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#123613 - 02/21/04 03:02 PM ersatz
wwh Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 01/18/01
Posts: 13858
Date: Tue Mar 21 00:52:28 EST 2000
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--ersatz
ersatz (ER-zahts, er-ZATS) adjective

Being an imitation or a substitute, usually an inferior one; artificial.

[German, replacement, from ersetzen, to replace, from Old High German
irsezzan : ir-, out + sezzan, to set.]

A word seen often during and shortly after WWII, but not since.



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#123614 - 03/01/04 07:50 PM Re: ersatz
Fiberbabe Offline
old hand

Registered: 01/12/01
Posts: 771
Loc: Portland, Oregon
Lemony Snicket used it in the title of volume 6 of the misadventures of the Baudelaire children... a whole new generation is being educated as to this word - fear not, Dr. Bill!

http://www.lemonysnicket.com/desc_ersatz.html


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#123615 - 03/01/04 08:45 PM Re: ersatz
wwh Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 01/18/01
Posts: 13858
Dear FB: with regard to Lemony Snickett, I feel like the
hill-billy that was invited to play bridge. He declined
on the grounds that he already had more vices than he
could properly support.


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#123616 - 03/01/04 10:11 PM Re: ersatz
Sparteye Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 01/05/01
Posts: 1773
Gosh, I see "ersatz" used with reasonable frequency in general interest publications.


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#123617 - 03/01/04 10:17 PM Re: ersatz
Buffalo Shrdlu Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 06/24/02
Posts: 7184
Loc: Vermont
reasonable frequency

yeah, I recall hearing it in conversation just this weekend.

_________________________
formerly known as etaoin...

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#123618 - 03/02/04 05:55 AM Re: ersatz
Faldage Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/01/00
Posts: 13653
It got used just the other day upstairs in Miscellany:

http://wordsmith.org/board/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=miscellany&Number=125409


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#123619 - 03/02/04 09:11 AM Re: ersatz
wwh Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 01/18/01
Posts: 13858
A week after this thread started.


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