I was thinking with all the bad news that it might be good to have a contest where people say nice things about other people, and they get to be "Couth person on the Year" certificate.
They might even get a free Mac ee-phone-- not_morrison_rm, Jul 24 2011 Speechless, like a rally in tennis. http://www.telegrap...iling-the-game.html [mouseposture, Jul 24 2011] Complimentary_20Medicine [hippo, Jul 24 2011] What a clever halfbaker you are!
There should be atheists' and theists divisions', Republican and Democrat divisions, etc. Each would be required to say nice things about the other.
The idea needs work, though. By what criteria would points be awarded?-- mouseposture, Jul 24 2011 Well, [mouseposture], to emlarge slightly on your delightful contirbution, the criteria might be eloqeunce or niceness. Or points could be awirded for making a pugnation that invites a reply (like a rally in tennis), or convarsely for making a pugnation that leaves your interlocuter speechless with gratetude.-- pocmloc, Jul 24 2011 GRUNT! <link>-- mouseposture, Jul 24 2011 hmmm, so a contest where the best liar is dubbed most couthful?
(+) for convarsely awirded.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jul 24 2011 This is the BBC Parliament Channel, is it not ?-- 8th of 7, Jul 24 2011 Will there be a special points system for underhanded comments that sound really nice, but you don't realize you've been insulted until you're on the way home from the match? 'Cause if so, Im'a bring my Mom...-- Alterother, Jul 24 2011 As opposed to "Couth Person Off the Year"?(I'm told by my Scottish out-laws that "couthy" (sp?) is a legitimate complement)
Perhaps they may be "kempt" also.-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jul 24 2011 //This is the BBC Parliament Channel, is it not ?// No, it's the halfbakery. Home of flawed ideas, made to sound plausible by skillfull argument.-- mouseposture, Jul 24 2011 Yes, “couthy” would usually translate as “homely” I think, with a sense of freindly, simple, warm, old-fashuned, welcuming, discreeet, wearing a pinny and baking bannocks on a griddle at an open fire.-- pocmloc, Jul 24 2011 // Home of flawed ideas, made to sound plausible by skillfull argument //
We are compelled to reiterate: This is the BBC Parliament Channel, is it not ?-- 8th of 7, Jul 24 2011 //by skillfull [sic] argument // Having viewed the Murdoch "interrogation" (slap around the head witha damp face flannel), I think I'd have to say "no".-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jul 24 2011 would a skilled competitor be "pugnatious"? Or "pugny"?-- bungston, Jul 24 2011 OGY POLICE LINE --- DO NOT CROSS --- ETYMOLOGY POLICE LINE --- DO NOT CROSS --- ETYMOLOGY POLICE LINE --- DO NOT CROSS --- ETYMOLOGY POLICE LINE --- DO NOT CROSS --- ETYMOL
Sorry, Mr. [rm]; the "im" part of "impugn" does not come from a negatory "in" (like the "in-" of "invisible", derived from a Proto-Indo-European vocalic "n", compare "un-" in Germanic languages, "a-" in Greek - yes, really, "a-", it's counterintuitive), but from the preposition "in" meaning, umm, "in" or, in cases like this, "into"... as in "Gahhhn, get into 'im, ya big girl's blouse!"
So, whereas to impugn you is to "fight into" you, to *pugn you is still to fight you, and not to be nice to you.
*the asterisk means "this word is unattested".-- pertinax, Jul 25 2011 ...hence "pugnacious" and, probably "pugilist" as well-- hippo, Jul 25 2011 //Sorry, Mr. [rm]; the "im" part of "impugn" does not come from a negatory "in" (like the "in-" of "invisible", derived from a Proto-Indo-European vocalic "n", compare "un-" in Germanic languages ...//
Rediculous. You'll be telling me my hoover doesn't hoov next.-- Loris, Jul 25 2011 Depends, is your Hoover flammable or inflammable?-- Twizz, Jul 25 2011 21, by pedantic tendencies, do you mean you like feet? Not that there's anything wrong with that.-- bungston, Jul 25 2011 // So, whereas to impugn you is to "fight into" you, to *pugn you is still to fight you, and not to be nice to you. //
I'd have to say the jury is still out on that one, as in reality, the actual source of words is open to debate, ie we can't go back and ask them exactly what they meant. For example, understand...surely the opposite should be overstand?
