it in the context of an "egregious mistake" ... which is a nice step away from "out from the flock" ... but ...

the meaning has changed over time.

egregious - Wiktionary (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/egregious)


Adjectiveegregious (comparative (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary#comparative) more egregious, superlative (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary#superlative) most egregious)


Exceptional, conspicuous, outstanding, most usually in a negative fashion.<dl style="margin- 0.2em; margin-bottom: 0.5em;"><dd style="line- 1.5em; margin- 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: ">The student has made egregious errors on the examination.</dd></dl> [quotations ▼]
Outrageously bad.

[edit (http://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=egregious&action=edit&section=5)]Usage notesThe negative meaning arose in the late 16th century, probably originating in sarcasm. Before that, it meant outstanding in a good way. Webster also gives “distinguished” as an archaic form, and notes that its present form often has an unpleasant connotation (e.g., "an egregious error"). It generally precedes such epithets as “rogue,” “rascal,” "ass," “blunderer” – but may also be used for a compliment, or even on its own: “Sir, you are egregious.”

[artme]

My wife is Brasillian and I often pick up on words that come from the latin and are much the same in English as in Portuguese.

Haven't checked the origins of vagabond But in Portuguese it seems to be a good insult for some person we would call a bludger.

[Needles]

My wife is Brasillian and I often pick up on words that come from the latin and are much the same in English as in Portuguese.

Haven't checked the origins of vagabond But in Portuguese it seems to be a good insult for some person we would call a bludger.

The origins in Portuguese would indeed be the same as in English, given that it is a cognate Indo-European language, and both derive much from Latin (and, interestingly, Sanskrit).
'Vagus' mean 'wandering' in Latin - the vagus nerve (CN X) is a cranial nerve that 'wanders' its way down to the abdomen ([extremely unfunny] joke while we were studying: if a tutor asks the autonomic innervation of something you can't recall, just say 'vagus' and you'll probably get it right)
The 'bond' bit is a gerundive suffix (from 'bundus'), i.e. a word derived from a verb but acting as a noun.

Thus 'vagabond' is 'someone who wanders'
i.e. a bum or bludger!

Who knew? Five years of Latin at secondary school (high school, for you Antipodeans) and a medical education help with linguistics!
I thought it was so useless at the time...

[Needles]

Also on topic, the word that always strikes me as having changed meaning most in a relatively short space of time is 'gay'.
Only forty or fifty years ago your parents would have been extremely happy to hear that you were gay, I hear now that one might think long and hard before making such a statement...!
It makes other words seem somewhat incongruous - what does a 'nosegay' do now?? The mind boggles...

[A Duke]

Yes, The Gay 90s has a very different meaning when referring to 1890s or 1990s.
Regards

[artme]

Thanks Needles!!

Also pertinent for vagrants!!!

I actually checked that out AFTER I had posted.

Have to work out how to do two things at once on the 'puter and save some time.:B

[pmcgee]

Yes, The Gay 90s has a very different meaning when referring to 1890s or 1990s.
Regards

Also ... not just the words, but the 'acceptable' ... hmmm, maybe 'common' ... usage changes too.

Cf: 'The Odd Angry Shot', 'Don's Party', 'Naked Vicar Show' for "queer" etc.

Maybe 'gay' came into usage because it was the least offensive alternative. (?)

Cheers,
Paul

[pmcgee]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvABHCJm3aA



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mbuwZK0lr8

[artme]

A wonderful post my friend!! Thank you for posting!!:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

I often have arguments with people about why we don't have phonetic spelling
in English as in other languages such as Portuguese, which is very phonetic in
it's spelling.

Those videos answer the point beautifully. Another good example is sign, signal,
insignia.

Some words, ghost and knight for example were originally pronounced pretty much
the way they are spelled, ( or spelt if you like ). Remember in "Monty Python and the
Quest Fr the Holy Grail" how the Frenchman berated the the English K-nig-hts?

[pmcgee]

OK ... I've heard St. Roy say "queue d'aronde" ... french for dovetail ...

but only just now the penny drops. Queue. Tail. Duh ... as in "a line to see a movie" ... "a tail" ... neat.

but then I come across queue translation English | French dictionary | Reverso (http://dictionary.reverso.net/french-english/queue) ...

- "avoir la queue entre les jambes" - have your tail between your legs = have the tail enter the legs. :wink:


- "finir en queue de poisson" - end abruptly = finish in a fish-tail?!

- "rond comme une queue de pelle" - drunk as a skunk = round as the tail/handle of a shovel ?!?! :)

- "histoire sans queue ni tête" - cock and bull story = story without a head or tail !! :D

[Bushmiller]

A wonderful post my friend!! Thank you for posting!!:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

I often have arguments with people about why we don't have phonetic spelling
in English as in other languages such as Portuguese, which is very phonetic in
it's spelling.

Those videos answer the point beautifully. Another good example is sign, signal,
insignia.

Some words, ghost and knight for example were originally pronounced pretty much
the way they are spelled, ( or spelt if you like ). Remember in "Monty Python and the
Quest Fr the Holy Grail" how the Frenchman berated the the English K-nig-hts?

Arthur

George Bernard Shaw gave phonetic spelling a pretty good go without success in pome-land. He had a little more luck with the Americans where they were already struggling with English spelling :rolleyes: .

Regards
Paul

[Sawdust Maker]

I have a tweogan about all this!

