24 Words Collins English Dictionary wants to discard

Do you know what it means, Rockhead? It means "stingy" but in our moronic gang-bang ghettos, no one knows its meaning. That is why, not too long ago, a person who gave a speech using the word was threatened with bodily harm from a group who did not know it meant "stingy". The idiots who threatened the speaker thought the speaker was being a "racist".

Not talkin' to trolls...

That's your problem. You could lift yourself from your self imposed sea of ignorance but since I have never seen you write anything longer than one line, it would appear that you are among the 75-80 IQ crowd!

guess again.

(we're done, jr...)

Ok- what about 7o-75 IQ?

You want to be careful about casting aspersions, Mason. It's hardly a sign of being a moron when one doesn't know the meaning of certain words. I assure you that there are thousands of words in English that neither you nor I know or have ever even come across.

Actually, there are numerous examples of conservative groups illustrating that they are some of the most ignorant folk when it comes to language. Bill Buckley was one of them, as is William Safire, though they are hardly the only ones.

I know the meaning, and the origin of said word.

The troll likes to light fires...

I knew that, Rockhead. But knowing the origin of words is not at all important to language. All too often the tale told about a word's origin is mere fluff.

Do you really think that William Safire and William F. Buckley did not have superb vocabularies? If so, please name anyone from the left wing whose vocabulary is superior> I don't know of any and may have missed them!

As far as the meaning of words go, I can take almost any Vocabulary Test and I rarely get a score below 95. I am not a trained linguist but I have studied Latin, Spanish and Polish. I can read French with understanding.

Niggardly is not used frequently but it is not an esoteric word. If Rockhead wrote in such a way as to use a special word once in a while, I would not have characterized him.

And if you were not a troll, I might play vocabulary games with you.

(wish in one hand, **** in the other...)

I didn't say that, Mason. I said they knew virtually nothing about how language worked.

You are confusing the ability to use language, which we all have, with the knowledge of language.

Rockhead, why don't you try "desire" in one hand, "excrement" in the other. It sounds better!

Shooting in the dark is the number 1 cause of ricochet bullet wounds...

LOL!

But aren't you tempted as me to try to do exactly that now?

T
K
O

Who does know how language works? A philologist? I nominate Steven Pinker of Harvard as one of the best in the USA. His book, the Language Instinct is one of the best I have ever read on Language. An older classic is "The Story of Language" by the philologist- Mario Pei and one that is even older but famous in its time is the magnificent "The American Language" by H. L. Mencken.

There are many who know how language works, but my point was that knowing one piece of vocabulary or another does not mark one as knowledgeable about language.

People come to know words that they are exposed to and that are useful to their lives.

It's not capitalized, Massagatto. It's not a proper noun.

Not only am I tempted, but I plan to climb this lexicographical Everest.

Why, you ask?

Because it is there.

What is it that is not capitalized? You have no referent in your post.

Oh. Was I talking to you?