DIALECT AND WORD MEANINGS

[Tripps]

A new word for me - maybe for Tripps too.
Pandiculation.

Yes - never heard of that.

o why not use the word beauty, why use an ugly word to mean beauty?

To show off that you have O level Latin, or perhaps a classics degree. Puella est pulcher. . .

Now a new one - though I think we may have done it before - 'Snollygoster'

What we do know is that snollygoster was first used in the nasty politics of 19th century America. One amateur definition of the word dates to 1895, when a newspaper editor explained "a snollygoster is a fellow who wants office, regardless of party, platform or principles...."

As Mrs T once famously remarked - "remind you of anyone ?"

[plaques]

Susan Grey and Partygate have thrown up two words that seem to be used as interchangeable depending who is using them.

Inquiry
An inquiry is a process of asking for information to find out the truth.
The aim of the inquiry is to determine the truth, to know if the allegations are true or not.

An investigation
An investigation is a systematic procedure of research studies to gather evidence.
The aim of the investigation is to collect facts and evidence.

What does our legal team think?

[Stanley]

You are quite right Ken, it pays to concentrate on what words are being used, also the syntax.
Did you hear Sajid Javid being repeatedly pressed to explain what 'implicitly' meant when Johnson says he 'implicitly understood' and being unable to answer the question.
Everything has to have a qualifying adjective or adverb these days as a qualifier to increase impact. Policies are 'world-beating', working is 'non stop' or 'night and day', both obviously untrue. Progress is 'at pace', is that a slow or a fast pace?
Make up your own examples....

[Cathy]

Bucolic- relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.
“The church is lovely for it’s bucolic setting.”
Bucolic is an awful word. To me it doesn’t conjure up images of pleasant countryside or lovely settings at all.
Bucolic to me brings images of disease, ugly run down places, sick people and animals.
It’s a horrible word.
I prefer - lovely countryside, calm, fresh air, picturesque.

[Tizer]

A bit like pulchritudinous countryside, I suppose, Cathy!

Everything has to have a qualifying adjective or adverb these days as a qualifier to increase impact.

Every threat is `existential' these days. It seems to be used simply as an intensifier rather than with any specific meaning.

[Stanley]

They are all aimed at increasing 'impact'. Van Tamm used similes to reinforce his health messages. Really good speakers just rely on clear delivery of logical ideas.
As a young lad my dad one took me to the season opening lunch at Lancashire Cricket Club, Old Trafford. They had a speaker, Lord Chief Justice Goddard. I can't remember the subject of his speech but I can still remember the clarity with which he delivered it and I would be about ten years old.
Later, another example of what bugs Peter and me. A BBC newsreader this morning reporting on the imminent end of Plan B... "The Prime minister will meet and decide what to do with the Cabinet." That could have been worded better.

[Tizer]

This is a bit from the feedback column in The Times on Saturday which I thought OGers might enjoy. I wonder if `storied' is on Tripps's list?

[Tripps]

I wonder if `storied' is on Tripps's list?

Actually no. Never heard it, but I'll add it to be on the safe side.
Perhaps a distant cousin of Uncle Bob's 'memorialised'

[Stanley]

I think I have come across it and perhaps in the States..... Closely related to 'fabled'.

[Tizer]

Early language can be quite confusing. I always think of the child who asked her mother why people were imprisoned for laughing. She had seen a news report of a man being gaoled for man's laughter......

I hope I haven't already posted this story. It's another example of word confusion...
Mosses, liverworts and seaweeds were thought in the past to have `hidden reproductive parts' and therefore referred to as cryps, short for cryptogams (hidden gametes). A scientist called Tansley at the London Natural History Museum in the 1930s was a famous cryp who had published lots of papers on his subject - seaweeds. When the war started he was called up by the Min of Defence and found himself in a strange place and unsure what he was meant to being studying to help the war effort. There was no seaweed in sight. In fact he was at Bletchley Park, the Ministry not knowing the difference between a cryptogamist and a cryptogramist.

He settled in among the mathematicians etc, doing his best to try and solve some of the puzzles but not bery successfully. Then one day someone brought in an Enigma code book captured from a German U-boat. Unfortunately it was soaked with seawater and they didn't know how to safely preserve it. Tansley came to the rescue and showed them the method he used to preserve seaweed specimens and it worked for the code book pages too. So the seaweed man helped save Britain in WW2!

[PanBiker]

I hope I haven't already posted this story.

You have posted it before Peter but elsewhere on the site I think, can't think where though.

[Stanley]

I stumbled across this yesterday. An explanation of the origin of the word 'stickler'. The explanation was that it was the name of the referees in Cornish wresting and was because they carried a stick as a mark of authority.
I went for4 a furtle and found this...
"From Middle English stighteler, stytelere, equivalent to stickle +‎ -er. The judges at Cornish wrestling matches do indeed carry sticks which serve for signalling and as a badge of their office. This practice has evolved from holding swords and then swordsticks. "

[Tizer]

I think it also came up in one of those TV programmes about Cornwall, probably by Michael Portaloo!

[Tripps]

An explanation of the origin of the word 'stickler'

I knew that. I can put my 'smug' face on now for the rest of the day.

[Wendyf]

I saw it on TV yesterday, the Antiques Road trip I think.

[Stanley]

That's where I saw it as well Wendy.....
Not smug David, well deserved if you knew it.

[Tizer]

Mrs Tiz has encountered the word `betweened'. It sounds like something put between two other things but that didn't seem to fit the context of the sentence and we couldn't work out what it might mean from the sentence. Substituting `between' didn't help. Puzzling!

[Stanley]

Peter, I get the feeling that occasionally people trying to communicate invent usages like 'betweened' in order to gain impact. Needless to say I wish they wouldn't do it!

[Tripps]

Mrs Tiz has encountered the word `betweened'.

Well spotted - I've never seen it - yet. One of these Americanisms such as 'othered' where a word is adapted to be a verb, where it hasn't traditionally been used as such?
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I heard a chap use the Latin phrase 'Mutatis Mutandis' last night on Sky news - quite naturally - as he reviewed the papers. I'd vaguely heard of it and knew that 'change' was involved. Seems it means 'That having been changed which needed to be changed


What an economical language Latin is - and difficult.

[Stanley]

Gloria is always sick when travelling on Monday......
(And of course 'hocus pocus'.)

[plaques]

Rule of Thumb. is interesting, especially the misogynistic element. Not true of course or so they say.

[Tizer]

'Mutatis Mutandis' sounds like a good motto for editors!

[Tripps]

Gloria is always sick when travelling on Monday.....

That took two coats of 'looking at' to decipher.

I get it now. . . .

In the same class as - 'Non illegitimi carborundum' '

[Stanley]

I knew you would get it.....
You intrigued me Ken so I looked up 'Rule of thumb'. I also had a look at THIS Wikipedia article on finger units as I have always believed that many measurements are based on the human body. I was pleased to see that one of the sources quoted was Ron Zupko who I have corresponded with for years. I have his book on British weights and measures and it is a brilliant source. On the page quoted he describes a unit of measurement called the 'Digit' which is 3/4". See THIS Bookfinder page. A bargain at £18 and if you want one of those books that are always worth a dip into, go out and grab a copy!

[plaques]

Gloria is always sick when travelling on Monday......

I put it down to Monday being the traditional wash day. One way to avoid it was to clock in sick. Tell me I'm right..... Please.

but I figure out where travelling comes in