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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
A word linguaphiles need to know. But I don't remember seeing it in AWADtalk.
"In the midst of this growing and important stress the broker became suddenly aware of a high-rolled fringe of golden hair under a nodding canopy of velvet and ostrich tips, an imitation sealskin sacque and a string of beads as large as hickory nuts, ending near the floor with a silver heart. There was a self-possessed young lady connected with these accessories; and Pitcher was there to construe her."
construe
SYLLABICATION: con·strue
PRONUNCIATION: AUDIO: kn-str KEY
VERB: Inflected forms: con·strued, con·stru·ing, con·strues
TRANSITIVE VERB: 1. To adduce or explain the meaning of; interpret: construed my smile as assent. See synonyms at explain.
2. Grammar a. To analyze the structure of (a clause or sentence). b. To use syntactically: The noun fish can be construed as singular or plural.
3. To translate, especially aloud.
INTRANSITIVE VERB: 1. To analyze grammatical structure.
2. To be subject to grammatical analysis.
NOUN: (knstr) An interpretation or translation.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English construen, from Late Latin cnstruere, from Latin, to build. See construct.
OTHER FORMS: con·strual —NOUN
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475 |
I have an uncle who is always going on about being misconstrued. As a child I construed it as slightly naughty.
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
can't forget Paul Simon:
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
The problem is all inside your head
She said to me
The answer is easy if you
Take it logically
I’d like to help you in your struggle
To be free
There must be fifty ways
To leave your lover
She said it’s really not my habit
To intrude
Furthermore, I hope my meaning
Won’t be lost or misconstrued
But I’ll repeat myself
At the risk of being crude
There must be fifty ways
To leave your lover
Fifty ways to leave your lover
CHORUS:
You just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don’t need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don’t need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free
She said it grieves me so
To see you in such pain
I wish there was something I could do
To make you smile again
I said I appreciate that
And would you please explain
About the fifty ways
She said why don’t we both
Just sleep on it tonight
And I believe in the morning
You’ll begin to see the light
And then she kissed me
And I realized she probably was right
There must be fifty ways
To leave your lover
Fifty ways to leave your lover
CHORUS
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
FTR on Google:
misconstrued = 108,000 hits
construed = 2,560,000 hits
Good to know we're construing more than misconstruing.
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