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My Merriam-Webster says audacity is a synonym of temerity. My problem with temirity that I confuse it with timorousness which is the opposite - thankfully there's no timority or we'd really be in trouble.

- I'll admit to having problems with Dylan McDermott and Dermot Mulroney, also Sinclair Lewis and Upton Sinclair.

Last edited by Myridon; 06/11/08 07:48 PM.
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 Originally Posted By: morphememedley
I'm glad someone has the temerity to use gay to have a meaning other than the one currently most common. We should not lose perfectly good definitions to trends.


Mama knows the poor language is nowhere near robust enough to handle these corruptions. There could be no possible other word to fill the gap left by the destruction of gay.

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don we now our gay apparel..
fa la la..

-ron o.

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My problem with temirity that I confuse it with timorousness which is the opposite …

I only keep the difference straight by remembering “timorous beastie”.

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I do not categorically object to an old word's receiving another meaning. I'm sure that I unwittingly as well as wittingly participate in meaning-adding. Near-supersession of older meanings can deserve objection.

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 Originally Posted By: morphememedley
Near-supersession of older meanings can deserve objection.


That's nice. Or should I say egregious?

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or perhaps even objectation? \:\)

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 Originally Posted By: Myridon
My Merriam-Webster says audacity is a synonym of temerity. My problem with temirity that I confuse it with timorousness which is the opposite - thankfully there's no timority or we'd really be in trouble.

- I'll admit to having problems with Dylan McDermott and Dermot Mulroney, also Sinclair Lewis and Upton Sinclair.


I disagree that M-W is identifying audacity as an absolute synonym. I saw the link you are referring to ("synonyms see TEMERITY"), but ultimately the definitions are such that temerity lacks any sense whatsoever of praiseworthiness. Audacity on the other hand, is more flexible and can be used to describe acts of daring without necessarily adding an element of censure as temerity does. One definition of audacity is akin to temerity ("b: bold or arrogant disregard of normal restraints <had the audacity to defy his boss>") but another is not ("a: intrepid boldness").

The distinction brings to mind Dead Poets Society, in which the teacher played by Robin Williams urges his students to "suck the marrow out of life," but later has to point out that he didn't intend for them to choke on the bone.

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You'll have to decide what you should say, determinism notwithstanding.

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gay

From the century before last:
 Quote:
Mrs Reppingall, a lodging-house keeper in Broughton Street, deponed No. 134. to having heard the pursuer on various occasions suggest to his wife "to go and keep a gay house." There was other evidence to a similar effect. The proof of the adultery alleged against the defender was mainly confined to the evidence of certain detectives and frequenters of brothels, the import of which appears sufficiently in the opinions of the Judges in the Inner-House. (Here and there).


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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