Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#17945 02/01/01 08:08 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819
A
Pooh-Bah
OP Offline
Pooh-Bah
A
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819
I came across this word while reading reviews of new cars in a guide published by "Automobile" magazine. I had to reach for the dictioanry, which informed me that the word describes great luxury, or persons who are addicted to great luxury, named for a Greek town that was was renowned as a center of luxury. The new car guide was using the word to describe the interiors of the super-expensive automobiles such as Aston-Martins or Bentleys.


#17946 02/01/01 08:24 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
B
veteran
Offline
veteran
B
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
Maybe it's because the word resembles "satyr", but I wouldn't describe a car as sybaritic. A private railroad car with a large platform bed, red curtains, and mirrors would be more like it to me. But that's my private take. As Alfred Hitchcock once said, "Jeder hat seinem Geschmuck."


#17947 02/01/01 08:31 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
of interest (at least to me) is that this (plus inflected forms) is the only common(!) word that begins with this morpheme (unless you count sybil and sybotic 8).


#17948 02/02/01 01:03 AM
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,788

Jeder hat seinem Geschmuck

"Everyone has his Geschmuck"?




#17949 02/02/01 07:45 AM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146
While we await BYB's final word on Hitchcock's German, I would guess that it means "Each to his own" ...



The idiot also known as Capfka ...
#17950 02/02/01 12:06 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
B
old hand
Offline
old hand
B
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
It's a play on words:
either, as stated, circa 'Each to his own' (taste = Geschmack)
OR,
Each to his own jewellery/decoration (jewellery = Schmuck)

aside:
I've never quite got over 'Schmuck' for something that should be beautiful, its a bit like the German word for butterfly. I use Juwelen if possible but that's closer to jewels in English.



#17951 02/02/01 01:48 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
B
old hand
Offline
old hand
B
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
Hmm...

Between my brother and I, we've adapted the word "Schmuck" to mean "dollars". I think it came from "buck" and the old-fashioned "smackers" or "smackeroos". They sort of combine to give "schmuck". As in, "This cost me ten schmucks!"


#17952 02/02/01 04:34 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
B
veteran
Offline
veteran
B
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
Hitchcock's Geschmuck
You're right; it was his tongue-in-cheek translation of chacun à son goût. He pronounced Geschmuck to rhyme with the Yiddish schmuck, which added something to the wordplay, but I'm not sure what. This was one of his typical closing comments on his weekly show, sometime in the '50s. I can still see in my mind the black-and-white, snowy picture of him delivering this pronouncement in an off-hand fashion, but I have absolutely no recollection what the show was about.


#17953 02/02/01 04:58 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Between you and me, how did schmuck * ever morph from "jewelry" [nod-to-across-Pond-spellers emoticon] to "jerk" (as in: the guy's a real schmuck")?

---
*Ænigma: Schnabel


#17954 02/02/01 07:43 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
B
veteran
Offline
veteran
B
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
Schmuck
Can't help you; I know very little about Yiddish. I believe that schmuck can have the same meaning as putz which, I believe, is a contemptuous word for penis.


Page 1 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,271
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
1 members (A C Bowden), 285 guests, and 4 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,502
LukeJavan8 9,915
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5