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LACKADAISICAL

Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:08 pm
by Dr. Goodword
• lackadaisical •

Pronunciation: læ-kê-day-zi-kêl • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: 1. Idle, slow or dreamily indolent. 2. Lacking spirit, drive, commitment or liveliness (but not daisies).

Notes: The Word History will show that today's word is a reduction of a Middle English phrase gussied up with Latin accessories, to wit, the suffixes -ic and -al, appended no doubt to hide its lowly origins. The attempt was successful, for today you may create all the forms those suffixes tolerate from lackadaisical: the adverb lackadaisically, and two nouns, lackadasicality or, if you prefer, lackadaisicalness.

In Play: Lackadaisical implies a slowness brought on by indifference: "Mortimer, am I misjudging you or are you growing a bit lackadaisical in your attitude toward weeding the garden?" This word is a semi-antonym of productive: "We have to find a quick cure for this lackadaisical attitude toward work in this office."

Word History: Today's Good Word started its etymological journey as a rather serious interjection, Alack, the day!, uttered as an indication of a serious disappointment. This is Romeo's reaction upon finding Juliet apparently dead in the last act of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: "Shee's dead, deceast, shee's dead: alacke the day!" As in the case with most interjections, the phrase was soon reduced to a word, lack-a-day, and its meaning grew milder. By the mid 18th century the word had become lackadaisy and the meaning came to be somewhat closer to "What the heck!" A century later, lackadaisy's sister, oops-a-daisy, had become upsidaisy, while lackadaisy itself was working as an adjective. Very shortly thereafter lackadaisical emerged with its Latinesque trim and the same "what-the-heck" meaning.

Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 12:37 pm
by Perry Lassiter
And whence cometh "gussied up"?

Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 6:36 pm
by LukeJavan8
Good word: shades of my grandmother: good memory.

Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 8:37 pm
by Slava
And whence cometh "gussied up"?
How soon we forget:

www.alphadictionary.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=5188

Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 10:00 pm
by LukeJavan8
Must be February. Brain dead.

Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 10:54 am
by Perry Lassiter
SOON?! That was MONTHS ago!

Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:28 pm
by LukeJavan8
And February is the three months between January and March.
And I agree about "soon": when one has
half-timers disease, a symptom of part-timers and/or
some-timers syndrome, then July is/was months ago.

Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 1:08 am
by Philip Hudson
I have heard the word pronounced LAX-a-daz-i-kal, and the speaker wasn't even a red neck.

Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 1:12 am
by Slava
I have heard the word pronounced LAX-a-daz-i-kal, and the speaker wasn't even a red neck.
I haven't heard this one, but I can understand how it could come about. If you are lackadaisical you are lax in your duties.