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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14 |
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?
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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.
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819 |
giving the old heave-ho to an annoying coworkerNow, if you would be so kind, please tell me how one goes about orking a cow. 
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
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!
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439 |
Quirky but fun!
Everybody gotta have a few quirks or the world would be dull! dull! dull!
Uphold Anomaly!
wow
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
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sure, defenestrating is easy... or something we'd all like to do. but I ask you: how many of you have actually® adfenestrated?
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
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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?
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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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?
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289 |
Adfenestration & defenestration
The best examples of these are to be found in The Miller's Tale.
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