Overtly bewildered - Wordsmith.org

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In another forum, a user accused me of "overting the real issue". I'm pretty sure that I should have taken umbrage, but I left my umbrage exactly where it was and did not take it anywhere, simply because I don't know what "overt" means as a verb.

Since overt is pretty much the opposite of covert and covert means hidden and since we're verbing an adjective I guess "overting the real issue" means you're bringing the real issue out in the open. Dunno 'bout you but I wouldn't take that as an accusation.

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Since overt is pretty much the opposite of covert and covert means hidden and since we're verbing an adjective I guess "overting the real issue" means you're bringing the real issue out in the open. Dunno 'bout you but I wouldn't take that as an accusation.

Thanks. I shall continue to leave my umbrage untaken.

that doesn't even make sense out of context -- overt's not covert, so were you uncovering the real issue? (overt never has been a verb, and as a noun (obs. rare) meant an opening.)

what do you suppose was meant? obscuring the issue? diverting the issue? obverting the issue??

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what do you suppose was meant? obscuring the issue? diverting the issue? obverting the issue??

I read it as (d) Any or all of the above.

Perhaps he/she meant "averting the issue"?

I'm with Faldage on this one. it would be a "hip" usage for exposing the elephant.

OF course it would be easier to tell from context, but a guy I useta know in Chi town might have used such a phrase to contrast with someone else using the word "subvert", so he would have been implying the 'over' was kind of opposite to 'sub~'. In other words, accusing you of flying a distraction over the head of the *real subject. Just my WAG...

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OF course it would be easier to tell from context, but a guy I useta know in Chi town might have used such a phrase to contrast with someone else using the word "subvert", so he would have been implying the 'over' was kind of opposite to 'sub~'. In other words, accusing you of flying a distraction over the head of the *real subject. Just my WAG...

Maybe it's a regional usage. The post was made by someone from The Windy City.

Like Logwood, I assumed it was a misspelling of "avert". As if you were avoiding the real issue.

Just my take.

> misspelling

ah, no, Marianna, they're *far more creative in the Windy City... you have to listen to the underlying musick of the language and guess at the multiple choice meanings!