[pmcgee]

I have a tweogan about all this!
Had to look it up. Nice. tweogan: doubt | AlphabetSatchel's Blog (http://alphabetsatchel.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/tweogan-doubt/)
Do you pronounce it 'twigan' ?
The link gives Old English tweon=two ... I'm guessing that is pronounced "twin" ... --> twins

[Bushmiller]

I have a tweogan about all this!

:D. I would have had to look that up too if Paul hadn't supplied a link

Regards
Paul

[SAISAY]

"To tell you the truth"
Has that been changed to inflict that the person is usually telling lies?

[Sawdust Maker]

Had to look it up. Nice. tweogan: doubt | AlphabetSatchel's Blog (http://alphabetsatchel.wordpress.com/2010/10/28/tweogan-doubt/)
Do you pronounce it 'twigan' ?
The link gives Old English tweon=two ... I'm guessing that is pronounced "twin" ... --> twins

Shame
I found the word in one of those videos you put up earlier :q
also has the pronounciation


:D. I would have had to look that up too if Paul hadn't supplied a link

Regards
Paul

You didn't watch the videos either? :p

lol

[Bushmiller]

:no::-.

Regards
Paul

[pmcgee]

Shame
I found the word in one of those videos you put up earlier :q
also has the pronounciation


Ahhhhhhh ... the "doubt" video.

Fair suck of the sauce bottle - that was March, and I can't remember yesterday.

... what were we talking about ... :?

:U

[pmcgee]

Love it. Thanks SBS.

Edward Jenner infected people with non-fatal cowpox in 1770 which protected against smallpox.

latin vacca = cow.

vaccination ~= "Cow injection" :)

[FenceFurniture]

Maybe a little off-topic, but I'd like to pin George Dubbayer up against a wall:

"NOW, Mr President of the World's most powerful nation, making you the most powerful person on Earth - SPELL NUCULAR! How many "u"s are in it?? What's that? Only ONE?"

I mean, did it not occur to ANY of his minders that he was an international embarrassment?

[pmcgee]

I mean, did it not occur to ANY of his minders that he was an international embarrassment?
I think that was the least part of him they had to worry about :)
I didn't particularly notice early on ... but remember the news kept mentioning him screwing up various phrases ... someone brought out a book ...

But ... Supernanny would say ... "Stop it. That's not asseptable. It's not asseptable behaviour."

Kinda leaves you feeling "vunnerable", don't it. :p

Cheers,
Paul

[pmcgee]

"Plagiarism" ... Plagiarism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism)


In the 1st century, the use of the Latin word plagiarius (literally kidnapper), to denote someone stealing someone else's work, was pioneered by Roman poet Martial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial) ...

This use of the word was introduced into English in 1601 by dramatist Ben Jonson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Jonson), to describe as a plagiary someone guilty of literary theft (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Literary_theft&action=edit&redlink=1).

The derived form plagiarism was introduced into English around 1620.

The Latin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin) plagiārius, "kidnapper", and plagium, "kidnapping", has the root plaga ("snare", "net"), based on the Indo-European root (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_root) *-plak, "to weave"

Weave -> Net -> Kidnap -> Copy :)

[pmcgee]

Priceless ...

Why Read Dictionaries with David Astle and Mark Forsyth - Weekend Arts - ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/weekendarts/2013-05-26/4693780)

[AlexS]

Listened to that on Sunday afternoon. Agree, it was priceless!

[pmcgee]

Lucubrate.

[pmcgee]

On the ABC this morning ... I thought it was interesting.

" To write in a scholarly fashion; produce scholarship."

after ... "write or study, especially by night."

because ... Origin: early 17th century: from Latin lucubrat- '(having) worked by lamplight', from the verb lucubrare
A.Word.A.Day --lucubrate (http://wordsmith.org/words/lucubrate.html)

So starting with the scholar working at night by oil lamp ... to producing scholarship or thought ... maybe debate ... in general.

[artme]

I must try to remember that one Mr. McGee!! :2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

A word i like is corybantic and a second is calumny.

[_fly_]

I like COCCYX for hangman (or hang the butcher).

the other one is cry/dry/fry/try, you can change you answer depending on what they have already chosen.

[pmcgee]

A word i like is corybantic
That's funny. Before I looked it up I was going to say ... wasn't Cory Bantic the dropkick who was arranging wild parties a year or so ago?


and a second is calumny.
... don't look at me when you say that!

Paul

[pmcgee]

Pique vs Peak vs Peek

Aaarggghh!

meaning in context - Is it "peek", "peak" or "pique"? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange (http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/101450/is-it-peek-peak-or-pique)

[artme]

Even though thou hast piqued my interest with such a peak of knowledge I did not
not have need to peek in my dictionary to verify my own knowledge of these lexical gems.

How about insipid and incipient?? Are they related??

Another "in" word - inchoate - is a synonym for one of the above.

[pmcgee]

How about insipid and incipient?? ... inchoate

Heh heh ... insipid is cool ...insipid - definition of insipid by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/insipid)
"not savoury"
:)

[Needles]

Might I strongly recommend "The Etymylogicon" by Mark Forsyth; it's almost a book on the very topic of this post! It's a meandering tour of the labyrinthine and Byzantine connections in the English language, an amusing and erudite exposition of some of the etymological links between words. So he starts with a word, "book", and sees where he ends up...
Also check his blog www.inkyfool.com

No affiliation, btw!

[pmcgee]

I *just* recalled that when I was about ??12?? I got a book at xmas called "Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words"

I loved that book! It disappeared sometime in the next 5 yrs or so ...

