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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Un-defecting #191990 07/21/2010 8:56 AM Joined: Jul 2010 Posts: 2 India Murali stranger Murali stranger Joined: Jul 2010 Posts: 2 India I understand the meaning of defection but can you say "un-defecting" ? Please see the following article from NY Times. "When Shahram Amiri, the Iranian scientist, took his C.I.A. handlers by surprise last week by un-defecting back to Tehran, he was gambling with his life. " http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/weekinreview/18iran.html Are there any alternative words here? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Un-defecting Murali #191992 07/21/2010 11:27 AM Joined: Jan 2002 Posts: 1,526 Virginia, USA TheFallibleFiend veteran TheFallibleFiend veteran Joined: Jan 2002 Posts: 1,526 Virginia, USA Not aware of a single word synonym. I'm okay with the word "un-defecting" in this context as the meanings seems clear, but the "took ... by ... by..." seems clumsy to me. I probably would have been more verbose. "When Shahram Amiri surprised his C.I.A. handlers last week by recanting his defection and returning to Iran, he was gambling with his life." Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Un-defecting Murali #192848 08/27/2010 1:57 AM Joined: Aug 2010 Posts: 12 Selma, IN Hal Alexander stranger Hal Alexander stranger Joined: Aug 2010 Posts: 12 Selma, IN While not a perfect opposite, and fraught with political implication, why isn't "repatriated" appropriate? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Un-defecting Murali #192851 08/27/2010 11:28 AM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 While repatriated may well describe what he did on one level it is not as precise on another. Someone could well become an expatriate for purely personal reasons and without repudiating their loyalty to their native country and then, after some time abroad, return to their native land. There is no sense of defecting implied in this scenario. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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