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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Comeuppance/Put-down #15640 01/15/2001 2:00 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 35 Chickie newbie Chickie newbie Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 35 I may have gotten the spelling of "comeuppance" wrong (this gal doesn't have the 25 lb. version of the dictionary), but I'm curious anyway. What is the root of this word? It seems to mean the opposite of what it intends. Put-down is more appropriate I think "Adversity is the whetstone of creativity" Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Share Post on Reddit Re: Comeuppance/Put-down #15641 01/15/2001 2:12 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 1,055 Berlin belligerentyouth old hand belligerentyouth old hand Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 1,055 Berlin I'm just guessing here, but if something 'comes up' then it may imply that it gets settled i.e. someone gets what they deserved, which until that point had not been even or fair... I'll clear the way for more qualified answers now .... :-) Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Share Post on Reddit Re: Comeuppance/Put-down #15642 01/15/2001 3:07 PM Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 3,439 New England, USA wow Carpal Tunnel wow Carpal Tunnel Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 3,439 New England, USA I can't BELIEVE it My SOED-CD came up with come-uppance, hyphenated, and defined it as "one's deserts for misbehaviour" YES! The definition says desert ... and I was equally surprised to discover they are right about desert....Here I was going along thinking desert was an arid, sandy place and SOED says it is "Deserving, being worthy of reward or punishment" .... etc And another mnemonic bites the dust ... wow Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Share Post on Reddit Re: Just Deserts #15643 01/15/2001 3:25 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Yes, folks, that's the proper spelling of the phrase. In the words of the immortal Yogi Stengel: YCLIU Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Share Post on Reddit 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 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 Forum Statistics Forums16 Topics13,915 Posts230,263 Members9,208 Most Online4,606 Sep 17th, 2025 Newest Members JerryC, blvd, Tony Hood, Wood Delivery, Forix Richard 9,208 Registered Users Top Posters(30 Days) wofahulicodoc 26 A C Bowden 7 Tony Hood 1 Forix Richard 1 John Flex 1 handymanhome 1 JerryC 1 Wood Delivery 1 Trusted Roofing 1 John Fox 1 Top Posters wwh 13,858 Faldage 13,803 Jackie 11,613 wofahulicodoc 11,123 tsuwm 10,542 LukeJavan8 9,974 Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210 AnnaStrophic 6,511 Wordwind 6,296 of troy 5,400

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