I did remember it in the past ... and looking on Amazon it was selling between $50 and $200 !!!!!!!

Paul

[pmcgee]

I happened to look up "Hue and Cry" ... and surprised to read ... Hue and cry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hue_and_cry)

"In common law, a hue and cry is a process by which bystanders are summoned to assist in the apprehension of a criminal who has been witnessed in the act of committing a crime.By the Statute of Winchester of 1285, 13 Edw. I cc. 1 and 4, it was provided that anyone, either a constable or a private citizen, who witnessed a crime shall make hue and cry, and that the hue and cry must be kept up against the fleeing criminal from town to town and from county to county, until the felon is apprehended and delivered to the sheriff. All able-bodied men, upon hearing the shouts, were obliged to assist in the pursuit of the criminal, which makes it comparable to the posse comitatus. It was moreover provided that "the whole hundred … shall be answerable" for any theft or robbery, in effect a form of collective punishment."

and it reminded me of a excellent 1hr ABC program ... it involved a QC ... talking about legal terms like "Cease and Desist". It raised a laugh when he started his answer (approximately) "Well, in the 11th century ..."

Legal doublet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_doublet#List_of_common_legal_doublets)

What&#39;s the difference between "null" and "void" in legal language? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange (http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/18153/whats-the-difference-between-null-and-void-in-legal-language)


"The history begins, as with so many curiosities in the English language, with the Norman invasion in 1066. At that time, English was the language of the ordinary people, and the law. At first, William the Conqueror interfered little with use of English in official documents, primarily to bolster his claim to the throne, as it was before his reign strongly associated with the crown and kingly continuity. As time went on, however, and as more and more Normans gained positions of prominence in the English court, and were elevated to the nobility, French came to be the spoken language of the upper-class, and Latin, the imported written language of the learned, eventually came to completely replace Old English in legal documents. This continued for some 250 odd years.

By 1275, we find the first statutes written in French, and by 1310 French had overtaken Latin as the language of law. Well, not exactly overtaken; important Latin legal terms, terms of art, were being sprinkled in French language, where needed. We have inherited these terms up to the present day; this is where our civil law gets important concepts like mens rea, habeaus corpus, writs of mandamus, and a million other terms. Still, Law French was the language that lawyers communicated with each other in, and lawyers continued to develop their the profession with it, creating ever new terms of art when trying, pleading, and judging cases. Things continued in this way for a 100 more years.


Curiously, just as French was just reaching its supremacy as official written language of the Law, it was dying out as a spoken language among the nobility. Increasingly, they were speaking a bastardized pidgin of English and French called Anglo-Norman, and by 1400, Anglo-Norman had nearly died out even amongst the royal household in favor of English. Henry V broke things off completely with his Norman heritage after famously going to war with France in the Hundreds Years' War. English, with modifications, had now become the language of all the English people.


Well, mostly. Law French was still the obscure, technical language of the legal profession, and it was contributing many terms of art of its own, particularly in property law: this is where property law jargon like estoppel, estate, and esquire come from. However, even the lawyers eventually lost control of a tongue they didn't speak, and legalese became a complex argot of Law Latin and Law French terms swimming in a sea of ordinary English.


A conundrum. By 1362, we have evidence that the courts were becoming recognizant of this troublesome state of affairs, as a Statute of Pleading was enacted "condemning French as 'much unknown in said Realm'" and requiring that "all pleas be 'pleaded, shewed, defended, answered, and debated, and judged in the English tongue.'" Ironically enough, the Statute itself was written in Law French, and it was not till 200 years later, when the vocabulary of Law French had shrunk to about 1000 words, that English became the dominant language of the law.


Still, all those terms of art couldn't be simply abandoned. So lawyers of the day simply did the next best thing: they imported synonyms acknowledged as "English" to accompany those technical terms, to give the "synonyms" independent legal weight in documents, and eventually, the combination of the two became phrases with inertia of their own. Such as:


breaking and entering
fit and proper
will and testament
free and clear
acknowledge and confess
law and order
to have and to hold


(English terms are italicized.)
"But Billare!" "Isn't your answer supposed to be talking about null and void?" "And, if I'm not mistaken, doesn't null come from the Latin nullus, meaning 'not any, none,' and doesn't void come from the Latin vocivus, meaning 'unoccupied, vacant'"? "Where's the Old English term there?!"


Ah, yes. The punchline. Null and void became a phrase of their own because the two synonyms from Latin were imported at different times into "ordinary" English. I quote from David Melinkoff's The Language of Law:


Early in the reign of Elizabeth I, null – with a long life as a negative in law French and in Latin – became an English synonym for the law's use of void. Another hundred years, and null and void were a team, null taking the place of other explanatory nothingness (no value, no effect) that had often accompanied void. The combination stuck despite frowns in and out of the law.
So it follows the same rule. Null and void is a semantically redundant phrase because it was formed as a compromised term of art, and has continued in this way for a long, long time.


*: All acknowledgments and quotes go to this most excellent book, Legal Language, by a certain Peter Tiersma, where I found basically most of this research. Do read it if you're interested in more."

[artme]

An excellent little treatise sire!!! Thank you very much!!!:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

Remember the court case over Terra Nullus?

I wonder why that term was chosen and not null and void, or indeed just void.

The name Nullarbor Plain sounds Aboriginal, but of course means "no tree".

[Bushmiller]

Good post Paul :). In fact, excellent! It's good to know the proper terms and conditions.