My god, or have I just invented exopugning? Probably someone from Tsukuba University working on it as we speak.
Is the world safe?-- not_morrison_rm, Jul 25 2011 Let's all quickly change it to “punging” then.-- pocmloc, Jul 25 2011 //Let's all quickly change it to “punging” then.//
how about 'kempt', or is that one already take? I'm feeling mildly pugned myself...-- not_morrison_rm, Jul 25 2011 //I'd have to say the jury is still out on that one//
Mmmmno. Nice try. Pugnare and impugnare are both very well-attested classical Latin words. Ovid, Cicero, Livy and Caesar used both of them. If the poet, the lawyer, the historian and the too-clever-by-half celebrity- general-cum-statesman used the words in the same way then... that's probably what they meant.
"Don't get into a hole. But, if you *do* get into a hole... stop digging." - Dennis Healey-- pertinax, Jul 26 2011 "You've improved so much since that last time I saw you."-- RayfordSteele, Jul 26 2011 Sorry, I was reading something on my ee-pad
//"Don't get into a hole. But, if you *do* get into a hole... stop digging." - Dennis Healey//
I overstand....
not verbatim but "the English political system is a farce" "Yes, but we're English, we enjoy farces" from Quicksilver.
Damn....so now I have to resurrect that working time machine I built solely in order to post the 'printing in wood' idea before anyone else on HB, in order to go baffle some Romans.-- not_morrison_rm, Jul 27 2011 Unkempt means uncombed; kempt and unkempt are opposites. Kempt would mean almost exactly the same as well-groomed.-- spidermother, Jul 27 2011 [pertinax] Julius Caesar spoke English? But in that case why did he write the damn' _Gallic Wars_ in Latin? To embitter the students' lives with hard labour?-- mouseposture, Jul 27 2011 Damn, so kempt is already taken. I'm still working on overstand, with my co-worker we agreed that it means for the things you know only too well, like it's a long way to the next payday and stuff like that.
And, iron, steel, brass. You can have brassy, steely and they bear some resemblance to their original meaning, but...-- not_morrison_rm, Jul 27 2011 irony, adj. "Consisting of iron; of the nature of iron; resembling iron in some quality, as hardness, taste, or colour; abounding in or containing iron."-- mouseposture, Jul 27 2011 I'll just nip out and shoot myself.
<sound of gunshot....then sound of myself saying "bugger" as shot misses and bird falls from the sky>-- not_morrison_rm, Jul 27 2011 But soft! What light from yonder window breaks? 'tis the east and not_morrison_rm is the sun!-- DrBob, Jul 27 2011 Yes, there are two ironies, and their antonyms, Corbett and Barker.-- spidermother, Jul 27 2011 //from yonder window breaks//
the only reason it's broken is my lousy shooting.-- not_morrison_rm, Jul 27 2011 Well, we're all glad you missed.-- mouseposture, Jul 27 2011 right, I've decided to stick with exopugning, as my last stand-- not_morrison_rm, Jul 28 2011 Help! I've been shot!-- Alterother, Jul 28 2011 It's psychosomatic.-- mouseposture, Jul 28 2011 No, he only thinks it's psychosomatic. Give him some stronger placebos, and he'll soon feel better, or maybe just start to believe he feels better. Either will do.
// Julius Caesar spoke English? //
Of course. Every great figure in history spoke English. Even God speaks English. You can tell, because the Bible is written in English.
// To embitter the students' lives with hard labour? //
No, to Divide Gaul into Three Parts; the part that smells of bad drains, the part that smells of rotting cheese, and the part where it's immediately obvious that the concepts of "soap" and "bathing" have yet to penetrate. Unfortunately these "parts" are philosophical, and - to the confusion of the civilized races of your planet - exist in physical congruency.-- 8th of 7, Jul 28 2011 Thanks, I feel better. You are a Borg and a gentleman, sir. (I just figured I'd get into the spirit of the post, since we're having so much fun impugning each other elsewhere.)-- Alterother, Jul 28 2011 random, halfbakery