# 'Embolden' (weak) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 26, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628 "2007-01-26T21:49:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/61 "2007-01-27T01:37:17Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] (Did you hate it before it was bushisized? It’s really a lovely word in the right context.) [/QUOTE] It’s kinda like “recused” or “chad.” It seems like it’s popping up all over the place lately. I assume it will fade back out again soon, once it stops being a talking point. But really, my dislike is probably spurred by it being said by people I hate, so then the poor little word gets all smudgy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![born\_too\_late](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba9def/32.png) [@born\_too\_late](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/born_too_late)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/62 "2007-01-27T01:40:31Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] Yes. Also, we use them correctly, something with which you clearly struggle. [/QUOTE] Which word have I used incorrectly? [QUOTE=Miller] More proof that it’s not an obsolete term? George Bush uses it regularly. Remember, this is the man with the second smallest vocabulary in the world. If he uses a word, it’s either something he just invented, or it’s about as common a word as “the” or “and.” [/QUOTE] Since the man consistently uses words that don’t even exist, I’d say that doesn’t really help your argument. Maybe he heard it from some other idiot in his administration that used it thinking he’d sound smart. > [@](#): > > Googling “embolden” gets 775,000 hits. How does that support anything? Maybe before Bush it resulted in 10,000 hits. How does ‘embolden’ compare to the commonality of any other word? Googling ‘Contrapuntal’ gets 603,000. What does that prove? That you like to use unusual words? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/63 "2007-01-27T01:43:52Z")
[QUOTE=Leviosaurus] I detest the way Bush attempts to make terrorists sound more ominous by using words he gets from watching “Lord of the Rings”. [/QUOTE] When he calls Osama bin Laden an “unseelie wight,” I’m moving to… wherever will have me. ---
**Author:** ![Leviosaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Leviosaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leviosaurus)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/64 "2007-01-27T01:46:03Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] When he calls Osama bin Laden an “unseelie wight,” I’m moving to… wherever will have me. [/QUOTE] Gondor? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/65 "2007-01-27T01:52:13Z")
Interesting tidbit: Googling “fuckwit” yields 364,000 results and 474 images. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/66 "2007-01-27T01:57:39Z")
You know another word that makes people who use it sound like assholes? “Eidetic”. ---
**Author:** ![born\_too\_late](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba9def/32.png) [@born\_too\_late](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/born_too_late)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/67 "2007-01-27T02:04:56Z")
[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird] You know another word that makes people who use it sound like assholes? “Eidetic”. [/QUOTE] Since I was addressing/defending my ‘vocabulary skills’, I was using it to show that I can use big words too. Sorry I confused you. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/68 "2007-01-27T02:07:52Z")
[QUOTE=born too late] Since I was addressing/defending my ‘vocabulary skills’, I was using it to show that I can use big words too. [/QUOTE] You know a word I love? Palimpsest. I’d vote for George Bush if he used palimpsest. And got the 22nd Amendment revoked. I wonder which is more likely? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/69 "2007-01-27T02:16:42Z")
[QUOTE=born too late] Which word have I used incorrectly? [/QUOTE] “Eidetic,” for one. ---
**Author:** ![born\_too\_late](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba9def/32.png) [@born\_too\_late](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/born_too_late)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/70 "2007-01-27T02:24:53Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] “Eidetic,” for one. [/QUOTE] How is ‘[photographic memory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_memory)-like’ knowledge wrong there? Maybe it’s a question of usage? Is it not commonly used like that? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/71 "2007-01-27T02:29:52Z")
[QUOTE=born too late] How is ‘[photographic memory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_memory)-like’ knowledge wrong there? [/QUOTE] Because you’re talking about vocabulary, which is an abstract concept, not a visual image. Eidetic specifically refers to highly detailed _visual_ memory. Unless you were saying these PhDs of yours are really good at remembering what a dictionary _looks_ like, you’re misusing the word. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/72 "2007-01-27T02:33:54Z")