Regards
Paul

[pmcgee]

More ... :)

Hair of the Dog (that bit you) ... Hair of the dog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_of_the_dog)

"The expression originally referred to a method of treatment of a rabid dog bite by placing hair from the dog in the bite wound."

But gotta love the hungarians ... I've been saying this for years. :)

"The phrase also exists in Hungarian, where the literal translation to English is "(You may cure) the dog's bite with its fur", but has evolved into a short two-word phrase ("kutyaharapást szőrével") that is used frequently in other contexts when one is trying to express that the solution to a problem is more of the problem."

also ... "short two-word phrase" ?? ... had to edit that. :rolleyes:

[artme]

also ... "short two-word phrase" ?? ... had to edit that. :rolleyes:

more bulls^&$t ?????

:D

[artme]

The origin of some phrases is often claimed by different nationalities and with different explanations.

Take the term "Dark horse". I think we all know what it means but from whence did the term arise?

The first explanation I recall was from the writing of Tom Ronan, an Australian. He said the term arose
from a race where a horse named Dusky Pete was entered. The horse was unknown except for one
person who apparently said that a dark horse would win the race... and it did.

The Americans claim it came from running horses that had been trained at night to avoid scrutiny.
Hence the dark horse.

Benjamin Disraeli used the term in a novel he wrote. A dark horse flashed up and beat the two favourites.

Who is correct??


The term "Drongo'' is used in a disparaging way in Australia to describe an inept person. One explanation for it, again,
comes from horse racing. A Horse named Drongo was supposedly a red hot favourite in several races but ran
second each time. Anything second rate therefore became synonymous with being a Drongo. As Drongo began to
fall further in the placings as his career faded the term drongo took on a new and less flattering meaning.

[pmcgee]

I dunno ... sounds like a 'Furphy'. :D

[AlexS]

Sometimes those dark horses can be fair cows.

[Bushmiller]

I dunno ... sounds like a 'Furphy'. :D


Now there's a term I have never quite understood. My understanding is that it originated from Furphy who made agricultural machinery and in particular water carts. However in useage it seems to mean either a dud or a red herring (ooops there's another one :rolleyes:).

Have I missed something or am I being particularly thick? Did the water carts have a poor reputation? Did they leak?

Regards
Paul

[Big Shed]

Now there's a term I have never quite understood. My understanding is that it originated from Furphy who made agricultural machinery and in particular water carts. However in useage it seems to mean either a dud or a red herring (ooops there's another one :rolleyes:).

Have I missed something or am I being particularly thick? Did the water carts have a poor reputation? Did they leak?

Regards
Paul

Furphy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furphy)

[artme]

I knew that!!!

Now have alook at what is on the back of the cart.
Does anyone know what that strange script is and
what is says?

( I think I know the script. Not sure what it says. )

[Bushmiller]

Furphy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furphy)

So a bit like Stephen Fry's QI. Nobody really knows.......

Regards
Paul

[pmcgee]

"Scuttlebutt has a similar etymology, a scuttlebutt originally being a cask of drinking water on a ship."

"Did naat know dat." - Kendra - Buffy the Vampire Slayer.


(http://www.furphys.com.au/the-furphy-water-cart/water-cart-ends.html)The Furphy Water Cart (http://www.furphys.com.au/the-furphy-water-cart.html)

Water Cart Ends (http://www.furphys.com.au/the-furphy-water-cart/water-cart-ends.html)

From 1920 the list of products changed and a Pitman's shorthand inscription appeared.
The translation read "Water is a gift from God, but beer is a concoction of the Devil, don't drink beer".
:D

[Bushmiller]

Arthur

Which bit were you struggling with?

300542

You should be able to enlarge the pic several times :).

Regards
Paul

[Bushmiller]

Paul has explained all. My water cart had a very innocuous inscription.

I like the fire and brimstone version; Echoes of the ancient cry of the Salvos. "the devil drink."

Regards
Paul

[artme]

:doh::doh::doh::doh: An attack of dyslexia!! I meant the BACK of the cart!!:B:B:B

[chambezio]

To Paul and Arthur. The following is straight out my grey haired noggin so lets see if I can remember the story correctly (I know someone will jump in if I get it wrong).
The Furphy Company used to make agricultural implements. They made a water cart that had cast iron round ends and galvanised sheet metal to form the tank. They were fixed to a very basic cart with cast iron wheels on a simple steel chassis. The army bought some to carry water for the troops during World War I. The carts would usually employ a horse and a man to deliver the water to the troops/army camp. The blokes who would do the runs with the tanks and horse would see a lot more of what was going on than the average "crunchy" (Australian soldier). These blokes would be often asked what was happening in different areas so they were the "go to blokes" to find out what was happening. So human nature being what it is, made these fellows bearers of news which could be right or embellished with a blokes own interpretation of what was happening. So a lot of the time the news these fellows would spread may or may not have been correct so was born "The Furphy"- inaccurate tale of what was happening

On these cast iron ends was a lot of writing in strange languages (I think that is right) but what was legible was a little ditty which read...
Good Better Best,
May you never rest
Until your good is better
And your better best

Here endth the lesson (or have I told a Phurphy?)

[artme]

Yep. Knew that Rod!!

As far as I know the inscription on the back of he tank - the tap end- is done in Pitman shorthand
and says something about the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.
I may be wrong. It could be Arabic, Elvish or Silurian backhand that speaks of something else.

