Monday, June 21, 2021

What do these mean?

… and how would you use each in a sentence?

  1. supererogation
  2. machination
  3. fustian
  4. schemozzle
  5. obloquy
  6. chimera
  7. miasma
The answers are in DR’s word game posted earlier but we’ll take pity later.

13 comments:

  1. And which two has Mr H incorrectly spelled? :)

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  2. Robbo:
    7. Can I get a bonus point for knowing the plural of miasma is miasmata?

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  3. I get sick of the machinations of the Democrats and I'm definitely over this whole COVID schemozzle. Most of their policies are chimera and they leave me with a sense of unease, akin to a miasma hanging over our land.

    You win on the other words.

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  4. The prize is yours for even attempting a catch all sentence.

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  5. machination -- behind-the-scenes shenanigans for ill gain.

    schemozzle -- the guy who gets soup dumped on when the schlemiel waiter trips.

    chimera -- 1. Mythical beast. 2. Sea creature distantly related to shark. 3. Organism with more than one set of DNA.

    miasma -- "bad air" -- I just remember the etymology, I think.

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    Replies
    1. You're thinking 'malaria'. For which the proper prophylactic is, of course, the GT. With lime, for scurvy.

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  6. I would not hope to commit an act of supererogation (assuming unearned credit) for the machinations (pulling of strings on maccioni or puppets) of the Fustian (a fine dark cloth) of our good friend by the hapless schlemozzle (proper spelling, def as supra by the good Lord Somber). I would not launch an obloquy (speech of thanks) to the chimera, that half-man half beast who who launched that miasma into our host's lap, but I hope I shall be permitted to laugh.

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  7. The words were well chosen by that programme “My Word” as the derivations proceed one after the other and it depends at which stage of the process one comes in and seizes on that particular usage for one’s purpose.

    So we’re not talking right or wrong here, as I might tell an EFL symposium, but rather, a process of changed meanings, by no means stopped now … I’d suggest the meanings are still altering in this dynamic language we call English.

    The French and Russian Immortals might view that as corrupt, we would view it as a dynamic, living language.

    In support of that contention about changed meanings over time, might I ask you - what’s the difference between present continuous tense in English and present progressive?

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  8. Robbo:
    1.The erogation today went really well, in fact it was a supererogation!
    2. Argentinian politics is more manipulative than they are manly; not so much a machonation as a machination.
    3. Two Scotsmen walked into a bar, fustian and thengordon.
    6. My dog is part Chinese, part Mexican, and part Rwandan. I call him a chimerwa.

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  9. Shirley there are laws about this sort of answer. :)

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