Thursday, December 4, 2008

Verbose


Remember Bhaskaran Aiyyar(if you knew him). The guy will shoot a 100 synonyms of a word when asked. Imaging what would you call an article written by him in the same style as he speaks!
It would possibly be extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy.  Pretty verbose and prolix!
Indulging in protracted discourse; tedious; wearisome; -- applied to a speaker or writer.

Syn: Long; diffuse; prolonged; protracted; tedious; tiresome; wearisome.


Round and round

" You know something about him? Some thing that is very irritating, umm.. i dont know the exact thing but it is similar to a thing which looks similar to another thing, what i mean is that his face is like a banana, like the comic hero, oh what was his name... crookbond. Yeah he looks like crook bond and the shape of his face irritates me!"

    Whaattt a lengthy explanation. I really think those sentences could be summarised in a word! What a circumlocution! 

Well, circumlocution is a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea.

Etymology says:
It originates from   circumlocutionem (a loan-translation of Gk. periphrasis) "speaking around" (the topic), from circum-"around" + locutionem (nom. locutio) "a speaking," from stem of loqui "to speak.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Bill 103


What does this image epitomize? A knee-jerk would give a strike in your left cerebrum!! And you will answer " a politician like Laloo, giving long speech..." And ur Faculty didnot belie u!! Kudos!!

A Long speech/session made in legislature or any decision-making body or in short a long speech is tagged by the word "Filibuster".. And this is the motif of this post..

A lad in Canada could never grow up without watching the "Filibuster Cartoons"..The term 'filibuster' was first used in 1851. It was derived from the Spanish filibustero meaning 'pirate' or 'freebooter'. This term had in turn evolved from the French word flibustier, which itself evolved from the Dutch vrijbuiter (freebooter). As the Lingusitic phenomenon applies very well to English too, Filibuster has another contextual usage.

Who are freebooters? Freebooters were irregular soldiers who acted without authority from their own government, and were usually motivated by financial gain, political ideology, or the thrill of adventure. The freewheeling actions of the freebooters led to the name being applied figuratively to the political act of "filibustering" in the US Senate. "Freebooter" is the more familiar term in European English, where "filibuster" normally refers to the legislative tactic.

Filibustering has a long history in Canadian politics and can be found at all levels of government. Most attempts at stalling legislation are usually just for show and last a relatively short period of time. But in 1997 the opposition party in Ontario tried to prevent Bill 103 from taking effect, setting in motion one of the longest filibustering sessions Canada had ever seen.

Gud Enuf i hope to visualize the word "Filibuster"....

"IF"

Remember the movie 300 ? It was about sparta. There was a district in sparta in ancient times, named laconia  whose inhibitants were famous for their brevity of speech. Once, Philip of macedon, threatened them with "if i enter laconia, i will raze sparta to the gorund" . The spartans' reply was  "if ".  Pretty laconic, right ?

So when you Express much in few words, after the manner of the Laconians or Spartans; brief and pithy; brusque; epigrammatic; you are being laconic.

Tongue pricking

We are talking about spice in life! How many times have you tasted a dish which is "agreeably pungent or sharp in taste of flavour? A dish which is pleasently biting and spicy? Quite a few times, i'm sure.  That was about a piquant (pi-kahnt) dish. 
           In other aspects of life, too , while walking on a street, you see a face which is charming, interesting, stimulating or attractive. A piquant face, with large appealing eyes.

Piquant (pricking, stimulating, irritating)  originates from from french piquer "to prick, sting, nettle". Or, it can be co nsidered to be originated from french "PIQUE" (to excite, provoke, in both positive and negative senses) and suffix -ANT (a suffix forming adjectives and nouns from verbs).

Usage:
   As piquant to the tongue as salt.

Appealingly provocative: a piquant wit.
Charming, interesting, or attractive: a piquant face.

Monday, November 24, 2008

The bad and the Ugly

There is the city of god , and the city of man. More often than not, they have little in common. As a prince, it is good to be both loved and feared. But if you have to choose between the two, you better be feared. Above, was the ideology behind the literary work, "the prince".  Lets see an excerpt : 

 "These methods are very cruel, and enemies to all government not merely Christian but human, and any man ought to avoid them and prefer to live a private life rather than to be a king who brings such ruin on men. Notwithstanding, a ruler who does not wish to take that first good way of lawful government, if he wishes to maintain himself, must enter upon this evil one. But men take certain middle ways that are very injurious; indeed, they are unable to be altogether good or altogether bad. "

                                        Nicholous machiavelli
                                        The prince

  Whatever Machiavelli's own intentions (and they remain a matter of heated debate), his name became synonymous with ruthless politics, deceit and the pursuit of power by any means : Machiavellian.

Not certain What to do.


When you are not certain of what to do, when you find yourself chosing between "nowhere" and "nothing", you are Irresolute. You clearly lack resolve, and are not sure how to proceed. You can be infirm of puropose, you could be spine-less , wavering, Vacillating; as the picture illustrates. Well you are really irresolute whether to memorize the picture, or the text written here, aren't you ?