A thread of no importance

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#7720 - 10/12/00 04:51 AM A thread of no importance
shanks old hand Registered: 03/16/00 Posts: 1004 Loc: London, UK	Has anybody ever used floccipaucinihilipilification in speech or writing? Or even seen it used? (Dictionaries and Guinness Book excluded.) I've always wanted to do so, but have never had the appropriate excuse. cheer the sunshine warrior
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#7721 - 10/12/00 05:08 AM Re: A thread of no importance
jmh Pooh-Bah Registered: 03/22/00 Posts: 1981	Looking at our own archives (I remember it well): Date: Thu May 15 00:02:46 EDT 1997 Subject: A.Word.A.Day--floccinaucinihilipilification X-Bonus: I think there is a world market for maybe five computers. -Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1958 floccinaucinihilipilification humorous. [f. L. flocci, nauci, nihili, pili words signifying `at a small price' or `at nothing' enumerated in a well-known rule of the Eton Latin Grammar + -fication] The action or habit of estimating as worthless. 1829 SCOTT Jrnl. 18 Mar., They must be taken with an air of contempt, a floccipaucinihilipilification [sic, here and in two other places] of all that can gratify the outward man. Apparently Scott used it three times but I've not found the other two yet. I have used it approximately 0 times.
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#7722 - 10/12/00 05:39 AM Re: A thread of no importance
shanks old hand Registered: 03/16/00 Posts: 1004 Loc: London, UK	So 'nauci' is correct, while 'pauci' is a sic?
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#7723 - 10/12/00 10:05 AM Re: A thread of no importance
tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/03/00 Posts: 10462 Loc: this too shall pass	this word, I would estimate, is one of the most worthless that I ever sent out as a 'worthless word for the day'. in fact, it was word number 999 of my distribution, a fact which is totally draffy in and of itself. here's more shmata on the subject of floccinaucinihilipilification: it is reputably the longest word in the OED, one letter longer than that worthless chestnut we learned as kids (antidisestablishmentarianism), which was previously the longest word in the 1st edition. I will LIU tonight and post the undoutably naff citatations therefrom. here's some additional trumpery: some disenchanted losel from the antidisestab. camp evidently coined the word pseudoantidisestablishmentarianism in hopes of getting the honor back in the 3rd edition of the OED. here's a worthless disclaimer: *you try spell-checking this stuff...
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#7724 - 10/12/00 01:19 PM Re: floccinaucinihilipilification
belMarduk Carpal Tunnel Registered: 09/28/00 Posts: 2888	nauci, pauci, the whole floccin mess is sic
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#7725 - 10/12/00 04:26 PM Re: A thread of no importance
Marty enthusiast Registered: 09/20/00 Posts: 347 Loc: Melbourne, Australia	Has anybody ever used floccipaucinihilipilification in speech or writing? Yeah, I find it a great ice-breaker at parties.
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#7726 - 10/12/00 05:49 PM Re: A thread of no importance
tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/03/00 Posts: 10462 Loc: this too shall pass	citations from the OED; the 2nd I assume to mean that the word was given definition therein: 1741 Shenstone Let. xxii. Wks. 1777 III. 49, I loved him for nothing so much as his flocci-nauci-nihili-pili-fication of money. 1816 Southey in Q. Rev. XIV. 334. 1829 Scott Jrnl. 18 Mar., They must be taken with an air of contempt, a floccipaucinihilipilification [sic, here and in two other places] of all that can gratify the outward man. the sic annotation I take to mean that Scott used the word incorrectly in the same journal 3 times -- it being judged incorrect because of the etymology of the word: flocci, nauci, nihili, pili - words signifying ‘at a small price’ or ‘at nothing’ enumerated in a well-known rule of the Eton Latin Grammar + -fication.
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#7727 - 10/13/00 08:03 AM Re: A thread of no importance
maverick Carpal Tunnel Registered: 09/15/00 Posts: 4757	I have used it approximately 0 times Forgive me oh wise one, but does this statement not come perilously close to the First Law of English Grammar: All laws of English Grammar have exceptions, including this one
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#7728 - 10/13/00 08:08 AM Re: A thread of no importance
jmh Pooh-Bah Registered: 03/22/00 Posts: 1981	>I have used it approximately 0 times As this was a thread of no importance, I thought I'd add a comment of no importance
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