Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 3 of 4 1 2 3 4
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
>Sorry, Jackie, I couldn't find one for 'gutters'

curb your glut of gutters

-ron obvious



#5520 08/24/00 04:41 PM
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 200
W
enthusiast
Offline
enthusiast
W
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 200
Annastrophic,

you take a day off and look what happens!

i meant a ponce to be someone who, similar to what tsuwm said, is affecting an upper class style and knowledge, usually in a way that separates them from the "great unwashed".

i remember asking for a record of prokofiev's "visions fugitives" when i was 16. the guy in the shop said "oh! you mean 'veeseeong fyujiteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeef?" this man was, and no doubt still is, a ponce.



#5521 08/24/00 04:58 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
william, I'm laughing as I type. Thanks for that very vivid definition of the "other" meaning of ponce. Now, if I could just come up with a synonym for it in American....I'm sure one of my compatriots will come to the rescue.


#5522 08/25/00 06:13 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 31
M
newbie
Offline
newbie
M
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 31
How is a ponce different from a parvenu (one of my favorite words that is enhanced with more meaning each day)?


#5523 08/25/00 01:03 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
parvenu carries with it the nuance of being newly rich or powerful (nouveau riche), and we have 'parvenue' for a woman who is a parvenu.


Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 315
E
enthusiast
Offline
enthusiast
E
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 315
I have seen in Awad the Italian word "omerta" written in this way. I wanted just to add a comment about the fact that the American keyboard force us to avoid the accents - not just Italian people, I received e-mails in French , also missing the correct accents.
But omerta needs strongly an accent on the last "a", so that we supply with an apostrophe: omerta'.
Otherwise we would pronounce it as omErta - with the tonic accent on the e.
How do you pronounce it?
Ciao
Emanuela


Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Grazie, emanuela, for that information. Indeed, a posthumous book by Mario Puzo (of "Godfather" fame) was recently released. Its title is "Omerta," without the accent on the a. I had no idea how to pronounce it until I read your post.


n.b.: diacriticals are easy on Mac keyboards. Omertá


#5526 08/26/00 12:45 AM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
>>the "other" meaning of ponce...a synonym for it in American....

How about social climber? Slang would be a wanna-be.


#5527 08/26/00 01:37 AM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
>a synonym for the other meaning of ponce

[snob] snoot


Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Those suggestions don't convery the "effete" quality of ponce, if I've understood the term correctly.... hmmm... perhaps we don't have a true equivalent in American, and haven't borrowed "ponce", because there's no need


Page 3 of 4 1 2 3 4

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 444 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5