Unawares

[Dr. Goodword]

• unawares •

Pronunciation: ên-ê-werz • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adverb

Meaning: 1. Without thinking, without being aware, inadvertently, unconsciously. 2. By surprise, suddenly and without warning. We are generally caught unawares by unusual things.

Notes: In this series I often mention that a Good Word adjective may be converted to an adverb "the usual way", by adding the suffix -ly. Today's word is an oddity: the adverb for unaware is formed by adding the ubiquitous suffix -s: unawares. This is so unusual, most dictionaries are now disposed to accept mundane unawarely as an option.

In Play: The first sense of today's word reveals a simple adverb for the adjective unaware: "Mother could make the greatest salmagundi unawares, but I can't make one as good with a recipe." The second meaning goes slightly astray from the first: "The financial crash of 2007 caught most of the world unawares, leaving many of us much the poorer."

Word History: Today's Good Word is a lexical palimpsest. If we remove the final -s, we are left with unaware, the negative of aware, which means "conscious, vigilant". Aware itself is an 'adjective-adverb' that occurs only in the predicate: "The lady was aware of . . ." but not "the aware lady". Most such words carry the prefix a-, e.g. afloat, asleep, aloft, as does aware. Remove that prefix and we come to a noun ware "alert, on guard" that hasn't been used for 500 years, even though its adjective, wary, is still around. We also find it in beware, which was originally two words: be ware, in the sense of "be wary".

[Slava]

For that In Play 1st example, I wouldn't have thought of using unawares, myself. I'd use the long way around and say something like, 'without thinking about it' or 'with her eyes closed'. I think of unawares only in the sense of being caught so. Anyone else?

[David Myer]

Yes, I am with you, Slava. My experience is only with the second definition. It may be time to start using it in the first sense, although it is easy to do your workaround. I suppose it can be used for playing music too. He played the entire Ring Cycle on his penny whistle entirely unawares. But that does suggest that he played the tune without being aware of what it was.

[bnjtokyo]

This Word of the Day and the timely death of Mr. Kissinger reminded me of an amusing incident that occurred in 1966. That year the Honorable Arthur J. Goldberg, Secretary of State at the time, gave the University of California, Berkeley, Charter Day speech. Due to Mr Kissinger and Mr Goldberg having German accents and having similar views on international diplomacy, I have forever conflated the two in my memory of the event and so am inclined to attribute, improperly, the following tale to Mr Kissinger. As many here may recall, the Vietnam War was rather warm at the time and Mr Goldberg was speaking in support of US plans and action in that war at a location where opposition was strong. In that speech, Mr Goldberg said that "the acid test of our . . . ." He was unable to finish the sentence due to the gales of laughter that ensued so I am unable to report what the content of his proposed test of US policy was. Completely unaware of the acid test that would occur at the Long Shoreman's Hall in San Francisco with the Grateful Dead and Ken Kesey that very weekend, he attempted again and again to continue with his speech but every time he repeated the line "and the acid test" the laugher drowned him out. The uncomprehending look on his face at this completely unexpected response to his rhetoric has remained with me to this day.

However, I will say that the laughter was, serendipitiously, an appropriate response to his rhetoric. He gave us the perfect straight line and punch line all in two words.

[Dr. Goodword]

Love the story.

[Debbymoge]

If you are up for another remembrance of Kissinger...
in the 60's at Harvard, Kissinger lectured in one of the larger classrooms in "the Yard". Those cutting through the area with a few minutes to spare would often go in, even if it meant standing at the back as the room was full, most especially if they could get there for the opening line.

His lectures were popular for many reasons. He was erudite, witty in a sharply sarcastic way, and gave new views on what we had been taught about American politics and foreign policy.
His opening, which always brought a laugh, was "When I rule the world..."

We thought it an hysterical admission of his obvious belief that he was the smartest man on earth.

Then Nixon appointed him.
Then it was not funny.
He had told us what he would do, and now he DID "rule the world".
Please remember the damage done. Egomaniacs are dangerous.

[David Myer]

Marvellous stuff, bnj and Debby - even if I didn't quite get all the references. But picking up on Debby's dangerousness of egomaniacs, I might add that in order to become a world (or American or any other place's) leader, egomania is a pre-requisite. You won't make it to the top without extreme self-belief. And that, my friends, is why I believe the world is doomed.

Undaunted though, by this realisation, and perhaps even spurred on by it, I have decided to party to the end.

[Debbymoge]

David,
Where?
When?
And, surely we are all invited to join you?

[bnjtokyo]

I'll be in San Antonio TX for the total eclipse on April 8. Is anyone else planning to dance in the shadow of the moon?

[Slava]

I may not be doing any dancing, but my city is in the path of totality, so I can' miss it.

[David Myer]

I won't be there, but I will dance for you here in Australia, bnj.