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In charge of the Catalina’s house, was an old Scotchman, who, like most of his countrymen, had a pretty good education, and, like many of them, was rather pragmatical, manical., and had a ludicrously solemn conceit
Edit: I found no definition for "manical" - only typos for "maniacal". I have no idea what Dana meant.
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Manical as a typo for maniacal doesn't work in the sentence without a bit of a stretch of the imagination.
It's difficult imagining a person who is both maniacal and has a ludicrously solemn conceit.
I looked, too, wwh, for 'manical' and couldn't find it in any of my sources. Does the character description go on to show someone who is both maniacal and solemn?
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I'm arguing with myself:
OK. We have this character who is pragmatical, maniacal, but who thinks of himself as being solemn. Because--in his maniacalness--he views himself as being solemn, we must view his self-conceit to be ludicrous. Perhaps that's why the phrase used in the writing is 'ludicrous solemn conceit'--or his self concept is of a man who is solemn. We say to this: Balderdash!
Maybe that's it, wwh. A typo for maniacal and a character is anything but solemn.
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Carpal Tunnel
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there is an adverb, manically, which is formed from manic.
I don't think there is much difference between manically and maniacally...
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Thanks for your replies, but none of them seem to make sense has extenders of "pragmatical".
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Carpal Tunnel
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I don't think manical is an extender of pragmatical, it's a separate adjective. He's a busybody, a little bit manic, and his solemn conceit is an air that he puts on, that's why it's ludicrous.
manical is just an -al form of manic, in the same way Dana uses pragmatical.
try it this way:
>was rather pragmatic, manic, and had a ludicrously solemn conceit
what say you?
formerly known as etaoin...
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"manic" in psychiatry means strong tendency to be excited, over talkative, irrational. I doubt that use of the word existed in Dana's day. I still have no idea what Dana meant.
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ah. both the OED and M-W give 1902.
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