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One more question and I'll shut up for the day, at least shut up my questions:
tsuwm quoted the word gaddative in one of his recent useless word offerings. Gaddative was used in conjunction with scribblative.
I've checked both tsuwm's list of previous useless words and onelook.com, but can't find gaddative defined anywhere.
Does anyone know its definition?
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Carpal Tunnel
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as scribblative is to scribbling, so gaddative is to gadding (about). :)
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Carpal Tunnel
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Ha! Thanks, tsuwm. I also googled gaddative and there was not a single hit.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Ok, so is a wanderer a gadabout or a gaddabout?  Is that (the about) why it's gaddative and not gadditive? From Atomica:
gad1 (gãd)
intr.v., gad·ded, gad·ding, gads.
To move about restlessly and with little purpose. See synonyms at wander.
[Middle English gadden, to hurry.]
gad'der n.
gad2 (gãd)
n.
A pointed tool, such as a spike or chisel, used for breaking rock or ore.
A goad, as for prodding cattle.
tr.v., gad·ded, gad·ding, gads.
To break up (ore, for example) with a gad.
[Middle English, from Old Norse gaddr.] I was intrigued by the transitive and intrans. requirements. I can hardly restrain myself from adding 'about', but I guess you could say, "He gads", meaning that he gets around a lot. You'd have to say, "He gads goats (or ore) for a living".
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Carpal Tunnel
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Fifty years ago, when I was living on Cape Cod, there was a journalist named Gaddis, who had a column in local newspaper "Gaddabout Gaddis". I'll be doubledipped in doggie doo-doo,I found a URL about him! Must be someone else, the original would be older than Methuselah! http://www.labguysworld.com/bayhorse.htm
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Carpal Tunnel
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Gadabout Gaddis had a TV show on fishing. How exciting!
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Carpal Tunnel
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did he use gaddis flies?
ye gads!
formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear Faldage: you need something for your dyspepsia.
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Carpal Tunnel
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dyspepsia
Nuh-uh! Not me! I'm married to an Atlanta girl. Nothing but dsycocolia for me!
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So, the gadfly's purposeful behavior would connect it with the second definition rather than the first.
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