On occasion, I discover that a word I had always thought existed is in fact a figment of my imagination. Does anyone else have these?
To misle - until quite recently, I believed there was such a word, because of all the times I had read "he misled her", etc. And I gave it a slightly sneakier meaning than 'mislead' - more along the lines of 'hoodwink' (which is an excellent word!).
And a couple of other similar things I'll own up to:
Misunderestimate - a mating of misunderstand and underestimate. I've never actually written this one, but when I'm speaking of misunderstandings and underestimations, it's always lurking there waiting to spring out.
Survery - my fingers won't let me type 'survey' without inserting an 'r'. Perhaps a hangover from that long-ago dissertation on slavery? Or perhaps I have a subconscious obsession with serveries.
Anyone else care to confess?
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About Me
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- Why did I turn out such a pedant? Well you'd have to ask my TV-banning, lentil-baking, library-enforcing, doctor-eschewing, beanbag-sitting, grammar-correcting, homeopathic, 2nd dan black belt, all-round no-nonsense mother. 'Cos me, I got no idea.
Mi´sle
ReplyDeletev. i. 1. To rain in very fine drops, like a thick mist; to mizzle; to drizzle.
[imp. & p. p. Misled ; p. pr. & vb. n. Misling .]
n. 1. A fine rain; a thick mist; a mizzle; a drizzle.
Ah, I stand corrected! There is, it seems, nothing new under the sun.
ReplyDeleteI always wanted "schadenfreudes" to be a word - ideally a collective noun for those who are either regular experiencers-of, or indeed fans of, schadenfreude.
ReplyDeleteIt would open up the prospect of beginning messages:
"Hey there Schadenfreudes!"
I think I'd enjoy that.
Apparently, I frequently make up words but I think that's a load of fibulateous slibel!!
ReplyDelete