| Title: | The Joy of Lex |
| Notice: | A Notes File even your grammar could love |
| Moderator: | THEBAY::SYSTEM |
| Created: | Fri Feb 28 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Mon Jun 02 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 1192 |
| Total number of notes: | 42769 |
This came in my mail today:
Date: Sun, 29 Sep 85 13:26:07 edt
From: Martha Rose <mrose at mit-prep.ARPA>
Re: definitions? try this one...
From "The Continuing Crisis" column in the Oct '85 _American Spectator_:
"The English language needs a word which means 'producing or tending to
produce a mysterious satisfaction that is not wholly in good taste'. Viz.
this item from the Associated Press wire, datelined New Orleans, August 1:
'A guest at a party for lifeguards celebrating their first drowning-free
swimming season drowned.'"
Well, folks-- can we find a word for this definition?
How about bonus points if the word can be spelled in hex :-)
Jon
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101.1 | SERF::POWERS | Fri Oct 04 1985 12:20 | 8 | ||
The word "irony" would probably be used to describe such situations, but having looked it up, I see that its definition does not really reflect this common use. irony: 1) the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; 2) incongruity between what is expected and what occurs; from the Greek for dissembling or feigned ignorance - tom] | |||||
| 101.2 | EDEN::FREED | Fri Oct 04 1985 16:36 | 16 | ||
Got it! Although it's borrowed from German...but I've seen it pop up in essays written in English, several times, recently. SCHADENFREUDE, if I remember correctly. Would apply to the state of being grieved + relieved -- as in, "My cube neighbor just got laid off, but that I didn't, so that means I must be safe." The term is explained and promoted as a concept we NEED in our emotional vocabularies, in _When_Bad_Things_Happen_ To_Good_People. It translates from the German, loosely, as "sad-happiness." Since it's so modular, and since things (like the pool party) sometimes happen in the reverse order, we might experiment with "FREUDENSCHADE".... Now, be gentle on me! My German is aus-geshundheit. | |||||
| 101.3 | Schadenfreude | MARVIN::WALSH | Tue Apr 25 1989 16:11 | 7 | |
re .2
I think it means more precisely to take active delight in the
misfortunes of others, rather than simply to be relieved at the fact
that Fate has not similarly dumped on you.
Chris
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| 101.4 | Well done!! | SHIPS::KINSCHERFF_B | German Expat in England | Tue Sep 17 1991 19:21 | 4 |
re .3
Exactly!
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