Ravel

[ScottieK]

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cromulent?

I hate irregardless, not because it is a double-negative, or because it is redundant, but because it is inefficient. One extra syllable and two extra letters to say the same thing. Utilize vs. use is the same situation.

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Utilize has its place, but shouldn't be a catch-all synonym for use.

Dictionary.com - utilize

"Usage Note: A number of critics have remarked that utilize is an unnecessary substitute for use. It is true that many occurrences of utilize could be replaced by use with no loss to anything but pretentiousness, for example, in sentences such as 'They utilized questionable methods in their analysis' or 'We hope that many commuters will continue to utilize mass transit after the bridge has reopened.' But utilize can mean “to find a profitable or practical use for.” Thus the sentence 'The teachers were unable to use the new computers' might mean only that the teachers were unable to operate the computers, whereas 'The teachers were unable to utilize the new computers' suggests that the teachers could not find ways to employ the computers in instruction."

I've thought of "utilize" as "to use in a way other than its intended purpose." For example, "Joe was using my screwdriver to unscrew the door hinges, so I utilized my knife to unscrew the computer case." Maybe think of it as maximizing an item's utility by finding new ways to use it?

And NO, I don't appreciate "dissed" in my city's newspaper. Dissed is slang at it's slangiest, if that's even a word. Our paper's not supposed to read like some high school rag.

ScottieK

[amplify]

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So how does a word mean to clarify, and complicate at the same time?

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Cleave says hi.

[John Cole]

What words are their own antonym?Richard Lederer, in Crazy English (Pocket Books, 1989, ISBN
0-671-68907-X), calls these "contronyms". They can be divided into
homographs (same spelling) and homophones (same pronunciation).

The homographs include:
anabasis = military advance, military retreat
anathema = something cursed,
[rare] something consecrated to divine use
apparent = seeming, clear ("heir apparent")
argue = to try to prove by argument, [disputed] to argue against
arsis = the unaccented or shorter part of a foot of verse; the
accented or longer part of a foot of verse
at the expense of = by sacrificing ("at the expense of accuracy"),
[disputed] by tolerating or introducing ("at the expense
of inaccuracy")
aught = all, nothing
bad = of poor quality, [U.S. slang] good
bill = invoice, money
bolt = to secure, to run away
bomb = [U.S. slang] a failure, [U.K. slang] a success
buckle = to fasten, to fall apart ("buildings buckle at an
earthquake")
by = spoken representation of multiplication sign ("3-by-3 matrix"),
spoken representation of division sign ("d y by d x")
cannot praise too highly = no praise is too high, cannot praise very
highly
certain = definite, unspecified
chine = ridge, [British dialect] ravine
chuffed = pleased, annoyed
cite = single out for praise ("cited for bravery"), single out for
blame ("citation from the Buildings Dept.")
cleave = to separate, to adhere
clip = to fasten, to detach
commencement = beginning, conclusion ("high school commencement")
comprise = to contain, [disputed] to compose
consult = to ask the advice of, to give professional advice
contingent = unpredictable, dependent on a known condition
continue = to keep on doing, [Scots and U.S. law] to adjourn
copemate = antagonist, partner
critical = opposed to ("critical of"), essential to ("critical to")
custom = usual, special
deceptively shallow = shallower than it looks, deeper than it looks
dike = wall, ditch
discursive = moving from topic to topic without order,
proceeding coherently from topic to topic
divide by a half = to double, [disputed] to halve
dollop = a large amount, [U.S.] a small amount
dress = to put items on, to remove items from ("dress the chicken")
dust = to remove fine particles, to add fine particles
edited = remaining after omissions have been made,
[disputed] omitted
egregious = outstandingly bad, [archaic] distinguished
enervate = to deplete the energy of, [disputed] to invigorate
enjoin = to prescribe, [law] to prohibit
factoid = speculation reported as fact, [disputed] unimportant fact
fast = rapid, unmoving
fireman = firefighter, fire-stoker (on train or ship)
first-degree = most severe ("first-degree murder"), least severe
("first-degree burns")
fix = to restore, to castrate
flog = to criticize harshly, to promote aggressively
gale = a very strong wind, [archaic] a gentle breeze
garble = to mix up, [archaic] to sort out
garnish = to enhance (food), to curtail (wages)
give out = to produce, to stop being produced
go off = to become active, to become inactive
grade = an incline, level ("grade crossing")
handicap = advantage (in golf), disadvantage
help = to assist, to prevent ("I cannot help it if...")
hoi polloi = the common people, [disputed] the elite
hold up = to support, to delay
impregnable = invulnerable, [disputed] impregnatable
inexistent = inherent, [obsolete] nonexistent
infer = to take a hint, [disputed] to hint
inside lane = [U.K.] traffic line next to edge of road,
[sometimes in U.S.] traffic lane next to centre of road
into = as a divisor of, [in India] multiplied by
keep up = to continue to fall (rain), to remain up
left = departed from, remaining
let = to permit, [archaic] to hinder
literally = actually, [disputed] (used before a metaphor)
mean = lowly ("rose from mean beginnings"), excellent ("plays a mean
trombone")
model = archetype, copy
moot = debatable, [disputed] not worthy of debate
nauseous = nauseating, [disputed] nauseated
note = promise to pay, money
out = visible (stars), invisible (lights)
out of = outside, inside ("work out of one's home")
oversight = care, error
peep = to look quietly, to beep
peer = noble, person of equal rank
priceless = having a value beyond all price, [rare] having no value
put out = to generate ("candle puts out light"), to extinguish
puzzle = to pose a problem, to solve a problem
qualified = competent, limited
quantum = very small ("quantum level vs macroscopic level"),
[disputed] very large ("quantum leap in productivity")
quiddity = essence, trifling point
quite = rather, completely
ravel = to disentangle, [archaic] to tangle
referent = something referred to by something, [disputed] something
referring to something
rent = to buy temporary use of, to sell temporary use of
resign = to quit, [hyphen recommended] to sign up again
reword = to repeat in different words, [archaic] to repeat in the
same words
rummage = [rare] to jumble, [obsolete] to put in order
sanction = to approve of, [disputed] to punish [The use of
"sanction" as a noun meaning "punishment" is undisputed.]
sanguine = hopeful, [obsolete for "sanguinary"] murderous
scan = to examine carefully, [disputed] to glance at quickly
screen = to show, to hide from view
secrete = to extrude, to hide
seeded = with seeds, without seeds
shank of the evening = end of the evening, early part of the evening
skin = to cover with, to remove outer covering
straight = not using drugs, [obsolete] under the influence of drugs
strand = shore, [Scots] sea
substitute = to put (something) in something else's place,
[disputed] to replace (something) with something else
strike = to miss (baseball), to hit
tabby = a silk fabric, a rough kind of concrete
table = [U.K.] to propose, [U.S.] to set aside
temper = calmness, passion
think better of = to admire more, to be suspicious of
to a degree = [archaic] exceedingly, [disputed] to a certain extent
to my knowledge = to my certain knowledge, as far as I know
toast = popular ("the toast of the town"), [U.S. slang] doomed
transparent = obvious, invisible
trim = to put things on ("trim a Christmas tree"),
to take things off
trip = to stumble, to move gracefully ("trip the light fantastic")
unbending = rigid, relaxing
undersexed = having a lower-than-normal sex drive,
[disputed] sexually deprived
watershed = the divide between regions drained by different rivers,
[disputed] the region drained by one river
wear = to endure through use, to decay through use
weather = to withstand, to wear away
widdershins = counterclockwise,
[in the southern hemisphere] clockwise
wind up = to start ("wind up a watch"), to end
with = alongside, against

