# '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:** 5
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/81 "2007-01-27T10:05:12Z")
Fuck me, is this the sort of help we conservatives get these days? There are so many wanky words to poke fun at the left\* with. “Embolden” is waaaay down the queue. \*Actually the right too - all that corporate shit. ---
**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, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/82 "2007-01-27T10:11:47Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] Edit: Hang on. This guy is ANTI-Bush. OK. I get confused these days [/QUOTE] Not to worry. Hang in there. The left and right swapping places even as we speak. ---
**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, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/83 "2007-01-27T11:50:50Z")
[QUOTE=born too late] 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. [/QUOTE] Here’s the thing. It’s not about hanging out with people. It’s about literacy. I see now where your thinking has gone awry. Read more books. Read some poetry. Maybe a literary magazine or two. Some history. Natural history. John Fowles. Mark Twain. Cormac McArthy. Munro. Chesterton. Conrad. Don’t rely on your miscreant contemporaries to bolster your vocabulary. You’ll be gibbering like an ape inside of two years. I’m pretty sure that \*\*Miller \*\*has laid to rest your misconception about the rareness of “embolden.” At this point, I’m just making fun of you. My superiornessosity over you, sadly, is even more common than field mice in a Georgia meadow. No sense in trumpeting that. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/84 "2007-01-27T12:58:04Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] If it discombobulates you, you can always go back to being a small-minded wanksplashing **blaggard** ninnyhammer. [/QUOTE] Think you misspelled [blackguard](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/blackguard) there, sparky. After you eviscerate all those orphans, you won’t be able to swap out your paladin levels if you can’t find the thing in the DMG… ---
**Author:** ![Lush\_Puppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Lush\_Puppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lush_Puppy)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/85 "2007-01-27T14:11:45Z")
[QUOTE=born too late] Can I start saying ‘emsheepen’? [/QUOTE] No. Because you think “embolden” is a Bushism. You know, for the rest of us outside the US who speak English, embolden is a rather common word. So please don’t usurp it and give it to Bush. That’s just insulting. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/86 "2007-01-27T14:16:29Z")
You know, I wonder if **born too late** ’s underlying problem is that he is simply shocked that your fearless leader actually knows some big words that aren’t made up? ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/87 "2007-01-27T14:31:12Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Not to worry. Hang in there. The left and right swapping places even as we speak. [/QUOTE] Dibs on the window seat. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/88 "2007-01-27T15:38:48Z")
[QUOTE=born too late] If you’re so smart, where’s your cite for just how common ‘embolden’ is in today’s usage? [/QUOTE] According to [WordCount](http://www.wordcount.org/main.php), “emboldened” (Yes, I know. Past tense. Work with me here.) is the 37,434th most common word, right between “dictators” and “solidified.” “Codpiece” weighs in at 81,201, between “pyrites” and “birdlip.” “Maiden” is at 10,140, between “syllabus” and “micro.” “Giraffe,” sadly, is at 34,887, and “ignoramus” is way out at 66,591. ---
**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, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/89 "2007-01-27T15:47:40Z")
[QUOTE=zut] According to [WordCount](http://www.wordcount.org/main.php), “emboldened” (Yes, I know. Past tense. Work with me here.) is the 37,434th most common word, right between “dictators” and “solidified.” “Codpiece” weighs in at 81,201, between “pyrites” and “birdlip.” “Maiden” is at 10,140, between “syllabus” and “micro.” “Giraffe,” sadly, is at 34,887, and “ignoramus” is way out at 66,591. [/QUOTE] That site is way neat, but I just don’t think it’s right. Most common for whom? For example, look up “cat” and you’ll find that “bird” is one place more common. One place more common than “bird” is “candidate.” The least common word in the list is “conquistador.” ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/90 "2007-01-27T15:53:12Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] That site is way neat, but I just don’t think it’s right. Most common for whom? For example, look up “cat” and you’ll find that “bird” is one place more common. One place more common than “bird” is “candidate.” The least common word in the list is “conquistador.” [/QUOTE] I agree about using it as a cite. But just for information: > [@](#): > > WordCount data currently comes from the British National Corpus®, a 100 million word collection of samples of written and spoken language from a wide range of sources, designed to represent an accurate cross-section of current English usage. WordCount includes all words that occur at least twice in the BNC®. In the future, WordCount will be modified to track word usage within any desired text, website, and eventually the entire Internet. I think we should see what we can do about “conquistador.” Perhaps we can start using it interchangably with “barista.” ---
**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, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/91 "2007-01-27T15:59:33Z")
The 792nd word is “gon.” I don’t know that word at all, my conquistador friend. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/92 "2007-01-27T16:11:37Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] Most common for whom? [/QUOTE] [Here](http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/): > [@](#): > > The British National Corpus (BNC) is a 100 million word collection of samples of written and spoken language from a wide range of sources, designed to represent a wide cross-section of current British English, both spoken and written. Bedizen, noumenal, coacervate, condign, concupiscent, and uxorious don’t even make the list; nor does asshat. ---
**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, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/93 "2007-01-27T16:22:11Z")
I bet floccinaucinihilipilification is used less often than conquistador. ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/94 "2007-01-27T16:22:47Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] [Here](http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/): Bedizen, noumenal, coacervate, condign, concupiscent, and uxorious don’t even make the list; nor does asshat. [/QUOTE] It’s British, try arsehole (32927). ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/95 "2007-01-27T16:30:01Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] That site is way neat, but I just don’t think it’s right. Most common for whom? For example, look up “cat” and you’ll find that “bird” is one place more common. One place more common than “bird” is “candidate.” [/QUOTE] Oh, sure. The list is clearly British, for one thing. It’s ranking words based on a small sample size, for another. Different word forms (plurals, past tense, etc) are listed seperately, for a third. And it includes proper nouns, for a fourth. Also, you start getting into questions of how to define “commonness” of a word. In writing? In speech? Popular press? Academic papers? Some weighted combination? I don’t think it’s really anything more than a very rough measure of a word’s commonness. Still and all, it’s rather fun, and the only thing I know of that even _attempts_ to quantify word frequency beyond, say, the first thousand or so. And at least it’s got some pretense of objectivity. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/96 "2007-01-27T16:37:40Z")
[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] (Bolding mine) See, now _that’s_ funny. ---
**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, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/97 "2007-01-27T16:42:30Z")
[QUOTE=zut] Still and all, it’s rather fun, and the only thing I know of that even _attempts_ to quantify word frequency beyond, say, the first thousand or so. And at least it’s got some pretense of objectivity. [/QUOTE] And the words zoom. I am always in support of that. ---
**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, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/98 "2007-01-27T16:54:29Z")
Gene Simmons was quite the conquistador in his aluminum codpiece. It probably emboldened him to approach all the emsheepened females. There are those who say he floccinaucinihilipilificationed sex. ---
**Author:** ![Sonia\_Montdore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Sonia\_Montdore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonia_Montdore)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2007, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/99 "2007-01-27T17:12:05Z")
[QUOTE=born too late] … other people then feel it’s alright… [/QUOTE] “Embolden” is correct English. “Alright” is substandard usage. ---
**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, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628/100 "2007-01-27T17:43:56Z")
[QUOTE=Sonia Montdore] “Embolden” is correct English. “Alright” is substandard usage. [/QUOTE] Depending on your linguistic philosophy, it is either an outright error that is distressingly widespread, or a perfectly standard usage that is unnecessarily condemned. > **[Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/?date=19990604)** > > Committed to publishing great books, connecting readers and authors globally, and spreading the love of reading. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embolden-weak/389628.md?page=6)