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Posted: **Sat Aug 19, 2006 10:41 am**

an·ti·pode (nt-pd)
n.
A direct or diametrical opposite: "We just sit and listen to the fullness of the quiet, as an antipode to focused busyness" Kathryn A. Knox.

[Back-formation from antipodes.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words AntonymsNoun 1. antipode - direct opposite; "quiet: an antipode to focused busyness"
oppositeness, opposition - the relation between opposed entities

Stan was the quiet stern type of man; his wife the happy, talkative antipode.

mark always-the-antipode Bailey

Posted: **Mon Aug 21, 2006 9:22 am**

I have a friend that is a chronic contrarian. I wonder if I could call him, "you old antipode you"?

Posted: **Mon Aug 21, 2006 12:39 pm**

Perry, I can think of several contrarians, but I think antipodes are just different from the other, I saw it recently in a book the husband was discribed as stern and taciturn, his wife the antipode was cheerful and chatty.

Then again you may call him anything you wish.

mark not-really-the-strong-silent-type Bailey

Posted: **Mon Aug 21, 2006 1:52 pm**

So then perhaps this contrarian's antipod would be a accomadarian?

Alright, alright. It's just me being silly.

Posted: **Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:32 pm**

Them's fightin' words, Perry...

Posted: **Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:56 am**

Interesting word. I know that Britons refer to Australia and New Zealand as ''The Antipodes''.

Posted: **Tue Aug 22, 2006 10:23 pm**

I thought Swift used this word to describe a race of beings, but it's older than that.

From the Online Etymology Dictionary:

antipodes
1398, from L. antipodes "those who dwell on the opposite side of the earth," from Gk. antipodes, pl. of antipous "with feet opposite ours," from anti- "opposite" + pous "foot" (see foot), thus people who live on the opposite side of the world. Not to be confused with antiscii "those who live on the same meridian on opposite side of the equator," whose shadows fall at noon in the opposite direction, from Gk. anti- + skia "shadow."

"Yonde in Ethiopia ben the Antipodes, men that haue theyr fete ayenst our fete." ["De Proprietatibus Rerum Bartholomeus Anglicus," translated by John of Trevisa, 1398]

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2006 6:33 am**

This map shows the position of the Antipodes Islands. The Antipodes are "directly antipodal to a point in the sea a few kilometres to the east of Cherbourg on the north coast of France" (from Wikipedia). However, they are the closest antipodal thing to Britain.

Written by uncronopio in Christchurch, just at the top of the map.

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2006 7:18 am**

Ah Uncronopio you've moved?

mark wasn't-he-in-Tasmania-Australia Bailey

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2006 12:41 pm**

Yes, I thought he was our Devilish friend.

[Uh-oh--this post, #1040, is really taxing. Better start on another one right away!

]

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:19 pm**

Yes, I thought he was our Devilish friend.

[Uh-oh--this post, #1040, is really taxing. Better start on another one right away! ]

Gzr, refer to Tagline Graveyard.

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2006 9:28 pm**

Yes, moved at the end of 2005, which explains my sporadic appearances in this forum. New job, new city and new country.

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2006 9:52 pm**

nice you are back, I hope it was upward mobility that took you onward..

mark had-a-few-lateral-moves-and-lots-of-downward Bailey

Posted: **Fri Aug 25, 2006 10:45 pm**

New job, new city and new country

nice you are back, I hope it was upward mobility that took you onward..

What a comfort to us all that neither "new compass" nor "new identity" were added to the list.

Nice to see you, uncronopio.

-- PW