Archive for August, 2008
August 12th, 2008
Two words that are easy to mix up, probably because we don’t get much practice with them, are “demur” and “demure.” They aren’t quite homonyms, but close enough to add to the confusion.
The former, “demur,” is most often used as a verb to mean “to hesitate because of one’s doubts or objections; have scruples; object.” It comes from the Latin “demorari” for “to delay.”
The preferred pronunciation is a “long e” sound on the first syllable. The stress is on the second, which is said the same as the “mur-” in “murder.”
The other word, “demure,” is an adjective meaning “decorous; modest; reserved” or “”affectedly modest or shy; coy.” It traces back to the Latin “maturus” for “mature.”
Its first syllable has a “short i” sound, as in “did,” and the stressed second syllable is pronounced like the “mur-” in “mural.”
It’s understandable that a demure person might demur on using either one.
August 8th, 2008
The adjective “ravishing” is an upbeat word. It means “causing great joy or delight; entrancing.” The most common use I’ve heard is in reference to a woman as “a ravishing beauty.”
Unfortunately, the other associations with “ravishing” are not at all nice. The verb can mean “to seize and carry away forcibly” or “to rape (a woman).”
It’s sometimes confused with “ravage,” which is “to destroy violently; ruin.” There’s a connection in violence, but they are distinctly different. For starters, “ravishing” is done to people, “ravaging” is done to things.
In the final analysis, it’s advisable to avoid “ravish” because of its negative tendencies — unless, of course, that’s exactly what you mean.
August 7th, 2008
Awhile back, someone asked about the books I often refer to and how expensive they are. Yes, it helps to be on a mailing list, but the few books I have received were unsolicited with no strings attached. I don’t do actual book reviews, but these four have received a certain amount of publicity in my column and, recently, this blog.
I Googled the following four titles, and each time I was directed to Amazon, where apparently every book ever published is for sale, new and used, at bargain prices — plus $3.99 shipping.
“Garner’s Modern American Usage,” a hardbound book weighing in at nearly 900 pages, is available starting at $18.10.
“Right, Wrong , and Risky” by Mark Davidson starts at $11.70.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th edition, the one I use because The Associated Press recommends it, starts at an amazing $7.95.
And you can get a paperback copy of John B. Bremner’s “Words on Words” for as little as $3.95 — all of the above plus shipping, of course.
You can build quite a library without ever leaving your home — if, as Groucho once said, that’s your idea of a good time.
August 5th, 2008
Blame the French. They used the word “Bohemien” as a synonym for “Gypsy,” based on the fact that the Gypsies passed through Bohemia on their way to western Europe. And the nomadic Gypsies are generally associated with an out-of-the-mainstream lifestyle.
So through this connection, “bohemian” is applied to “a person, especially an artist, poet, etc., who lives in an unconventional, nonconforming way.”
The actual Bohemia has had a realtively conventional existence, by central European standards. It was an independent kingdom from the 13th to 15th centuries, eventually being absorbed into the Austro-Hungarian empire until the end of World War I. Then it became the western half of Czechoslovakia until 1993, when the Czech Republic was created.
By the way, the word “Gypsy” comes from “gypcien,” short for “Egipcien.” Yes, the Gypsies were originally thought to have come from Egypt. Current thinking places the land of origin in India.
And as we know all too well in this country, “Indian” has had a confusing history as well.
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