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Louche was used in a biography I'm reading, and I checked it out in the dictionary. What I found interesting was how the definition went in a couple of closely-related directions, but the etymology did, too. I'll copy out what I found in AHD:
louche: of questionable taste or morality; decadent... [French, from Old French losche, squint-eyed, feminine of lois, from Latin luscus, blind in one eye.
Ironic to consider With Eyes Wide Open and how, way back when, decadence was related (perhaps) to blinding one eye.
Book regards,
Wordwind Wanna guess whose biography this one is? Wide-eyed open field, huh?!
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Wordwind knows "louche" was Today's Word a long time ago, but she was too tired to post about it.
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Wordwind was informed by a kind medicine man that louche was Today's Word a long time ago, but she is too tired to delete this thread. Not really. I would like to know whether anyone can guess whose biography I'm reading. And I'm also wondering whether anyone will make the connection between Jackie's regenerate thread and this degenerate one!
Best rest,
WordWeary
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old hand
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old hand
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Is't Stan-the-Man Kubrick about whom you is reading? [curious-e]
or am I waaaaay off base?
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Pooh-Bah
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A reader-reviewer on www.amazon.com disparagingly refers to the books of James Ellroy ( L.A. Confidential, The Black Dahlia are two) as being for the louche set. In reply to:
Ironic to consider With Eyes Wide Open and how, way back when, decadence was related (perhaps) to blinding one eye.
Can you explain this? I don't get it.
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Decadence is an interesting word. Literally it refers to something so old ;it is falling down. In literature the impression I have of it was a derogatory term for infatuation with antiquated and mildly grotesque immoral style, proposed by ultra-conservatist critcs. I think the Nazis used it against authors they hoped to stifle.
I expect some lumps for venturing that opinion.
Incidentally "Black Dahlia" was a hyped-up mysterious mourner who placed memorials of grave of Rudolph Valentino. Bet nobody remember him.
Dear WW: I doubt that there really is a black dahlia. It was so long ago, I don't remember why the mysterious lady was so called, most likely because she dressed in black.
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Dear wwh,
Did the mourner place black dahlias upon Rudy's grave? And, if so, why the black dahlia? Was this a flower of some significance to Rudy? Seems red daliahs would have been a possibility--the ruddy in Rudy and in the flower. Then Rudy died--and the dahlias transformed to a lugubrious black.
Just theorizing here till you give us some input.
Banshee regrets,
WordWoes
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Dear MG: Nope, the bio isn't of Stan-the-Man.
Dear Alex: I'm just guessing that louche from the Latin to be blind in one eye could--just mebbe could--have to do with something being so either so immoral or in bad taste to consider that the person's eye figuratively was blinded in taking it in. Why one eye? The only thing I can think of is sometimes when something is highly distasteful, we squint up one eye; the other would be left open to take in the blinding sight.
And, on another somewhat related tangent, I just learned today that reprobate can be used as a transitive verb.
Blinded regards,
WitheyesWideopen
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Funny that we never use louche to mean "blind in one eye" here.
A man can be louche (adjective)
- he looks very suspicious/questionable
or a man can louche (verb) -
1) have one eye that moves to the right or left of its own accord, like being crosseyed but in only one eye.
2) snarky way of saying he is always looking at your breasts
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A general term for eye deviation is "strabismus". In looking at etymology in dictionary, I was reminded of the historian and geographer Strabo. I found many sites about him, but not surprisingly no statement as to whether his name was or was not derived from deviation of one eye.
Cognomen is the only word I can think of for name given because of a physical characteristic. Can any of you think of a better word? Cicero is an example, based on head of his branch having a prominent wart on his nose, or something like that. Survives in "chick peas". Wait till CK sees this.
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