Hunyo 15, 2009

"If The New York Times ever strikes you as an abstruse glut of antediluvian perorations..."

"... if the newspaper’s profligacy of neologisms and shibboleths ever set off apoplectic paroxysms in you, if it all seems a bit recondite, here’s a reason to be sanguine: The Times has great data on the words that send readers in search of a dictionary."

(Via Metafilter.)

24 (na) komento:

BJK ayon kay ...

...before Ann revises the headline, allow me to present my recommendation:

" f the New York Times..."

A simple truncation expresses things most succinctly, does it not?

rhhardin ayon kay ...

Everybody can have it. The Quintessential Dictionary is a collection of a few hundred words that, once memorized, allow you to read all of W.F.Buckley without looking anything up.

I put them on flash cards, myself, back in the early 80s.

The NYT is a piece of cake with it.

Chip Ahoy ayon kay ...

BJK, exactly.

None of those words are difficult or obscure. I've seen them all repeatedly right here, well, except for the heat-related one, phlogiston, or whatever it was. Even through the comments, leave it to a self-proclaimed MENSA to add something dull.

Did you know that mensa means stupid in Spanish? Ha ha ha.

Hindi-nagpakilala ayon kay ...

An Abtruse Glut of Antediluvian Perorations.

I liked their second album best, clearly one of the best Prog Rock albums of 1974. Great cover art too.

MadisonMan ayon kay ...

Phlogiston is well-known to central Pennsylvanians, since the champion of it, indeed maybe its last champion, at one time lived along the Susquehanna.

rhhardin ayon kay ...

Phlogiston was a reification error, is all. ``The cause of fire'' was taken to be a thing, and the search for it commenced.

It's like ``power,'' another reification error is social critical theory.

Lem Vibe Bandit ayon kay ...

Oh common.

If the NYT were antediluvian they wouldn’t have put up that big mast atop their building.

You owe the NYT an apology Althouse.

(you think they’ll get it? – it doesn’t matter, it’s a tough crowd remember?)

Salamandyr ayon kay ...

Wake me when they use squamous.

MadisonMan ayon kay ...

I put them on flash cards, myself, back in the early 80s.

I write them down in a little notebook given to me by my weird Auntie (who is a spitting image of Roz Russell). She explains them to me.

Hindi-nagpakilala ayon kay ...

If I were the Times, I would turn this into a feature and call it "The Dictionary" or something else pithy and short (maybe just "The Dic"?). And in this feature, I would be sure to use the words "thoughtful" and "sophisticated" a lot in describing the Times' own work.

As far as new words I'd like to see worked into the Times: "felching".

Chip Ahoy ayon kay ...

See? There ya go. That proves my point, now I've even seen phlogiston right here.

Quintessential is itself an interesting word. The fifth essential. I've always wondered why the accent shifts from the noun form to the adjective form.

QuinTESsence
QUINTessential

JackOfClubs ayon kay ...

I question whether "antediluvian" is the right word in this context. The Flood came before the Tower of Babel, so presumably their perorations were more generally comprehensible, yes?

Dust Bunny Queen ayon kay ...

Did you know that mensa means stupid in Spanish? Ha ha ha.


Actually tonto is stupid or fool in Spanish. The Lone Ranger was kind of a condescending prick...doncha think?

BJM ayon kay ...

@BJK... and the donkeys they rode in on.

Chip Ahoy ayon kay ...

Yes, Dust Bunny, he was a condescending prick. And if Zoro was such a fox why would he make himself look like a raccoon with a mask? He should have named himself Mapache instead.

Dust Bunny Queen ayon kay ...

And Kimosabe was probable Tonto getting back at the Lone Ranger by saying

"Que no sabes"...calling the Lone Ranger a know nothing.

I don't think their working relationship was all it was cracked up to be.

Lem Vibe Bandit ayon kay ...

Did you know that mensa means stupid in Spanish? Ha ha ha.

Actually tonto is stupid or fool in Spanish
.

They are both colloquials.
Menso/a is slow.
Tonto/a is extremely naïve.

ricpic ayon kay ...

With words over wrought where plain clear speech would do
The Times purposely smokescreens the view of the true.

Hindi-nagpakilala ayon kay ...

Funny, the true sign of brilliance is to take difficult and complex ideas and make them easily understandable.

Using big words when small ones work as well is simply trying to cover up a self-perceived lack of intellect.

rhhardin ayon kay ...

Big words are good for trouble reports.

traditionalguy ayon kay ...

Antediluvian is my favorite word. It's never used anymore, which is sad. (That could be a great commenter's handle). The next Flood cometh. We need to hear some antediluvian thinking about how to ride it out. Even antebellum seems mild compaired to antediluvian.

mccullough ayon kay ...

The Times, at times, seems sesquipedalian.

Then, again, aren't we all.

themightypuck ayon kay ...

Until they remove them from the SAT, they are fair game in a newspaper.

Deb ayon kay ...

"The Times, at times, seems sesquipedalian. "

... and supercilious.

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