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Carpal Tunnel
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In the aftermath of the 74th General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Minneapolis -- which I was privileged to attend as a deputy -- there are many attempts being made to make peace with those who are disaffected by the decisions of this synod. In this connection, a little used word has found new currency: irenic. Is this ironic?
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journeyman
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journeyman
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a little used word has found new currency: irenic. Is this ironic?
It's ironic if the synod is rarely irenic. Otherwise, it's serenic.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I had to look this one up. Again. Gurunet has:
i·ren·ic (î-rĕn'ĭk, î-rç'nĭk) also i·ren·i·cal (-ĭ-kəl, -nĭ-kəl)
adj.
Promoting peace; conciliatory.
[Greek eirçnikos, from eirçnç, peace.]
Oddly enough, I would have thought I'd have remembered this one; I can quite see "ironing out the differences" when I look at the word.
Your use of disaffected caught my attention, Father Steve. I looked that one up, too, to be sure that the 'dis-' didn't have the same effect on affected that it has on interested. You have to put un- onto the beginning of affected to have the same effect* on that word that dis- has on interested.
*That is, no "leaning" towards either side.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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To me it is ironic that the word begins with ire.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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In looking at the roots of these words I came across a couple of sidebar points of interest:
Appendix I
Indo-European Roots
ENTRY: eis-
DEFINITION: In words denoting passion. 1. Suffixed form *eis--. irascible, irate, ire, from Latin ra, anger. 2. Suffixed zero-grade form *is-()ro-, powerful, holy. hieratic, hiero-; hierarch, hierarchy, hierodule, hieroglyphic, hierophant, from Greek hieros, “filled with the divine,” holy. 3a. iron, from Old English se(r)n, ren, iron; b. gisarme, spiegeleisen, from Old High German sarn, san, iron. Both a and b from Germanic *sarno-, “holy metal” (possibly from Celtic). 4. Suffixed o-grade form *ois-tro-, madness. estrus; estrogen, estrone, from Greek oistros, gadfly, goad, anything causing madness. 5. Suffixed form *eis-mo. Asmodeus, from Avestan ama-, anger. (Pokorny 1. eis- 299.)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
So would an iron cross, subject to rusting holes, be the ultimate in irony?
And oestrogen is linked to gadfly and mad behaviour - hah, so it's true! ;)
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Carpal Tunnel
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re:And oestrogen is linked to gadfly and mad behaviour - hah, so it's true! ;)
yes, estrogen must be one of those hormones that has a pheramone effect... men do tend to became 'mad' when they are near creatures that have high levels of estrogen!
which is worse? a woman boss who becomes a bitch 4 days a month, or a male boss who is a bastard 365 days a year?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Asmodeus
the name of the (evil) snake in Brian Jacques Redwall series...
formerly known as etaoin...
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journeyman
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journeyman
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And oestrogen is linked to gadfly and mad behaviour
Hence, siren?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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siren? Ooh, good one. I think (said the ignorant one).
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