In lieu of revealing my checkered past, let me just say this; When torturing a prisoner in the Viet Nam era, this meant to put out their eyes. Also, and quite a bit less disgusting, in boxing lingo it occurs when the eyes swell shut. Both the Three Stooges and W. C. Fields used this expression and it was a favorite of Groucho Marx.

I think of the word "defenestration" every time I see a certain beer ad on TV. The guy suggests they stop buying that beer for their business meetings and gets thrown out the window as a result.

By the way, my first name fits this week's theme (words with three letters in alphabetic sequence).

Nice one Stu!

I have seen the term used for replacing a microsoft operating system with an alternative like linux.

replacing a microsoft operating system

Thats kinda like throwing out the Windows.

I like that one.

I've never heard that before (calling it defenestration, that is), and find it difficult to credit. can you (or anyone else) provide evidence for this?
-joe (doubting) friday

edit - (note to self: wwftd fodder)
excecate - to blind physically or mentally [obs.]
hence, excecation

also, abacinate, occaecate, oversile [all obs. and/or rare]

Just out of curiosity, what do you mean by "in lieu of" here?

Why would you doubt lissyj 's word even if you have not read it somewhere. It's the kind of cynism you can expect with such atrocious methods. I doubt faldage not to know that in lieu of means in stead of.

>Why would you doubt lissyj 's word even if you have not read it somewhere.

I *think I said I found it "difficult to credit", and I'm just hoping to see a citation or three. that's no more than I seek for any of the words I post!
-joe (not to claim that I'm always successful) friday

(also, there doesn't seem to be any etymological connection)

I doubt faldage not to know that in lieu of means in stead of.

In lieu of revealing my checkered past

'Instead' of revealing my checkered past becomes confusing. Hence the curiosity. I wondered myself.

Sorry lissyj, not meaning to be critical, more, intrigued that perhaps you were going to reveal something.

Now I get confused.

In stead of telling you this let me tell you that... is that no good English? I learned this in school.

"Than the people scatered abrode thorowe out all the lande of Egipte for to gather them stubyll to be in stead of strawe."

Must admit it is hard to get up to date entries on this.

My point was that what lissyj seemed to be saying was, "Rather than tell you something about my checkered past, let me tell you something about my checkered past."

As to other definitions of defenestrate, Urban Dictionary has nothing.

Wel, that ìs what he is saying. But the "lieu" stays closer to the "stead". I would still like to know of "in stead of" is not current English, because as far as I remember there is no difference in meaning. (in stead of this I would rather say)?

Maybe fortunately some definitions never make it to even Urban Dictionary, some acts never get an official definition at all.

This seems to me a cynical metaphorical or euphemistic use of 'defenestration', so it would not need an etymological connection of its own.
Who would want see this horror written anyway. ( in context )

(also, there doesn't seem to be any etymological connection)

It might be a cynical riff on the phrase, the eyes are the windows of the soul.

alls I'm saying is that there do exist some (now obsolete) terms with that exact meaning, and there doesn't seem to be any need to go co-opting some other word with no (seeming) connection at all!?
(defenestrate is to throw put out of the window; this is rather the opposite, isn't it?)

Yes, the obscure words are interesting, but they are side steps from the issue. It's not about adding an extra definition to defenestrate. Not about necessities or co-opting. It's about what is. I think this is indeed what it is:

sure, and I'm trying to defenestrate the usage.

Perhaps the etymological connection for this comes from 'fenetre', the French word for 'window' (and the architectural connection noted by another poster on this topic). If the 'eyes are the window to the soul', perhaps this particular (and awful) form of torture makes reference to this metaphor.

welcome.. perhaps it would be helpful to you to read the entire thread before posting. (and, fenetre comes from the Latin fenestra, window)
-ron o.

My Latin Prof in high school, used to say "aperte ad fenestra",
when he was uncomfortable, referring to the windows.