When I was living at Leeton theses Furphy carts often came up at auctions and were very popular
with the bidders. I think many ended up as garden ornaments.

[Big Shed]

On these cast iron ends was a lot of writing in strange languages (I think that is right) but what was legible was a little ditty which read...
Good Better Best,
May you never rest
Until your good is better
And your better best

Here endth the lesson (or have I told a Phurphy?)

This has been used by one of our forum members, Penturner, as his signature for quite some time.

[pmcgee]

I was tempted to use the term 'repudiate' in terms of a debt.

[Latin repudire, repudit-, from repudium, divorce.]

Hmmm ... divorce, hey?

Repudium ... occurs in divorce but one source says that isn't the true sense.

The Principles of Roman Law and Their Relation to Modern Law - William Livesey Burdick - Google Books (http://books.google.com.au/books?id=IRkMm73NCEUC&pg=PA237&dq=divortium&hl=en&sa=X&ei=FtHUUs-UFon4lAXe4YDYDQ&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=divortium&f=false)

"Repudium meant originally ... the breaking of an engagement to marry, while divortium was more appropriately applied to the dissolution of a marriage since the word signifies that the parties go their separate ways."

Doesn't everyone need the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Roman Law, Volume 43 By Adolf Berger? :)
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Roman Law - Adolf Berger - Google Books (http://books.google.com.au/books?id=oR0LAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA676&dq=repudium&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mM3UUqb-NMHIkwXD14CwCg&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=repudium&f=false)

"A unilateral breaking up of a betrothal. The term refers also to the dissolution of a marriage existing made by one of the spouses either by an oral declaration before witnesses, by a letter, or through the intermediary of a messenger (per nuntium) who transmitted to the other party the wish that the marriage be solved."

Solved? interesting.

[Middle English <tt style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">solven</tt>, to loosen, from Latin <tt style="font-size: 11pt;">solvere</tt>]

[Middle English <tt style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">dissolven</tt>, from Latin <tt style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">dissolvere</tt> : <tt style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">dis-</tt>, dis- + <tt style="font-size: 11pt;">solvere</tt>, to release]

More interesting ... Loosened vs Released.

- - - - - -

In contrast ... Divortium ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Roman Law - Adolf Berger - Google Books (http://books.google.com.au/books?id=oR0LAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA439&dq=divortium+berger&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QdHUUuGCNYTxkQWdzYHYDA&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=divortium%20berger&f=false)

"A divorce. It was achieved without formalities, simply by a definitive cessation of the common life of the consorts, initiated by common agreement or by one of them, thereby proving that there was no longer any affectio maritalis between the spouses. Therefore, a temporary abandonment of the common dwelling by the wife in a state of excitement (per calorem) was not considered a divortium.

If the conclusion of a marriage was accompanied by a conventio in manum (*) the dissolution of such agreement had to be accomplished by a contrary act.

Usually however a unilateral declaration by the divorcing spouse (repudium) followed the separation, either by writing (per epistulam) - the letter had to be signed by seven witnesses - or orally, directly or indirectly by a messenger (per nuntium)."

- - - - - -
(*) Marriage (http://www.roman-empire.net/society/soc-marriage.html)
There were two types of marriage.
The more conventional -and more ancient form - was a marriage by which the woman became a member of the husband's family. She lost her family rights of inheritance of her old family and gained them with her new one. She now was subject to the authority of her husband. This was the traditional form of marriage, (conventio in manum).
Alternatively there was the free marriage (sine manu). In this arrangement the wife remained a member of her original family. She stayed under the authority of her father and kept her family rights of inheritance with her old family, though didn't gain any with the new family.
This was not a traditional form of marriage and it could simply be annulled by the separation of the couple. It was sufficient for the husband to tell his wife, either in person, or by letter, or by sending a slave that the marriage was at an end, for the free marriage to annulled.
However, the free marriage was generally conducted by marriages between noble households, and hence it was unlikely that one side would so openly insult the other. Far more the separation would be conducted upon agreement of both sides.

[artme]

Mate where do you get all this info?? Do you own a number of books? Do you have access to a very good
library? How much do you glean from Google searches?

AND.. Why are you interested in such esoteric matters???

[pmcgee]

The library part is easy ... all Google :) Hopefully all the links are there. Me ... I don't know anything :)

Words and language carry their history along with them, which has always been interesting - and adds to or explains their meaning/s.

Professor Kate Burridge (Can We Help? - KATE BURRIDGE (http://www.abc.net.au/tv/canwehelp/txt/s2860930.htm)) used to be on the local ABC in the afternoons and she had great knowledge about words and grammar.

People would ring in to complain about peoples' alleged misuse of grammar - and often she would be telling them, (eg) Well ... actually ... that used be the rule in the 1700s ... and is still the case with THIS word and THIS one and THIS one.

For example, if I have it right, people (including me) don't like the US spelling of "color", "labor", "realize" ... but she said that the US english separated from English at an early point, and preserves an early sense whereas English has moved on and intermingled in different ways.

At some stage there was a movement in the US to simplify and regularise (s!) spelling and make it more logical ... hence their "color", "flavor".

I wish I had those conversations recorded ... she had great knowledge and examples on tap ...

Cheers,
Paul

[artme]

Thanks for the answer.

I have always had an interest in words and wish I had been able to learn Latin at school.
I may not have liked it at that stage but it would have been very helpful.

