Posted Oct 29, 2001 by Uncle Ghengis
What I like about the word 'sesquipedalian' - is that it means "one-and-a-half-feet-long". But this does not restrict it's meaning to 'feet' of a metrical and rhythmic nature - it can also mean 'feet' in distance. So you can use the word merely to describe something which is 18 inches long (or high or wide or whatever)
Or in other words Sesquipedalian means...
"About that big!" (hands held out appropriately)
I love translating the grandiloquent into terse (and vice versa)
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Posted Oct 29, 2001 by Future World Dictator (13)
Ah! I was wondering what a word that clearly meant "one and a half feet long" was doing in an article about language-type stuff.
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Posted Nov 12, 2001 by Bagheera: Spellchecker, Grammarian Pedant, Semiquavering Secretary and member of the Punctuation Police
Fond memories of an extremely good Latin teacher who probably did more to inspire a love of languages in general for everyone fortunate enough to receive his pearls of wisdom (this, by the way, is utterly sincere, with NO sarcastic over/undertones!!)
Who else could roll out grandiloquent phrases such as "Tintinabulations of the Underworld and receptacles of sanguinary hæmoglobin!" on discovering a minor fault in translation? And would "Hell's bells and buckets of blood!" sound right coming from a Jesuit? Or have the desired effect? After all, is anyone likely to repeat such a mistake once it has been pounced upon in this manner?
I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of the contributors to this site are also frequent guests on the 'Word of
outh' Radio 4 MB . . . . ??
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Posted Jun 13, 2002 by wonko the sane
i had a teacher who used heavyduty stuff like "parochial obfuscation" and "vapid catharsis".or something like that. anyway, he was good, so dont snigger.
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