solecism: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

[FrogMan]

Word of the Day for Thursday December 9, 2004

solecism \SOL-uh-siz-uhm\, noun:
1. A nonstandard usage or grammatical construction; also, a
minor blunder in speech.
2. A breach of good manners or etiquette.
3. Any inconsistency, mistake, or impropriety.

An accurate report of anything that has ever been said in
any parliament would be blather, solecism, verbiage and
nonsense.
--"Hansard of the Highlands," [1]Times (London), February
17, 2001

Her English is good, apart from a few stubborn
idiosyncrasies of preposition and tense, but these are
music to me, sung solecisms -- how else to describe "I am
already loving you," her first declaration of feeling for
me, now two years old?
--Ronan Bennett, [2]The Catastrophist

In those days smoking in the streets was an unpardonable
solecism.
--Edmund Yates, Recollections

. .. another of her fabrications or flat-footed solecisms
or, at any rate, a simple indication of the boundless
ineptitude with which she manages Leonardo's affairs.
--R.M. Berry, [3]Leonardo's Horse

_________________________________________________________

Solecism comes from Latin soloecismus, from Greek soloikizein,
"to speak incorrectly," from soloikos, "speaking incorrectly,"
literally, "an inhabitant of Soloi," a city in ancient Cilicia
where a dialect regarded as substandard was spoken.

References

1. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/
2. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...3Dnosim/lexico
3. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/15...3Dnosim/lexico
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=9&q=solecism

Just got it by email. Thought it funny

FM

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

Just got it by email. Thought it funny

FM

Heh. I just got it as well.

[GoldenEagle]

What kind of dork vists dictionary.com?

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

What kind of dork vists dictionary.com?

the kind that speaks French better than English

FM

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

What kind of dork vists dictionary.com?

We don't visit dictionary.com, dictionary.com visits us. Hah! Who's the dork now, Eagle-boy?!?!

[WSUCougar]

Well, I'm the kind of dork that didn't realize solecism was an actual word until just now.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

Well, I'm the kind of dork that didn't realize solecism was an actual word until just now.

Well, you Rohirrim have more important things to worry about than learning obscure words. Though if you're in the market, I'd recommend dictionary.com's "word of the day," even if I delete 75% of the e-mails without ever reading them.

[FrogMan]

solecism is the word of the day again today...

FM