Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
#174320 03/07/08 08:52 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 956
olly Offline OP
old hand
OP Offline
old hand
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 956
prequel (PREE-kwuhl) noun

A more common word in this day of sequels, I'd of thought?

olly #174321 03/07/08 09:17 AM
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 390
L
enthusiast
Offline
enthusiast
L
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 390
Maybe Anu picked it in honor of its 50th anniversary. From The OED:

:1958 ‘A. BOUCHER’ in Mag. Fantasy & Sci. Fiction Apr. 94/2 Year 2018!..is the meaningless American retitling of James Blish's They Shall Have Stars..a ‘prequel’ to Earthman Come Home. "

latishya #174324 03/07/08 11:00 AM
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Quote:
prequel (PREE-kwuhl) noun
There are other variants: midquel, sidequel, threequel, ad nauseum.

Nauseating words indeed. Bad enough to give you a pre-side-threefold midquel crisis.

"To hurry pain is to leave a classroom still in session. To prolong pain is..."


I know what to prolong pain means but could anyone explain to me what to "hurry pain" means; is it simply the opposite of prolong?
The same as to "shorten" pain?

BranShea #174329 03/07/08 03:43 PM
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 120
member
Offline
member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 120
I suspect that's correct, that it means to avoid fully dealing with a painful situation, such as refusing to mourn a lost friend because it hurts too much. It's not a phrase I've heard before, so I'm just guessing.

Or, Yahia does like the analgesics industry.


tempus edax rerum
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Prequel is a funny word, because whoever coined it misanalysed sequel (< Latin sequēla), the root of the verb sequor 'to follow', yielding our non sequitur 'it does not follow' and being from PIE *sekʷ- 'follow' (link and link).


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Then there was the rather humorous sketch in which the British commentator argued that Watergate was a scandal about water; if it had been a scandal about Watergate, it would have been called Watergategate. It's probably on YouTube somewhere if anyone cares to look for it.

Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
Yup. Etymology is not everything when it comes to the formation and meaning of words.

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Etymology is not everything

That, too, is funny. It's only because of etymology that I find prequel to be a funny word, otherwise, it's pretty standard and rather unremarkable.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 8
M
stranger
Offline
stranger
M
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 8
In 1999 here in China,when the film of Star Wars-Episode One:The Phantom Menace was shown,the Chinese translation of the title is Prequel.
I watched this movie with my ex-girl friend,but we break up later,so I have a clear memory.


Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,328
Members9,182
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV
9,182 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 691 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,539
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5