Saturday, 3 March 2007 05:35 pm
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deckardcanineYears ago I learned the term "Janus word," which refers to a word with two contradictory, if not exact opposite, definitions. The one example provided in that source was "bad," counting the slang meaning. Unfortunately, I could think of no second example offhand, with the possible exception of "inflammable," tho I'm not sure how often it gets misused for "nonflammable." Thinking that the term was so seldom applicable as to be useful only in anglophilic trivia, I did not bother to engage in further research. I did, however, hope to discover examples by chance now and then.
For years, no such luck. Then it happened in the last month or two -- twice.
The first time was when I read a chapter of Richard Lederer's A Man of My Words dealing with differences between British and American English. Lederer reports an incident at a WWII conference in which Brits and Americans came into severe conflict until they realized that they had opposite interpretations of "tabling" a discussion. (I find myself preferring American language about 75% of the time. This is one case where I think Brits make more sense.)
The second case has more debatable legitimacy. I was confused by an author's use of "nonplussed," so I looked it up and discovered that my understanding was at odds with the traditional definition. But I was far from alone: The New York Times and ESPN, among other sources, have used it to mean "unimpressed" or "indifferent" instead of "completely perplexed." I suspect that in a couple decades, dictionaries will recognize both, much as they've come grudgingly to accept "flaunt" as a synonym for "flout."
For years, no such luck. Then it happened in the last month or two -- twice.
The first time was when I read a chapter of Richard Lederer's A Man of My Words dealing with differences between British and American English. Lederer reports an incident at a WWII conference in which Brits and Americans came into severe conflict until they realized that they had opposite interpretations of "tabling" a discussion. (I find myself preferring American language about 75% of the time. This is one case where I think Brits make more sense.)
The second case has more debatable legitimacy. I was confused by an author's use of "nonplussed," so I looked it up and discovered that my understanding was at odds with the traditional definition. But I was far from alone: The New York Times and ESPN, among other sources, have used it to mean "unimpressed" or "indifferent" instead of "completely perplexed." I suspect that in a couple decades, dictionaries will recognize both, much as they've come grudgingly to accept "flaunt" as a synonym for "flout."
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One of the raccoons in Gene Catlow's world is named Bemused. I wonder which meaning was intended there.
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