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Joined: Sep 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
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Just wanted to note that the MW Word of the Day is cacography, poor spelling and/or handwriting, and also a word from wwh's compilation of past Spelling Bee lists.
Although my spelling is generally fine, with regards to handwriting, I fit into the group of fitfully scratching cacographists.
wwh notes--or his source has the note--that the opposite of cacography is calligraphy.
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Joined: Dec 2000
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
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> I fit into the group of fitfully scratching cacographists.
Me and you both - but its better than being a cacophonist, I say.
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I think that some of my cacography is very pleasing from a strictly esthetic point of view. You might not be able to read it but it looks pretty. Sort of a calligraphic cacography.
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Joined: Sep 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
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And I suppose one could have cacographic calligraphy.
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I wonder if they still teach handwriting in schools. I had to spend hours practicing just long lines of slightly slanted connected verticals, and then an accordion roll of cconnected circles.The Palmer Method, I think it was called. I wrote in a nice round hand, but never got to be ruler of the Queen's navy. (Hi, wofa!)
I was quietly proud of the fact no nurse or pharmacist ever had to ask me what a word was.Then in Mechanical Drawing, I had to learn to print well. A blessing now that my handwriting has deteriorated, but I can still blockprint
very legibly, an asset now that I can't see what I am writing.
I started this wondering if "cacography" could be extended to mean writing worthless prose. There ought to be a word for that. I'm a master at it.
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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writing worthless prose
That'd be hacography, not to be confused with hagiography. Maybe we should spell it hackography.
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Joined: Apr 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I'm looking for a word for "bad prose", as it seems such a vital concept. not much to report as yet, but I did find this Brit. usage, which has the right sound:
tump..
4. fig. Trivial writing, bad prose.
1917 KIPLING Diversity of Creatures 172 It's the most vital, arresting and dynamic bit of tump I've done up to date. 1933 D. L. MURRAY Eng. Family Robinson ii. 36 Did you ever read such tump as our parish magazine?
edit: I guess hack-writing would kinda qualify.
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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well, if bad poetry is doggerel, how about catterel? 
formerly known as etaoin...
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
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On Cacographic calligraphy.
That would be my wife's Chinese handwriting. It's interesting. Each of us has very bad handwriting, yet both of our father's are calligraphers. My dad (step-dad) used to do calligraphy for people - he did it for his bosses in the army, for friends, and now he sometimes incorporates it into the crafts he works on.
I was always intruiged by the fact that he was such a formidable person, but he wrote like a sissy.
My wife's handwriting: well, it looks pretty much like she took holt of a chicken by the neck, shoved it's feet in ink, and daubbed it vigorously all over the page. Her dad's writing, though, as well as her mother's when the woman was alive, were really amazing. The English writing is beautiful, but the Chinese is sublime.
I like these calli/caco words a lot. BTW, my recollection is that cacography refers to either poor handwriting or to bad spelling.
k
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Joined: Apr 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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>my recollection is that cacography refers to either poor handwriting or to bad spelling.
yeah, OED gives it as the "opposite" of both calligraphy and orthography!
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