Bigly!

A discussion of word histories and origins.
brogine
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Bigly!

Postby brogine » Wed Dec 07, 2022 11:14 pm

Came across the word reading, and it just struck me - familiar as the word is - ‘immense’ is ‘not measurable’.
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Last edited by brogine on Thu Dec 08, 2022 1:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Slava
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Re: Bigly!

Postby Slava » Thu Dec 08, 2022 7:22 am

Okay, I'm lost. I'm afraid I don't get what you're getting at here. Could you please elaborate? :oops:
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brogine
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Re: Bigly!

Postby brogine » Thu Dec 08, 2022 1:42 pm

What’s the mystery? I’m simply saying that ‘immense’ is one those words
we accept (well, I do, anyway) without ever wondering ‘whence?’
Once in a while, I have an interesting ideation of ‘thence!’

I’ve written similarly about ‘dilapidated’ and the relationship of ‘fashion’
to ‘fact’, ‘faction’, etc.

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Slava
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Re: Bigly!

Postby Slava » Thu Dec 08, 2022 4:25 pm

I was thinking too specifically of the word Bigly, not the general concept.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

brogine
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Re: Bigly!

Postby brogine » Thu Dec 08, 2022 6:46 pm

Hi. It’s one of the ways I love to twit ‘El Naranjo’ (the former President), but it’s really a word!

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Dr. Goodword
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Re: Bigly!

Postby Dr. Goodword » Thu Dec 22, 2022 12:28 am

Most English speakers use big strictly as an adjective and a phrase in a big way for the adverb or use a synonym largely. I can't think of a reason off the top of my head. But the same restriction applies to its antonyms little and small. The odd man out is largely.
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brogine
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Re: Bigly!

Postby brogine » Thu Dec 22, 2022 1:49 pm

Thank you.
I should have been more thorough. The OED lists ‘bigly’ as an adjective - obsolete and of origin different from ‘big’.
Also as an adverb - rare - (< big adj. + -ly suffix), but with only
tenuously related meaning.


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