I'm going to go home and unthaw the meatloaf.
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- Lexiterian
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I'm going to go home and unthaw the meatloaf.
I grew up in Maine where unthaw is in regular usage, but everyone makes fun of it. Any ideas? I think it is idiomatic since I suppose the correct spelling would be "un-thaw."
Re: I'm going to go home and unthaw the meatloaf.
Not being a native speaker of English, I still think that the hyphen is uncalled for. The confusing "un" bit may be influenced by usages like Swedish "töa upp/tina (upp)" 'thaw-up', Dutch "ontdooien" and/or German "auftauen".I grew up in Maine where unthaw is in regular usage, but everyone makes fun of it. Any ideas? I think it is idiomatic since I suppose the correct spelling would be "un-thaw."
It deserves to be mentioned that several prefixes are used in a confusing way. I don't remember any good examples just now, but there are those that in different words may mean repetition, or infer an opposite meaning, or just induce an intensifying notion.
Irren ist männlich
now is the time to post this again
Enjoy!
KatyHow I met my wife" by Jack Winter
Published 25 July 1994 - The New Yorker
It had been a rough day, so when I walked into the party I was very chalant,
despite my efforts to appear gruntled and consolate.
I was furling my wieldy umbrella for the coat check when I saw her standing
alone in a corner. She was a descript person, a woman in a state of total
array. Her hair was kempt, her clothing shevelled, and she moved in a
gainly way.
I wanted desperately to meet her, but I knew I'd have to make bones about
it since I was travelling cognito. Beknownst to me, the hostess, whom I
could see both hide and hair of, was very proper, so it would be skin off
my nose if anything bad happened. And even though I had only swerving
loyalty to her, my manners couldn't be peccable. Only toward and heard-of
behavior would do.
Fortunately, the embarrassment that my maculate appearance might cause was
evitable. There were two ways about it, but the chances that someone as
flappable as I would be ept enough to become persona grata or a sung hero
were slim. I was, after all, something to sneeze at, someone you could
easily hold a candle to, someone who usually aroused bridled passion.
So I decided not to risk it. But then, all at once, for some apparent
reason, she looked in my direction and smiled in a way that I could make
heads or tails of.
I was plussed. It was concerting to see that she was communicado, and it
nerved me that she was interested in a pareil like me, sight seen.
Normally, I had a domitable spirit, but, being corrigible, I felt
capacitated--as if this were something I was great shakes at--and forgot
that I had succeeded in situations like this only a told number of times.
So, after a terminable delay, I acted with mitigated gall and made my way
through the ruly crowd with strong givings.
Nevertheless, since this was all new hat to me and I had no time to prepare
a promptu speech, I was petuous. Wanting to make only called-for remarks,
I started talking about the hors d'oeuvres, trying to abuse her of the
notion that I was sipid, and perhaps even bunk a few myths about myself.
She responded well, and I was mayed that she considered me a savory
character who was up to some good. She told me who she was. "What a
perfect nomer," I said, advertently. The conversation become more and more
choate, and we spoke at length to much avail. But I was defatigable, so I
had to leave at a godly hour. I asked if she wanted to come with me. To
my delight, she was committal. We left the party together and have been
together ever since. I have given her my love, and she has requited it.
gruntled and chalant
This was on the 'old' Agora, someone had posted it there, I drag it out every so often for newer members of the Agora.
Katy
Katy
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- Grand Panjandrum
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I think it is shevel(l)ed because dishevel(l)ed is pronounced with an sh sound, so that means that di, not dis, is the prefix in this word. Well, that's just my gut feeling, I have no PhD on that.
I really liked that story, but I was stumbled on choate, which in my mind I pronounced as chote, only seconds later did
I realize it was ko-ut, from inchoate.
Brazilian dude
I really liked that story, but I was stumbled on choate, which in my mind I pronounced as chote, only seconds later did
I realize it was ko-ut, from inchoate.
Brazilian dude
Languages rule!
Seems that you're right, despite two possible pronunciations. The origin seems to be OFr deschevelé from dis + French chevel, old word for 'hair', from Latin capillus. So, the primary meaning would have been '(of hair) in disorder, ruffled' and then '(of persons) untidy, with clothes, hair &c, in disorder, unkempt'.
Irren ist männlich
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- Grand Panjandrum
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- Location: Botucatu - SP Brazil
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- Junior Lexiterian
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back to (un)thaw...
I grew up in Maine as well, and I always put thaw and unthaw in the same category as flammable and inflammable.
à+
frenchgeek
à+
frenchgeek
Re: I'm going to go home and unthaw the meatloaf.
Hi ebertston,I grew up in Maine where unthaw is in regular usage, but everyone makes fun of it. Any ideas? I think it is idiomatic since I suppose the correct spelling would be "un-thaw."
I think a better word un-thaw(which i've never heard),
would be "re-freeze".
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