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Monday, March 14, 2011

Cacophonous ludicrous diatribe aka Loud crazy people should shut up now!

Good evening ladies and gents! Thank you to all of you who have been reading and enjoying this new blog. Please let me know if there are words you've heard or topics you'd like talked about on here, and I'd be happy to do my best to address them. Or undress them. Which ever you prefer, because I'm okay with either!

First word!

CACOPHONY!

ca·coph·o·ny noun \ka-ˈkä-fə-nē, -ˈkȯ- also -ˈka-\
plural ca·coph·o·nies

Definition of CACOPHONY

: harsh or discordant sound : dissonance

2; specifically : harshness in the sound of words or phrases

Origin of CACOPHONY

(see cacophonous)
Synonyms: babel, blare, bluster, bowwow, brawl, bruit [archaic], noise, chatter, clamor, clangor, decibel(s), din, discordance, katzenjammer, racket, rattle, roar

Antonyms: quiet, silence, silentness, still, stillness

First Known Use: circa 1656
Related to CACOPHONY

1656!
-The Stockholm Banco, the first bank to issue banknotes, is founded.
-The only Fifty Shilling British coin is minted.
-Konoike Zen'amon (son of Konoike Shinroku) founds a baking and money-changing business in Osaka.

Some poor sap got tired of the sudden sound of coins and money going jangle jangle all over the place and screamed out, "What is all this cacophony!? Oooh, heyyy, I just made up a new word! I'm so awesome. SHUT THE HELL UP WITH THAT MONEY!"

Second word!

LUDICROUS!

lu·di·crous adj \ˈlü-də-krəs\
Definition of LUDICROUS

1: amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration, or eccentricity
2: meriting derisive laughter or scorn as absurdly inept, false, or foolish
— lu·di·crous·ly adverb
— lu·di·crous·ness noun

Synonyms: antic, chucklesome, comedic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, hilarious, humoristic, humorous, hysterical (also hysteric), killing, laughable, funny, ridiculous, riotous, risible, screaming, sidesplitting, uproarious
Antonyms: humorless, lame, unamusing, uncomic, unfunny, unhumorous, unhysterical

Origin of LUDICROUS

Latin ludicrus, from ludus play, sport; perhaps akin to Greek loidoros abusive
First Known Use: 1712

1712!

The birth of Jean-Jacques Rousseau! He wrote Émile; or On Education, and important treatise on the education system. Those buttheads in power in Paris and Geneva thought his ideas were LUDICROUS and the book was publicly burned in 1762. And then, when the French Revolution rolled around, the book was used to inspire major changes in the education system. Take THAT you stuffy, old, and likely beheaded or otherwise dead, bastards!

Third word!

DIATRIBE!

di·a·tribe noun \ˈdī-ə-ˌtrīb\
Definition of DIATRIBE

1 archaic : a prolonged discourse
2 : a bitter and abusive speech or piece of writing
3 : ironic or satirical criticism

Synonyms: tirade, harangue, jeremiad, philippic, rant

(I've just realized that many of the words that are listed as synonyms for these words are also advanced words. Some of them I don't know. Just look at it as an opportunity to learn multiple words at a time.)

Origin of DIATRIBE

Latin diatriba, from Greek diatribē pastime, discourse, from diatribein to spend (time), wear away, from dia- + tribein to rub — more at throw
First Known Use: 1581

1581!
-The English Parliament outlaws Roman Catholicism.
-Public worship for catholics in the Netherlands is officially forbidden.
-Nicholas Sanders, English Catholic propagandist, dies.

Upon hearing the news about the various places outlawing Catholicism, Nicholas Sanders went on a lengthy diatribe that lasted most of the year until his lungs simply refused to work any longer. The poor chap lost his life at the age of 51.

Disclaimer: All facts are freely subject to scrutiny, and the author, in cases of obvious foolishness, does not hold the aforementioned stories to be true. They might be, though!



Alright, so these words aren't used often, but they are not obscure either. If you use them, most educated folks, or people who are well read, will know what you're talking about. That is an assumption I'm making. I can't really speak for most people because I am finding more and more often that even at the university level, it's hit or miss.

If I use a word or phrase in my writing that baffles you, which may happen if it is an idiom or uncommon word, and you'd like it clarified, don't hesitate to ask, and I'll do my best to make it clear. My grandma said that a method she always found very helpful for remembering words was using them in three different sentences, and the word will stick strongly in your mind. Thanks again to those of you who are showing a genuine interest.

SHUT THE HELL UP WITH THAT MONEY!!

6 comments:

  1. I can't remember the last one someone used the word 'diatribe' in conversation.

    Actually, I'm pretty sure I've never heard that word in conversation.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I will try to incorporate them in my vocabulary, specially LUDICROUS.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I guess diatribe is rarer than I thought! Oh well, it's still a good word to know.

    ReplyDelete