|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 1
stranger
|
|
stranger
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 1 |
Hi. I'm looking for words that describe being good or skilled at something... NOT general descriptions like 'proficiency'.
e.g. articulate = good at speaking, presenting an argument
Are there any equivalent words which you could use to specifically describe someone who's good at listening, tasting, writing, drawing...?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,974 Likes: 3
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,974 Likes: 3 |
Gourmand - tasting, maybe.
----please, draw me a sheep----
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,164 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,164 Likes: 2 |
"Gourmet," maybe. Or "epicure." But not gourmand. A gourmand is supposed to have an utterly undiscriminating appetite; he'll eat anything, any time, with gusto but no palate, no appreciation whatsoever of any finer sensibilities.
(Noodling about, I see the distinction is becoming blurred with time, and the original gluttony/piggishness of "gourmand" is being lost. The prescriptivist in me rebels. But then, I also think that "disinterested" and "uninterested" don't mean the same thing, which is disputed as far back as Webster's Third International Dictionary. And that's back in 1961.)
Who you gonna believe, me or some strange dictionary?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 963
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 963 |
Who you gonna believe, me or some strange dictionary?
On the question of disinterested vs. uninterested, I'm sticking with you. Come to think of it, I'm with you on gourmand, too, but that may be from a French class in about 1958, rather than English. So, yeah, I'll go with strange you rather than some dictionary.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 291
enthusiast
|
|
enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 291 |
An empathetic listener? 
live in the moment
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,916
Posts230,320
Members9,209
| |
Most Online4,606
Sep 17th, 2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
