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November 03, 2005
Word of the Day
catachresis \kat-uh-KREE-sis\ noun*1 : use of the wrong word for the context
2 : use of a forced and especially paradoxical figure of speechExample sentence:
The paper printed a correction for the previous day's catachresis: dubbing a local artist-philanthropist a "socialist" when they meant "socialite."
I find myself calling Bingley a "fascist" when I meant to say "fathead", so this has some relevance.
Posted by tree hugging sister at November 3, 2005 03:54 PM
Comments
Are you inferring that I use words incorrectly?
Posted by: Ken Summers at November 3, 2005 05:30 PM
Well, I think she meant something else when she accused you of senile dysfunction.
Posted by: Cullen at November 3, 2005 06:40 PM
Cullen, that was the other place. Talk about senile...
Posted by: Ken Summers at November 3, 2005 10:42 PM
I never said that, CulLEN. His senility is functioning just fine.
Posted by: tree hugging sister at November 3, 2005 11:18 PM
I realize his senility is functioning fine. Hence the catachresis.
Posted by: Cullen at November 4, 2005 07:02 AM
The nuns were very mean when they were teaching my catachresis classes.
Posted by: Mr. Bingley at November 4, 2005 07:56 AM
Not being Catholic, I have no idea what you're Tolkien about.
Posted by: Cullen at November 4, 2005 09:26 AM
Oh heck, Cullen, even folks who aren't Catholic know about nuns; they're the women who wear hobbits on their heads.
Posted by: Mr. Bingley at November 4, 2005 09:51 AM
Of course I know the nones. Watt I was Tolkien about was the catharsis. I intended private school. But our Christian instructors didn't hit us with rulers when we fried ents with magnifying glasses.
Posted by: Cullen at November 4, 2005 10:18 AM
I thought "catachresis" was something they put on people confined to a hospital bed?
Posted by: The_Real_JeffS at November 4, 2005 11:44 AM