The point about US English separating at an early stage is interesting. This is why the Americans
use diaper as opposed to our nappy. It is the reason they get offended when the word bugger is
used, no matter the context.

We were always encouraged to use the dictionary as kids. Even though both parents had little or
no education past primary school, they were both intelligent and read voraciously.Dad owned a
large Collins dictionary with a hard red cover. It was well used!!! I received a Nuttall dictionary of
Synonyms and antonyms as a prize in high school. I have a collection of several dictionaries that
receive regular attention.

I remember Kate Burridge. I saw her on TV a couple of times and heard her on the radio now and then.

[chambezio]

Speaking of dictionaries and parents.....Dad had a large Oxford dictionary that he let us kids use when we were old enough to "respect" the book. I don't know how old I was but I looked up radar and low and behold...it wasn't there....I then went to the front of the book and found it was printed in 1940! Radar would have been on the Secret Invention list

[Sturdee]

At some stage there was a movement in the US to simplify and regularise (s!) spelling and make it more logical ... hence their "color", "flavor".

Cheers,
Paul

Wasn't that done by Webster with his famous dictionary. I believe he wanted to not only standardize the language but also to democratize it, away from the poshy aristocracy and back to the common usage of ordinary workers.


Peter.

[artme]

Wasn't that done by Webster with his famous dictionary. I believe he wanted to not only standardize the language but also to democratize it, away from the poshy aristocracy and back to the common usage of ordinary workers.


Peter.

I think you are right Peter.

There has been a slight move towards simplified spelling in other English speaking countries.
I just wish the process was a bit quicker. Remember when program was spelt programme?
something to do with French influences IIRC.

If the ALP had its way all words ending in our would be cut to or. Although the spell checker
does that anyway!! Perhaps that's one idea for an election campaign!:q Now there is a silly
spelling - campaign.

Take ph for f. Absolutely no logical reason for this.

Some spellings seem odd but are influenced by the base word. Sign, signal, insignia being
a good example.

[pmcgee]

It is rich pickings, this stuff.

I'm reminded me of another call. I'm sure someone was pulling their hair out over "burglarize" ... instead of burgle. Sounds "country yokel-ised" to me too ... but I think she said that burglarise existed first and was technically "more proper" in that it is formed in a regular way ... and burgle was backformed from burglar.

American English - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_English)

"English words that survived in the United States and not in the United KingdomA number of words and meanings that originated in Middle English or Early Modern English and that have been in everyday use in the United States dropped out in most varieties of British English; some of these have cognates in Lowland Scots. Terms such as fall ("autumn"), faucet ("tap"), diaper ("nappy"), candy ("sweets"), skillet, eyeglasses and obligate are often regarded as Americanisms. Fall for example came to denote the season in 16th century England, a contraction of Middle English expressions like "fall of the leaf" and "fall of the year".[67]
During the 17th century, English immigration to the British colonies in North America was at its peak and the new settlers took the English language with them. While the term fall gradually became obsolete in Britain, it became the more common term in North America. Gotten (past participle of get) is often considered to be an Americanism, although there are some areas of Britain, such as Lancashire and North East England, that still continue to use it and sometimes also use putten as the past participle for put (which is not done by most speakers of American English).[68]
Other words and meanings, to various extents, were brought back to Britain, especially in the second half of the 20th century; these include hire ("to employ"), quit ("to stop", which spawned quitter in the U.S.), I guess (famously criticized by H. W. Fowler), baggage, hit (a place), and the adverbs overly and presently ("currently"). Some of these, for example monkey wrench and wastebasket, originated in 19th century Britain.
The mandative subjunctive (as in "the City Attorney suggested that the case not be closed") is livelier in American English than it is in British English. It appears in some areas as a spoken usage and is considered obligatory in contexts that are more formal. The adjectives mad meaning "angry", smart meaning "intelligent", and sick meaning "ill" are also more frequent in American (these meanings are also frequent in Hiberno-English) than British English"

[pmcgee]

I found this page ... Simplified Spelling Board - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_Spelling_Board)

and read "brazen" instead of "brasen" ... and had a slight heart attack.
I am determined on "-ise" vs "-ize" in the same way others will religiously hide their end-grain ... but hadn't thought I should be using "brasen".

But then ...
"Origin of BRAZEN
Middle English brasen, from Old English bræsen, from bræs brass
First Known Use: before 12th century"
and
brazen as a verb in 1555 ... so I guess I'm ok on that one.


Their book is here "Handbook of Simplified Spelling ..." 1920 ... https://archive.org/details/handbooksimplif00boargoog

and interesting to note this passage, which suggests we have already benefited from some pruning of our words :)

James Howell, in his "Grammar" (1662), urged a
number of simplifications in spelling, some of which —
such as honor for honour, logic for logique, sin for
sinne, war for warre, bodily for bodilie, bear for
beare, wit for witt, and their analogs — ar now in
general usage; while others — bel for bell, tru for true,
etc. — ar still regarded by many as startling innovations.
John Ray publisht (1691) a "Note on the Errours of Our Alphabet'*.

It also reminded me of something the professor used to mention that I had more than half forgotten, about the origins of words getting "fluffed over" by some pompous gits wanting to artificially "classicalise" the language ...

"Classical Influences

In the meantime, and more particularly in the 16th
Century, many writers of English, more familiar with
the literatures of Greece and Rome than with the history
of their nativ tung, sought to emfasize their classical
erudition by attempts to indicate in their spelling
the real or supposed derivations of English words from
the Latin and the Greek.

