|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Not as I do. The lead article in The Vocabula Review discusses the use of foreign words and phrases. Then uses a nice but unusual word when a more common word would have done just as well.
"Label its advocates the bien-pensants, call attention to their bêtes-noires, attribute their notoriety to a succès de scandale — there's no end to the disdain that can be conveyed through these ready-made charientisms; from enfant terrible to ill-tempered doyenne, the entire spectrum of life is left unguarded to a French assault. "
Maybe it is significant that I found it in "The Grandiloquent Dictionary". A veiled or artful insult.
Thanks again, Jackie.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
charientism n. - a gracefully veiled insult This is from "Luciferous Logolepsy". Onelook found only 3 places that have this word; the above, the Grandiloquent Dictionary, and...ta-daaaaaah! Our own tsuwm's site, and I may say that his version is much better:
charientism
(from Gr. charientismus, expression of an unpleasant thing in an agreeable manner)
[obs] a gracefully veiled insult
I'm not sure that I agree that all of the examples cited fit the definition of the word.
And here, I give further proof of my ignorance, no doubt, but charientismus just doesn't strike me as being Greek. Dunno what I would have guessed, but it would have taken me a while to get to Greek, I think.
And yes, Dr. Bill, I see your point about using a complicated word where a simpler one would do, like the avail/take comment in the other thread.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,230 |
>And yes, Dr. Bill, I see your point about using a complicated word where a simpler one would do, like the avail/take comment in the other thread.
One of my favourite signature lines for Usenet postings:
Eschew obfuscation.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065 |
Bingley
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065 |
Helpful hint: anything with a ch, th, ph, ps, or y in it and ending in us/os or um/on is prolly going to come from Greek.
Bingley
Bingley
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Thanks. I think it was the i and the e together in the middle of the word that threw me off. The very few Greek words I can think of all seem...simpler...somehow; one vowel at a time, except maybe at the end of the word.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065 |
Possible diphthongs are ai/ae, ei, oi, ui, au, eu, ou.(There are others but they'd end up the same way in English.)
Bingley
Bingley
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
it's also defined here (thus not all that exotic) http://humanities.byu.edu/rhetoric/edit:: amidst the discussion about origins, the desired "simpler word" to replace charientism has not been forthcoming.. By the way, I agree with Jackie that the examples do not fit the definition very well. Could it be that the author didn't know French to the required depth?
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,330
Members9,182
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
1,018
guests, and
1
robot. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
