In Defense of a Poor, Helpless Vocabulary Word

[gnomi]

I am here to speak out in protection of the word "fulsome."

The American Heritage Dictionary (4th edition, 2001) defines fulsome as:

adj.Offensively flattering or insincere. See Syns. at unctuous. [ME fulsom, abundant, disgusting]

However, I keep seeing it used as a synonym for "abundant," presumably based on false association with "full." And it is time to stand up for fulsome in its original meaning. Thus, no more fulsome praise...unless you really mean that the praise is offensive or insincere.

I, and my fellow vocabulary pedants, thank you.

Comments

[dpolicar]

Funny. I always understood "fulsome praise" to mean lathering it on with a trowel... ie, offensively flattering.

[kuroshii.livejournal.com]

yes, but you don't get up to the podium and thank people for it.

like george plimpton did, once. shortly after which he learned the correct meaning of the word, and realised why they had so suddenly gotten quiet.

[kay-derwydd.livejournal.com]

Aside from automatically thinking of Fulsom Prison, that was what I always understood, too. LOL

[madfilkentist]

That's Folsom Prison.

[kay-derwydd.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* I had a feeling I spelled that wrong. *blushes* Thank ya. LOL

[byrne.livejournal.com]

*cringe* Did I do that? *hides*

[tygerseye.livejournal.com]

LOL!

Dork.

*smooch*

[byrne.livejournal.com]

She's editing the Victorian, so it's highly possible. *hides more*

[tygerseye.livejournal.com]

eek? *lick*

[byrne.livejournal.com]

Oh and *germ free snog*

[tygerseye.livejournal.com]

*snuggles* I need all the snogs I can get this weekend. :( :(

[byrne.livejournal.com]

I know. :((((

*hugs you so very very tight*

:(((((((

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

No, not you.

What prompted this post was a story I was just randomly reading for pleasure. Fear not; I haven't found anything eggregious in AGA.

[tygerseye.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm. Geekitude is so sexy. :D

[cheshyre]

Any chance you could address "enormity" next, or is it too late?

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

It's really probably too late.

C'mon, people think "irregardless" is a word. Do you really think they're going to understand fulsome and enormity?

[cramerica.livejournal.com]

I always associated fulsome with a sickeningly sweet smell...

As Long As You're Standing Up . . .

[(Anonymous)]

On the subject of vocabulary abuse, what is to be done about the growing number of people who use "literally" to mean "figuratively"? They must be stopped.

The other night, I heard Bob Schieffer of CBS News describe how Sen. John McCain was having yet another dispute with the Bush Administration by saying that the senator "literally exploded." That left me wondering: Did the explosion leave the walls of some Senate hearing room spattered with blood and gore, or was the heat of the blast so intense that it reduced the senator's remains to a mere dusting of ash?


STEVE O.

[ianrandalstrock.livejournal.com]

I'm in. No more misuse of fulsome... other than to heap fulsome praise on those who it to mean a lot.

And may I put forward my ongoing search for a new, good word? Decimate means to reduce by one-tenth, but it is so often used to mean "nearly totally destroy" that it is weakening. I've been searching long (but not too hard) for a word that means "to reduce by ninety percent", almost the inverse of decimate, but haven't yet found one I like.

[merlinpole.livejournal.com]

"virtually annihilate" perhaps, or "nearly annihilated."

[ianrandalstrock.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but that doesn't have the pizzazz of a single word, le mot juste. It feels like a fix-up.

[merlinpole.livejournal.com]

The misuse of "factoid" annoys me.... I think it was Norman Mailer who invented the term, to denote something which is not true, but which people tend to perceive as true. The use that paraliterate journalists put it to, to denote something that is true but it not a big deal, is just so wrong/inaccurate/inappropriate....

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

Count me in, too!