In this way 'b' came to be inserted in debt by those who deemd it important to trace
the origin of the word directly back to the Latin debitum,
rather than thru the French dette (early modern
English dette, det). Thus, too, came 'c' into scissors,
from a supposed derivation of the word from the Latin
scindere, whereas its true basis is caedere, to cut. The
Old French form is cisoires. Chaucer has sisoures.

So, also, came 's' into island, assumed to be derived, like
isle, from the Latin insula, whereas the 'i' really represents
a quite independent Old English word that survives
in ey-ot, Batters-ea, Angles-ey, Aldern-ey, etc.
Isle itself, tho so speld in the earliest Old French, with
the 's' pronounst, had been simplified to ile, to accord
with the changed pronunciation, at the time the word
was adopted into Middle English as ile, yle. It was
speld ile by Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Milton, and other
modern English writers. "

[pmcgee]

anger - definition of anger by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/anger)
Hot stuff ...

39. Fuming anger like a toaster with crust jammed against its heating coil —Ira Wood
62. Mad as a wet hen
86. The young man’s wrath is like straw of fire, but like red hot steel is the old man’s ire —Lord Byron :)

Cathartic ... (better out than in) ... :)

9. Anger … like Mississippi thunderstorms, full of noise and lightning, but once it passed, the air was cleared —Gloria Norris

[pmcgee]

I just now noted the spelling of 'panicked' ... there must be a story behind that 'k'. :)

[artme]

Wouldn't "c" have to be about the most useless and misleading letter in the English alpahbet??

And don't come at me with "it's needed for "ch"'. Spell "ch" phonetically or invent another symbol!!!


BTW picnic and frolic also use "k" in a similar fashion.

Compare the çk"" with the "cc"" in accommodate. They both produce a "hard" "k" sound.

:shrug::shrug:

[pmcgee]

Our politicians are losing the art of speaking in artful squiggles ...

Smith: Wealth of Nations, Book I, Chapter 11 | Library of Economics and Liberty (http://www.econlib.org/library/Smith/smWN5.html#B.I,%20Ch.11,%20Of%20the%20Rent%20of%20Land,%20Table%201)


"21.[Tobacco growing in England, Ireland and the Channel Islands was prohibited by 12 Car. II., c. 34, the preamble of which alleges that the lords and commons have considered 'of how great concern and importance it is that the colonies and plantations of this kingdom in America be defended, maintained and kept up, and that all due and possible encouragement be given unto them, and that not only in regard great and considerable dominions and countries have been thereby gained and added to the imperial crown of this realm, but for that the strength and welfare of this kingdom do very much depend upon them in regard of the employment of a very considerable part of its shipping and seamen, and of the vent of very great quantities of its native commodities and manufactures as also of its supply with several considerable commodities which it was wont formerly to have only from foreigners and at far dearer rates, and forasmuch as tobacco is one of the main products of several of those plantations and upon which their welfare and subsistence and the navigation of this kingdom and vent of its commodities thither do much depend; And in regard it is found by experience that the tobaccos planted in these parts are not so good and wholesome for the takers thereof, and that by the planting thereof Your Majesty is deprived of a considerable part of your revenue.' The prohibition was extended to Scotland by 22 Geo. III., c. 73.]"

[artme]

Well bugger me!!!

Wouldn't the free traders have a picnic???

[pmcgee]

While I remember ... there was also discussion with the professor on eg "often" ... "off-en" or "off-ten"

vs "soften" ... there was an historic context to it that I don't recall.


... also "length", "width" but not "heighth" (except Rob Cosman (canadian) says that).

[Boringgeoff]

Last year we did a tour of the old phosphate mine at Wellington NSW and the young lady guide who was from Wellington happened to mention that we might see the bones of an ancient "skellington" I could have kissed her, she was talking my language and I couldn't resist asking if we might be lucky enough to see the skellington of a pellington.
Me and lovely guide lady...1, rest of party... Nil.
Geoff.

[pmcgee]

Nice boat-building site ... videos run kinda slow, but. :rolleyes:

"Fairing Frames (large boats)

Introduction


This is another skill in boat building where experience plays a role in applying it. Despite the work going in to ensuring that the frames are accurate prior to this stage in the build, the process of fairing frames is still vital. How each frame relates to its neighbour has a huge influence on the way a plank runs around them, affecting the aesthetics of the hull. Also contact between frame and plank is important structurally.


The person carrying out this process must remember they are not only fairing along the vessel but also up each frame. It is really adjusting the bevel angle of each frame to enable the plank to sit on the frame and correcting any unfairness which has been built into the vessel during the early stages of the build.


- See more at: http://www.boat-building.org/learn-skills/index.php/en/wood/fairing-frames-large-boats"

"Fairing" I already know as a word ... Woodwould would write about fairing cabriole legs into the body of a cabinet.

But it is interesting to me to see the word "unfairness" used here - giving it such a different slant to how we normally understand the word.

Paul

[Bushmiller]

Back in the 17th century the word "fair" used to mean attractive or beautiful. From "As You Like It."

"for those she makes fair she scarce makes honest and those she makes honest she makes very ill-favouredly."

Referred to a woman :rolleyes:.

Regards
Paul

[pmcgee]

Back in the 17th century the word "fair" used to mean attractive or beautiful.

:p
I first assumed you were joking ... were you?
I think this is still current. It worked for Robert Browning (1812-1880) ... http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/my-last-duchess



From "As You Like It."
"for those she makes fair she scarce makes honest and those she makes honest she makes very ill-favouredly."

