Search found 31 matches

by dougsmit
Mon Jan 16, 2023 8:44 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Authority
Replies: 4
Views: 1786

Re: Authority

I believe Dr. Goodword should either confirm or deny with explanation what seems to be other related words in common use. In this case "auction" would seem reasonable from the Latin meaning given.
by dougsmit
Tue Jan 03, 2023 10:28 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Endue
Replies: 5
Views: 1759

Re: Endue

How could we discuss 'endue' without mention of 'endow' which is by far the version most commonly still in use?
by dougsmit
Wed Aug 31, 2022 10:09 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Garage
Replies: 2
Views: 1582

Re: Garage

When the lexical orphan garage is used to mean "to put in a garage" this second usage is as a verb rather than noun as stated in the text.
by dougsmit
Sun Sep 01, 2013 7:43 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Tittle
Replies: 22
Views: 25497

Re: Tittle

"Somewhere over the years that followed, "to a tittle" was apparently confused with the phrase, "cross all your Ts (and dot your Is)," which also referred to exactitude." Are you telling me now that "exactitude" allows you to omit the apostrophe in forming plu...
by dougsmit
Wed Aug 28, 2013 4:24 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Dystopia
Replies: 16
Views: 20549

Re: Dystopia

How do we determine that utopia is derived from ou = not rather than eu = good (as in euphemism, eugenics and eulogy)? If the word was made up in modern times I'd prefer a perfect concoction to retain the diphthong (eutopia) which would not change the pronunciation and mean 'perfect place' rather th...
by dougsmit
Wed Feb 02, 2011 10:18 am
Forum: Etymology
Topic: Theory
Replies: 5
Views: 36254

three years

Three years have passed since this post but the Feb 1 2011 Good Word on "Theory" was not posted on the Alpha Agora by the time that the next day's word appeared so one has to wonder why. I have trouble seeing why Dr. Goodword would post anything on a word starting with 'theo' without menti...
by dougsmit
Sat Oct 09, 2010 9:09 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: ALREADY
Replies: 7
Views: 11075

We will have to disagree on this one. When you get a past due notice for a bill that you have previously paid and the notice requests another payment, you say that the bill was 'already' paid. No one is suggesting that the bill was paid early or late; the question is whether the bill has or has not ...
by dougsmit
Sat Oct 09, 2010 8:56 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Defenestrate
Replies: 12
Views: 30423

In 2007 when this thread was new a Google search produced 600 hits on the word. Today that number was 3890 including one on the first page discussing ventilation of basements, several medical uses and this page on which we discussed the word. While we are here revisiting the past, I disagree with th...
by dougsmit
Fri Oct 08, 2010 8:02 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: ALREADY
Replies: 7
Views: 11075

I either disagree with meaning one or need a fourth. I see 'already' as a way to emphasize the pluperfect rather than comment on expectations. When we say Marian Kine is already married we are saying she is off the market now but not how long it took her to get that way. Marian could have been singl...
by dougsmit
Tue Sep 07, 2010 4:44 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: LEEWAY
Replies: 3
Views: 6568

Lord Kelvin

One of the reasons some of us frequent the Alpha Agora is the opportunity to be reminded that language is 'kewl'. Allow me the leeway of honoring Lord Kelvin inventor and namesake of the system of temperature measurement defining absolute zero (and a few other things - he was an interesting guy): ht...
by dougsmit
Mon Jul 19, 2010 7:03 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: PHOTOSHOP
Replies: 4
Views: 7398

'not a verb'

Adobe is fighting this adoption of their trademark into the vulgar language: http://www.adobe.com/misc/trade.html Adobe has a better grasp on the concepts of photo editing than on those of language development. Note the section over halfway down the page: "Proper use of the Photoshop trademark ...
by dougsmit
Fri Dec 11, 2009 5:31 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: VERMIFORM
Replies: 2
Views: 5436

Lets not forget 'vermin' and 'varmit' which come in useful when referring to the 'low down' aspect of being a worm rather than the slender.
by dougsmit
Sat Nov 28, 2009 8:17 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: VICTORY
Replies: 3
Views: 6690

word spacing

The Romans were never convinced one way or another about spaces (or dots) between words. Sometimes they help; sometimes not. " It is present invanquish and invincible, which come ultimately from the present tense stem of vincere, but not in today's Good Word, which comes from the past participl...
by dougsmit
Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:51 am
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: SCROOCH
Replies: 11
Views: 15762

and scrunch

If we are to take the side trip to scooch might we not as well journey over to 'scrunch' which not only offers a meaning of make compact but allows a transitive option "scrunch the foil into a ball". If scrouge was a relatively new form in the day, what was Dickens saying when he named his...
by dougsmit
Fri Aug 29, 2008 2:15 pm
Forum: Good Word Suggestions
Topic: inextricably
Replies: 2
Views: 6529

inextricably

Used in the Barack Obama acceptance speech 28 August...
or extricable, extricate as you see fit
While discussing this, it might be good to touch on a similar work 'inextirpable'

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