[QUOTE=born too late] How does that support anything? Maybe before Bush it resulted in 10,000 hits. How does ‘embolden’ compare to the commonality of any other word? [/QUOTE] It wasn’t support. It was a set up so I could call you a quarrelsome woman. Try to read the text as a whole construct, instead of focusing on distinct elements. There’s a Brave New World out there for you, pilgrim! > [@](#): > > Googling ‘Contrapuntal’ gets 603,000. What does that prove? That you like to use unusual words? You simply \*must \*get over this misconception that things outside your experience are unusual. Really. No kidding. There is so much more going on than you seem to understand, and all you have to do is get past your egocentric bias to experience it. Just try it. What the heck. If it discombobulates you, you can always go back to being a small-minded wanksplashing blaggard ninnyhammer. ---
**Author:** ![born\_too\_late](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba9def/32.png) [@born\_too\_late](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/born_too_late)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/73 "2007-01-27T02:42:48Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] Because you’re talking about vocabulary, which is an abstract concept, not a visual image. Eidetic specifically refers to highly detailed _visual_ memory. Unless you were saying these PhDs of yours are really good at remembering what a dictionary _looks_ like, you’re misusing the word. [/QUOTE] Couldn’t you know what a word means by recalling the image of a definition in a dictionary? I admit that in the same context in the sentence talking about PhDs it sounds clunky, but would it be okay if I heard lots of people using it that way? If it was commonly used that way? [QUOTE=Contrapuntal] You simply must get over this misconception that things outside your experience are unusual. Really. No kidding. There is so much more going on than you seem to understand, and all you have to do is get past your egocentric bias to experience it. Just try it. What the heck. If it discombobulates you, you can always go back to being a small-minded wanksplashing blaggard ninnyhammer. [/QUOTE] Since you felt like belittling me with your obvious superiornessosity early in the thread, I assumed that you still cared about defending yourself. Maybe you should get over the misconception that because the circle of people you hang out with use the word profusely, it must be common. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/74 "2007-01-27T03:19:48Z")
[QUOTE=Oakminster] Hymeny more maidenhead jokes are there? [/QUOTE] As a lawyer you probably know this already. In English Law, a Maiden Assize is an assize where there is no criminal prosecution. If multiple such assizes take place either concurrently or consecutively at the same venue, each is assigned its own unique number _e.g._ Maiden Assize 3 or Maiden Assize 4. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/75 "2007-01-27T03:38:12Z")
[QUOTE=Tengu] I’d love to see the headlines if that town went bankrupt. ‘MAIDENHEAD BROKE’. Even better, if it went bankrupt because of the incompetence of the town’s leadership: ‘MAYOR BREAKS MAIDENHEAD’. [/QUOTE] Or before a controversial and divisive referendum: MAIDENHEAD TORN Anyway, regarding the OP: get thee to a library. Yutz. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/76 "2007-01-27T06:23:14Z")
I caught a bit of Gene Simmons’ reality show, and his wife and some other blonde were discussing his codpiece from a Kiss costume. Having quite a good time with it; wondering why it had to be so big, comparing it to fishing stories, stuff like that. I think the word “codpiece” is coming back into language bigtime. It’s the new “random.” Oh yeah, I hate the word (name, actually) Dupuis. Sorry if anyone is named that - I just hate the sound of it. Doo-pweeee. Hate it. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/77 "2007-01-27T06:29:31Z")
[QUOTE=born too late] Since I was addressing/defending my ‘vocabulary skills’, I was using it to show that I can use big words too. Sorry I confused you. [/QUOTE] Yeah, thanks for clearing that up for me, O Swami. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/78 "2007-01-27T06:58:04Z")
[QUOTE=El Cid Viscoso] Hey, the guy wasn’t born yesterday. [/QUOTE] So? You’re supposed to be at least in high school before you post, here. He could have been born even the day before yesterday and he’d still be out of his league. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/79 "2007-01-27T08:00:53Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] You know a word I love? Palimpsest. I’d vote for George Bush if he used palimpsest. And got the 22nd Amendment revoked. I wonder which is more likely? [/QUOTE] Me, too! I like to write it and erase it, over and over and over…all the while looking at the surface of the ocean. So would you vote for me too? (I promise that if duly elected I won’t use my powers to be mean to Rosie. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/80 "2007-01-27T09:46:52Z")
**Em** spirit. Jesus, people, did no one take English in high school? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628.md?page=5)