LACKADAISICAL

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LACKADAISICAL

Postby Dr. Goodword » Sun Feb 26, 2012 10:08 pm

• 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.
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Perry Lassiter
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Postby Perry Lassiter » Mon Feb 27, 2012 12:37 pm

And whence cometh "gussied up"?
pl

LukeJavan8
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Postby LukeJavan8 » Mon Feb 27, 2012 6:36 pm

Good word: shades of my grandmother: good memory.
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Postby Slava » Mon Feb 27, 2012 8:37 pm

And whence cometh "gussied up"?
How soon we forget:

www.alphadictionary.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=5188
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Postby LukeJavan8 » Mon Feb 27, 2012 10:00 pm

Must be February. Brain dead.
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Postby Perry Lassiter » Tue Feb 28, 2012 10:54 am

SOON?! That was MONTHS ago!
pl

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Postby LukeJavan8 » Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:28 pm

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.
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Postby Philip Hudson » Fri Mar 30, 2012 1:08 am

I have heard the word pronounced LAX-a-daz-i-kal, and the speaker wasn't even a red neck.
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Postby Slava » Fri Mar 30, 2012 1:12 am

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.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.


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