|
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1
stranger
|
OP
stranger
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1 |
I had intended to post this question to indicate that I would be very disappointed if the eponym for "a character in a comic strip" that we expect later this week were not "(to) dither", which I assumed was an eponym from Mr. Dithers of Dagwood and Blondie fame. I assumed this because I'm sure I've heard that suggestion a number of times over the past year or so when Canada's current Prime Minister, Paul Martin, was categorized as a ditherer.
Being somewhat cautious--not to mention pedantic--I decided I better check, and Merriam-Webster online (http://www.m-w.com/ says:
Etymology: Middle English didderen
Then I checked "Walter Mitty" in the same source (not recalling when I had last seen it in AWAD) and found:
Etymology: Walter Mitty, daydreaming hero of a story by James Thurber: a commonplace unadventurous person who seeks escape from reality through daydreaming So I guess I answered my own question: Walter Mitty was unfulfilled because he spent his time daydreaming, whereas Prufrock was unfulfilled because he dithered; though I suppose one could daydream (in lieu of acting) through timidity and indecisiveness.
And this still leaves open the possibility that the modern usage of "(to) dither" was initiated by someone who didn't know the true etymology of the already-existing word, and assumed he was coining an eponym for Mr. Dithers--a sort of pseudo-eponym, or quasi-eponym?
wwwayne
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Quote:
And this still leaves open the possibility that the modern usage of "(to) dither" was initiated by someone who didn't know the true etymology of the already-existing word, and assumed he was coining an eponym for Mr. Dithers--a sort of pseudo-eponym, or quasi-eponym?
wwwayne
In what sense is dither used that would in any way be inspired by Dagwood's boss? I cannot imagine Mr. Dithers dithering in any sense of the word that I am familiar with.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,539 Likes: 1
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,539 Likes: 1 |
Isn't there also another meaning of "dither" having to do with some kind of manipulation or modification of an image, in photography or maybe computer graphics? "Dithering the edges" is trying to push its way into my head...
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 389
enthusiast
|
enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 389 |
Yes. Sometimes you see the term in Printer Properties. "Dithering is the process of juxtaposing pixels of two colors to create the illusion that a third color is present." http://www.webstyleguide.com/graphics/dither.html][/url]I hadn't connected the word with its older meaning until now.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210 |
formerly known as etaoin...
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,328
Members9,182
|
Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
0 members (),
1,181
guests, and
0
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
|