A couple of homophones:
aural, oral = heard, spoken
erupt, irrupt = burst out, burst in
raise, raze = erect, tear down

[Jack of Arcades]

[ QUOTE ]
cromulent?

I hate irregardless, not because it is a double-negative, or because it is redundant, but because it is inefficient. One extra syllable and two extra letters to say the same thing. Utilize vs. use is the same situation.

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Sorry, language isn't always about efficiency.

[miajag]

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Bolero is awesome.

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That's what I thought this thread was going to be about [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[diebitter]

An interesting issue to raise/raze.

Phonetically speaking.

[Georgia Avenue]

[ QUOTE ]
An interesting issue to raise/raze.

Phonetically speaking.

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You're giving me aural eruptions. Baby.

--GA

[billygrippo]

a noble thread embiggens the smallest poster.

[drewjustdrew]

[ QUOTE ]
An interesting issue to raise/raze.

Phonetically speaking.

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This from a guy with Gunga Galoonga as his loc...Nice!

[Aloysius]

[ QUOTE ]
I thought this was going to be about Bolero (which I was shockingly able to buy for $0.99 on iTunes...).

Anyway, from Online Entymology Dictionary:

[ QUOTE ]
ravel
1582, "to untangle, unwind," also "to become tangled or confused" (1585), from Du. ravelen "to tangle, fray, unweave," from rafel "frayed thread." The seemingly contradictory senses of this word (ravel and unravel are both synonyms and antonyms) are reconciled by its roots in weaving and sewing: as threads become unwoven, they get tangled.

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To add to the above:

A check of the origin of "ravel" shows that it comes from the Dutch word "rafelen," meaning unravel (or presumably ravel), which in turn comes from the obsolete Dutch word "ravelen," meaning "to entangle," all of which makes one wonder what the Dutch word for aspirin might be.

Interesting that the "un" prefix doesn't reverse the meaning of the word "ravel". As unravel and ravel can be synonyms. Similar to "inflammable" vs. "flammable", which both mean the same thing.

Here's the explanation for "inflammable":

The answer lies in the etymology of the word. You see, there are two Latin prefixes, both spelled in, and they have quite different effects on the words to which they are attached. All the above examples derive from the in which is synonomous with the Greek a and the Germanic un, meaning not, without or lacking.

Inflammable is derived from the in meaning in, on, into, towards or within. In French, this prefix evolved into en, and inflammable comes from the Old French word enflammer, which further derives from this second Latin prefix in plus flamma, meaning flame.

Flammable is a later invention, created exactly because inflammable can easily be mistaken for a negative. The true opposite of inflammable is non-flammable.

-Al