100 Pounds of Dynamite » words

context

fjania — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 18:17:51 +0000

I’ve been using one word quite a bit for the last couple of years: “context”. So much of what we seem to do day-to-day really lacks context. We have quick converstations that might be misinterpreted due to lack of context. We get powerpoint presentations chock full of bullets that don’t say much to begin with and are in many cases devoid of context (other than the title page )

We could all use a little more context…

con·text (k?n’t?kst’)
n.

1. The part of a text or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning.
2. The circumstances in which an event occurs; a setting.

[Middle English, composition, from Latin contextus, from past participle of contexere, to join together : com-, com- + texere, to weave.]

reclaim

fjania — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 18:13:12 +0000

I’ve taken to using the word “reclaim” recently. It seems like such an empowering word.

re·claim (r?-kl?m’)
tr.v., -claimed, -claim·ing, -claims.

1. To bring into or return to a suitable condition for use, as cultivation or habitation: reclaim marshlands; reclaim strip-mined land.
2. To procure (usable substances) from refuse or waste products.
3. To bring back, as from error, to a right or proper course; reform. See synonyms at save1.
4. To tame (a falcon, for example).

[Middle English reclamen, to call back, from Old French reclamer, to entreat, from Latin recl?m?re : re-, re- + cl?m?re, to cry out.]

“Step up to the plate”

fjania — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 21:34:28 +0000

I’m going to rip my friggin hair out. Its this damn phrase – “step up to the plate”. Thanks to The Apprentice and also The other Apprentice this has creeped back into the mainstream as a way to indicate that someone is not doing what is expected of them – ‘pulling their weight’, ‘towing thier load’, etc.

In last week’s Trump Apprentice the project manager for the women’s team said that she needed Toral to “step up to the plate” and wear that rediculous mascot outfit. It was probably used 5 or 6 other times in the episode. The message really starts to get lost in the hackney of it all. If you really want to get your point across, how about just saying what the hell is on your mind and not relying on worn out phrases?

disabuse

fjania — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 15:25:14 +0000

dis·a·buse (d?s’?-by?z’)
tr.v., -bused, -bus·ing, -bus·es.

To free from a falsehood or misconception: I must disabuse you of your feelings of grandeur.

[French désabuser : dés-, dis- + abuser, to delude (from Old French, to misuse; see abuse).]