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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5 Defenestrate #27232 04/25/01 01:40 AM Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 14 Connecticut J J.P. Esquire OP stranger OP J.P. Esquire stranger J Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 14 Connecticut One of my favorite words for everyday usage is "defenestrate." Call me crazy (and you can believe that my friends and colleagues do), but I love to pepper my conversations with the word...it so well captures the notion of jettisoning an unworkable idea or giving the old heave-ho to an annoying coworker or impossible boss. As many of you know, "defenestrate" means to "throw something or someone out the window." My question is, can "defenestrate" be modified by the phrase "out the window," as in, "I defenestrated my cigarette butt out the window," or would such modification be egregiously redundant? A colleague of mine says that the phrase should be added for clarification purposes. I say that "defenestrate" says it all and says it well. What do you folks think? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Defenestrate #27233 04/25/01 02:28 AM Joined: Aug 2000 Posts: 3,409 M Max Quordlepleen Carpal Tunnel Max Quordlepleen Carpal Tunnel M Joined: Aug 2000 Posts: 3,409 A colleague of mine says that the phrase should be added for clarification purposes. I say that "defenestrate" says it all and says it well. What do you folks think? I'm with you, to add "out the window" after defenestration would be totally unnecessary tautology. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Defenestrate #27234 04/25/01 03:43 AM Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 819 Portland,Oregon, USA G Geoff old hand Geoff old hand G Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 819 Portland,Oregon, USA giving the old heave-ho to an annoying coworker Now, if you would be so kind, please tell me how one goes about orking a cow. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Defenestrate #27235 04/25/01 12:32 PM Joined: Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 rego park of troy Carpal Tunnel of troy Carpal Tunnel Joined: Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 rego park Careful, geoff, or the gutter police will defenistate you for orking (and orking a cow, no less!) Its a wonder with so many "Windows"-- Blue screen's of death that more people don't complain about being defenestrated! my other obsession Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Defenestrate #27236 04/25/01 01:24 PM Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 3,439 New England, USA W wow Carpal Tunnel wow Carpal Tunnel W Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 3,439 New England, USA Quirky but fun! Everybody gotta have a few quirks or the world would be dull! dull! dull! Uphold Anomaly! wow Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Defenestrate #27237 04/25/01 01:31 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass sure, defenestrating is easy... or something we'd all like to do. but I ask you: how many of you have actually® adfenestrated? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Defenestrate #27238 04/25/01 01:52 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 W wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel W Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 Dear J.P. Esquire: I learned the word "defenestrate" as the penalty for incest in Middle Ages of Italy. A slightly less drastic penalty might be meted out to you for throwing a cigarette butt out of the window. Perhaps it is well that many new office buildings do not have windows that can be opened.All said in jest of course. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter I love Atomica #27239 04/25/01 02:40 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Jackie Carpal Tunnel Jackie Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Welcome, J.P. Esquire! Nice to have you! Defenestrate IS a neat word! I noticed that Atomica had an option to hear it pronounced, and--it sounded exactly like Mr. Warf! (Michael Dorn) But--to defenestrate something out the window is definitely a redundancy. Perhaps your colleague could add a verbal semicolon or parentheses. Tsuwm--Atomica also gave me several options for looking up ad--, and as a prefix, said it means to, towards, or near. So, when my "connectivity" goes down, is it correct for me to say that I want to adfenestrate my modem? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Defenestrate #27240 04/25/01 02:41 PM Joined: Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 rego park of troy Carpal Tunnel of troy Carpal Tunnel Joined: Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 rego park adfenestrated? jumped in a window? (guessing since i don't find it my dictionary)-- Well i haven't jumped in a window-- but i have used window as entry-- (and doing that is a good reminder for not forgetting your keys!) Re: Bill's comment about defenestration in Middle ages-- I first heard the word in an article about words and defenesration mentioned the .. defenestration of Prague? a political/reglious riot/"housecleaning" in 1700 something? my other obsession Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Defenestrate #27241 04/25/01 03:29 PM Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 1,289 B Bobyoungbalt veteran Bobyoungbalt veteran B Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 1,289 Adfenestration & defenestration The best examples of these are to be found in The Miller's Tale. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5 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. 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