NASTY

Use this forum to discuss past Good Words.
User avatar
Dr. Goodword
Site Admin
Posts: 7407
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:28 am
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Contact:

NASTY

Postby Dr. Goodword » Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:23 pm

• nasty •

Pronunciation: næs-ti • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: 1. Dirty, filthy (chiefly in the US). 2. Unpleasant, disagreeable, mean-spirited, annoying.

Notes: Today's Good Word was at one time controversial. R. G. White, in 1870, warned Americans against the figurative use of nasty as a synonym for disagreeable. However, as H. L. Mencken in The American Language (1921, page 317) pointed out, it was a losing battle. Today the metaphorical "British" sense is firmly ensconced in the US dialect. This adjective comes with an adverb, nastily, and an noun, nastiness. During World War II the Nazis were facetiously referred to as the Nasties, using the adjective as a noun.

In Play: Let's begin with the American sense of nasty: "Billy, how did you get your shoes so nasty just walking to school? You have sidewalks all the way." Now, let's try the figurative sense: "Mommy, why does Mrs. Whipplesnatch get so nasty when I ask her how old she is?"

Word History: The source of today's Good Word is Old French nastre "bad, strange," a shortened form of villenastre "infamous, bad". This word comes of vilein "villain" + -astre, a pejorative suffix. Vilein originally referred to a feudal serf, presumed to be a coarse and dirty git. It was inherited from Vulgar Latin villanus "feudal serf", from Latin villa "a country house". English had a field day with this word. English borrowed it as villa, village, and as the suffix, -ville, in addition to today's word. The same pejorative suffix, -aster, can be seen in poetaster "scribbler of trashy poetry". (It would be very nasty of us not to express our gratitude to Albert Skiles for suggesting today's Good Word. Thank you, Albert.)
• The Good Dr. Goodword

Philip Hudson
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 2784
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:41 am
Location: Texas

Postby Philip Hudson » Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:57 pm

Uncle JM told me that nasty was the nastiest word he knew. I have a nasty joke, in the sense that it is about the word nasty. Do we have a forum section dedicated to jokes?
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.

User avatar
Slava
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 8013
Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:31 am
Location: Finger Lakes, NY

Postby Slava » Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:32 pm

Uncle JM told me that nasty was the nastiest word he knew. I have a nasty joke, in the sense that it is about the word nasty. Do we have a forum section dedicated to jokes?
How's this work for you?

http://www.alphadictionary.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=1707
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

LukeJavan8
Great Grand Panjandrum
Posts: 4422
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:16 pm
Location: Land of the Flat Water

Postby LukeJavan8 » Sat Jun 23, 2012 12:24 pm

A couple of corney ones -but acceptable.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----


Return to “Good Word Discussion”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Ahrefs [Bot] and 18 guests