# A bad case of palimpsest - words that mean the wrong thing. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 22, 2020, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312 "2020-05-22T20:05:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/81 "2020-05-27T00:52:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I dunno, I always think of “wainscotting” as being some fortunately bygone aspect of uncomfortable women’s fashion. Something like those elaborate sculpted dresses that make it impossible to sit down. No, no, “wainscotting” is a late-medieval sport, where peasants would compete to see how far away they could recognize wagon drivers. This was of some utility until reliable firearms were developed. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/82 "2020-05-27T00:58:26Z")
And “callipygian” refers to “powerful, dark writing”. Originally this was literal, in the sense of black ink on dark paper, but then it was used metaphorically to describe things we would now use the word “noir” for. ---
**Author:** ![westofley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3da27b/32.png) [@westofley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/westofley)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2020, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/83 "2020-05-27T17:41:47Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Hoi polloi sounds like it should be society’s pompous elites, not the rabble. But it’s something that only elites say, so it balances out. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/84 "2020-05-28T02:41:06Z")
A _bassoon_ is a largish hairy primate living in equatorial jungles. A _bassinet_ is a musical instrument often found in classical music. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/85 "2020-05-28T03:49:53Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Don’t forget their low-class cousin Trampoline. She’s just doing the best she can, trying to get by, like the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/86 "2020-05-29T16:44:27Z")
Balaclava should be a lively Romanian folk dance. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/87 "2020-05-29T20:11:00Z")
> [@Karen\_Lingel](#): > > Balaclava should be a lively Romanian folk dance. And baklava is the Greek version, danced by men with pompoms on their shoes. _Badass_ men with pompoms on their shoes. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/88 "2020-05-31T20:33:04Z")
Obliterate is the way you don’t want to be literate, but it shouldn’t. Fortunately, “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.” ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/89 "2020-06-01T23:52:07Z")
Today I learned . . . tergiversation This thread is about what people think a word _ought_ to mean, but I can’t even imagine what this should mean. A turgid conversation maybe? This is the kind of word only George Will (or maybe William Safire) would use, as in this old op-ed I came across today: > [@George Will](#): > > During the government shutdown, Graham’s tergiversations — sorry, this is the precise word — have amazed. On a recent day, in 90 minutes he went from “I don’t know” whether the president has the power to declare an emergency and divert into wall-building funds appropriated by Congress for other purposes, to “Time for President . . . to use emergency powers to build Wall.” The next day, he scrambled up the escalation ladder by using capitalization: “Declare a national emergency NOW. Build a wall NOW.” Two days later, he scampered down a few rungs, calling for his hero to accept a short-term funding measure to open the government while wall negotiations continue. Stay tuned for more acrobatics. [Why do people such as Lindsey Graham come to Congress?](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-do-people-such-as-lindsey-graham-come-to-congress/2019/01/23/9830a174-1e68-11e9-8e21-59a09ff1e2a1_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_27), George Will, _Washington Post_, January 23, 2019. Flip-flopping maybe? Continually changing one’s position? Acrobatics? Selling one’s soul for political expediency? I had to look that one up. [spoiler] > [@](#): > > tergiversation noun > > ter·​gi·​ver·​sa·​tion | \ ˌtər-ˌji-vər-ˈsā-shən, -ˌgi-; ˌtər-ji-(ˌ)vər- \ > > Definition of tergiversation > > 1 : evasion of straightforward action or clear-cut statement : EQUIVOCATION > > 2 : desertion of a cause, position, party, or faith [Merriam-Webster On-Line Dictionary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tergiversation)[/spoiler]Who knew that? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/90 "2020-06-02T05:03:48Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Today I learned . . . > > tergiversation > > This thread is about what people think a word _ought_ to mean, but I can’t even imagine what this should mean. A turgid conversation maybe? This is the kind of word only George Will (or maybe William Safire) would use, as in this old op-ed I came across today: > > […] > > Who knew that? It is one of Cicero’s favorite words, so a hell of a lot more people than would otherwise be the case. Otherwise it’s pretty rare. But anyone who took at least a year of Latin would understand it. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/91 "2020-06-02T12:12:29Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > It is one of Cicero’s favorite words, so a hell of a lot more people than would otherwise be the case. > > Otherwise it’s pretty rare. But anyone who took at least a year of Latin would understand it. [raises hand] Sorry – I took Latin for two years (and studied on my own beyond that), and I had no inkling of the meaning of that word. Of course, my teachers never threw Cicero at us. Maybe that’s why. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/92 "2020-06-02T13:59:08Z")
Effluent should mean a flowery skill at swearing. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/93 "2020-06-02T14:06:49Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > You know, posts like this make me really bucolic. > > j 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/94 "2020-06-02T14:54:11Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > [raises hand] > > Sorry – I took Latin for two years (and studied on my own beyond that), and I had no inkling of the meaning of that word. > > Of course, my teachers never threw Cicero at us. Maybe that’s why. I figured the literal meaning (to turn one’s back) would be clear enough from _tergum_ + _versari_, but you are right, I concede that the Ciceronian nuances are not obvious, especially out of context. [Now, isn’t that some typical tergiversation on my part…] ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/95 "2020-06-02T18:20:24Z")
Pyrrhic victory should mean “You burned them to the ground” ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/96 "2020-06-02T21:00:25Z")
> [@Civil\_Guy](#): > > …_Treppenwitz_ is a quaint village in Austria, right? > [@Treppenwitz](#): > > You know, posts like this make me really bucolic. > > j > [@JKellyMap](#): > > 🙂 Thank you so much, JKM. I wish I could say I got a million like that, but I don’t. Just the one. j ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/97 "2020-06-03T00:55:54Z")
_Inspissated_ is an unfortunate condition the urinary tract can be in after surgery. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2020, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/98 "2020-06-03T01:39:57Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > _Inspissated_ is an unfortunate condition the urinary tract can be in after surgery. _Incontinent_, by the way, is to be mildly disgruntled. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2020, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/99 "2020-06-03T05:18:16Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I figured the literal meaning (to turn one’s back) would be clear enough from _tergum_ + _versari_, but you are right, I concede that the Ciceronian nuances are not obvious, especially out of context. > > [Now, isn’t that some typical tergiversation on my part…] So that day the entire [New York City police force turned their backs](https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/scores-nypd-cops-turn-backs-de-blasio-officer-funeral-article-1.3318292) on Mayor De Blasio (July 11, 2017), they all [del]tergiverated[/del] [del]tersiverated[/del] [del]tervigerated[/del] [del]tervigersated[/del] [del]tersigervated[/del] tergiversated? ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312/100 "2020-06-04T03:01:11Z")
> [@Scribble](#): > > “Chlorine” and “Fluorine” are also women’s names. In the same way that “Faucet” or “Urticaria” evoke images of fine wine, the country club, and the family estate, “Chlorine” and “Fluorine” bring to mind cheap beer, monster truck rallies, and trailer parks. I can see their mother standing in the back of their double-wide yelling, “Chlo-REEEEN!! Flo-REEEEN!! Git back here an’ hang this washin’ on the lahn!” (The woman who inspired the Dolly Parton song “Jolene” was actually named “Chlorine.” Chlorine, Chlorine, Chlorine, Chloreeee-eeeen! I’m beggin’ of ya please don’t take my man!) Yet Chlorine and Fluorine epitomize class when compared to potty-mouthed cousin [Bowlene](https://www.whiteley.com.au/our-products/Bowlene), or perhaps “Bolene”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-case-of-palimpsest-words-that-mean-the-wrong-thing/854312.md?page=6)