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#59269 03/02/02 03:30 AM
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Every so often I wind up in a conversation in which someone says to me, "I hope you won't be offended...." Since it takes a very great deal to offend me (or at least it used to - think I am gradually becoming less tolerant, as I see more and more just plain bad behaviour around! - inconsideration, downright rudeness, thoughtlessness, arrogance etc)....I started telling people, "Don't worry, I'm very inoffensible."

I haven't seen this in the dictionary and haven't heard anyone else use it. Has it cropped up spontaneously elsewhere or do I get to claim it?!

and if I get to claim it, who wants to help me GET it in the dictionary?!


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two things, mg..

1. although it is very rare (some bloke named Cotgrave stuck in- on the slightly less rare offensible in 1611), it has been recorded in OED2

2. who wants to help me GET it in the dictionary... no, I won't even pontificate on this, because it would be a self-yart: http://wordsmith.org/board/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=miscellany&Number=599

http://home.mn.rr.com/wwftd/

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But you could publish your own one-word dictionary, of course!



The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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But you could publish your own one-word dictionary

Which would have the considerable advantage of allowing one to find the entry even when one cannot spell it.


#59273 03/02/02 05:28 PM
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Whoops, I was assuming everyone would know what I meant - one danger of tapping out posts late at night when parts of brain have gone to sleep....

When I said, "Who wants to help GET it in the dictionary?!" I meant, will people who subscribe to AWAD or visit the board start using "my" word (I'm really bummed that it's been used before, I thought I'd had an original thought - is there such a thing anymore?!) - hence the usage would increase, and maybe eventually it WOULD creep into popular usage, and might eventually get into a dictionary.

I read the link about how long it took that poor journo to get "hizzoner" into MW. Wow. I have to confess, about that particular word, I thought, "Who the hell cares?!" - but that's because, despite all the citations he mentions having dredged up, I've NEVER come across that word - and I'm pretty well-read and well-, um, watched (movies etc).

But "inoffensible" - now there's a word we could USE! :o)

Although come to think of it, remembering my original post, maybe there would be less and less call for it.... :o(

But I do like the thought of a one-word dictionary and how easy it would be to look up the word....!


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For publishing your own dictionary, see milum.



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