Refreshing lack of PC in some of that Shakespeare-y stuff. :U
Chaucer too if I recall correctly. :D

[pmcgee]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uff_da

[artme]

Well i"ll be buggered!:D

[A Duke]

Uuff-da

[pmcgee]

Turning a (memory) Loss into a Win! :)

Just now I couldn't remember the word for "picky about details" ... I had the "P" ... I wanted "Pedantic" ...

so ... harder than it should have been ... I stumbled on a rolling brawl amongst linguaphiles. :U


http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/59281/what-is-the-words-for-someone-who-is-very-particular-about-the-small-details-o


Plus very good set of results: (quoting)


A pedantic person gives too much attention to formal rules or small details.
A meticulous person is very careful and pays great attention to every detail.
A fastidious person gives too much attention to small details and wants everything to be correct and perfect.

Persnickety!

a : fussy about small details
Whoa, thats a good find. :) – M.A
As soon as I read your question title, it hit me in the head. :) – cornbread ninja
Persnickety is just a quaint US colloquialism of the original pernickety. – FumbleFingers
@FumbleFingers You make it seem that pernickety isn’t colloquial, but it is. And p’ick’y is just the quaint polycontraction of either of them. – tchrist

:o


@tchrist: At the risk of seeming persnickety/pernickety/picky myself, I will simply point out that my newly-acquired OED lists persnickety as "U.S. colloq.", and says it derives from pernickety. The entry for the latter does not include the epithet "colloq." OED doesn't have an entry for "p'ick'y", which I've never seen before, and would make no sense in speech - but the entry for "picky" defines this as "Fastidious, finicky, ‘choosey’" - obviously from "to pick/choose/select". – FumbleFingers


nitpicker if you want the connotation of overly perfectionist
The closest word I can think of is punctilious adjective - showing great attention to detail or correct behavior
If you're looking for a noun, how about a fussbudget?
Since you specifically ask for a noun rather than an adjective, I have these: fusspot, pedant, perfectionist and stickler.

I'd like to propose pedant. It's a person who is overly concerned with formal rules, excessively concerned with formalism and precision.
The adjective is pedantic.
Yes, that covers the 'rules abiding' thing. – M.A

The word pedant reminds me of that albatross charm pendant which my grade school English teacher always had danging from her neck as we read “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. And pedantry sound like the act of inappropriately hanging around with children, just as pedagogy is inappropriately oggling children. Pedology is studying the ground that children walk or ride bikes on. And palaeopedology is studying old farts. – tchrist

You need to think about this word a little less :) – M.A

:D

I haven't seen someone offer the word anal (or anal-retentive):
The term anal-retentive (also anally retentive), commonly abbreviated to anal, is used conversationally to describe a person who pays such attention to detail that the obsession becomes an annoyance to others, potentially to the detriment of the anal-retentive person.

[artme]

Know all about that Paul.

SWMBO is a pernickety, nit-picking, pedantic fusspot !!:saythat: :zap:


On the subject of fairness and unfairness.

I suppose it is pretty logical to use the term unfairness in the way the boatbuilders do.
If you take fair to be right or true then unfairness is the same thing not right or true, and
this applies to to the boatbuilding situation with regard to the rightness or trueness of
shape, line, measurement etc.

The spell checker on this machine doesn't like trueness.!!!

[pmcgee]

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/30396/30396-h/30396-h.htm

CLEVER STATESMEN.


However great talents may command the admiration of the world, they do not generally best fit a man for the discharge of social duties. Swift remarks that "Men of great parts are often unfortunate in the management of public business, because they are apt to go out of the common road by the quickness of their imagination. This I once said to my Lord Bolingbroke, and desired he would observe, that the clerk in his office used a sort of ivory knife, with a blunt edge, to divide a sheet of paper, which never failed to cut it even, only by requiring a steady hand; whereas, if he should make one of a sharp penknife, the sharpness would make it go often out of the crease, and disfigure the paper."

[artme]

Just so Mr.Swift!! ( One of the greatest political satirists ever! )

I remember a certain college of Advanced Education appointment where an eminent
Professor in his field was appointed to the top Job. Made a complete mess of it!! Not
because he was stupid but because of the fact that he was not trained in administration
and was too prone to bright but unworkable ideas. Unworkable because of budgetary
and regulatory constraints.

[pmcgee]

New word for today ... mordant.

adjective
1.
(especially of humour) having or showing a sharp or critical quality; biting.
"a mordant sense of humour"

noun
1.
a substance, typically an inorganic oxide, that combines with a dye or stain and thereby fixes it in a material.
an adhesive compound for fixing gold leaf.
2.
a corrosive liquid used to etch the lines on a printing plate.

verb
1.
impregnate or treat (a fabric) with a mordant.



"Men acting gregariously are always in extremes; as they are one moment capable of higher courage, so they are liable, the next, to baser depression, and it is often a matter of chance whether numbers shall multiply confidence or discouragement. Nor does deception lead more surely to distrust of men, than self-deception to suspicion of principles. The only faith that wears well and holds its color in all weathers is that which is woven of conviction and set with the sharp mordant of experience.

Enthusiasm is good material for the orator, but the statesman needs something more durable to work in,--must be able to rely on the deliberate reason and consequent firmness of the people, without which that presence of mind, no less essential in times of moral than of material peril, will be wanting at the critical moment."

"Abraham Licoln" - James Russell Lowell