# "ing" went the strings of my heart **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 16, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624 "2009-03-16T15:30:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/1 "2009-03-16T15:30:12Z")
For reasons that I cannot now reconstruct, I was thinking about the phrase “a daunting task.” “Daunt” is a verb that really only appears in adjectival form (so it’s not a gerund, which is an “-ing” version of a verb that functions as a noun). You don’t say “Whoa baby, that task really daunts me!” (I guess you might say “I was really daunted by that task” – seems unlikely, though.) What are some other verbs that you only see used in the “ing” form? ---
**Author:** ![KnitWit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@KnitWit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KnitWit)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/2 "2009-03-16T15:38:13Z")
I can’t think of any “ing” words right now, but there are a few words that are only “complete” with prefixes/suffixes. I’ve been overwhelmed and underwhelmed, but I don’t believe I’ve ever just been whelmed. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/3 "2009-03-16T15:59:26Z")
I’ve heard “daunted” used, but rarely. But I’ve also heard undaunted and dauntless. I can’t think of any “ing” words, either. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/4 "2009-03-16T16:01:38Z")
Harrowing. I’d love to harrow somebody, but I haave no idea how. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/5 "2009-03-16T16:04:38Z")
You might enjoy Merriam-Webster’s take on [daunt](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/daunt) and [whelm](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whelm). Another fun thing along these lines is to figure out what you should have done before in such cases as: vise pent taliate fuse gret sent I seem to recall such a thread some time ago. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/6 "2009-03-16T16:05:05Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > I’ve heard “daunted” used, but rarely. But I’ve also heard undaunted and dauntless. Hm, good point. Okay, let’s make it “words that have verb roots that only appear in adjectival forms.” This would include **KnitWit** ’s “whelm.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/7 "2009-03-16T16:05:24Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Harrowing. > > I’d love to harrow somebody, but I haave no idea how. Harrow, **bup**! ---
**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:** [March 16, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/8 "2009-03-16T16:06:21Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Harrowing. > > I’d love to harrow somebody, but I haave no idea how. A harrow is [a farm tool that breaks up the surface of the ground](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrow_(tool)), so I guess a harrowing experience is like being run over by a harrow. I’ve seen ‘whelm’ used by itself: ‘a small spring where the water whelmed up and filled the pool’. ---
**Author:** ![pantheon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6bbea6/32.png) [@pantheon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pantheon)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/9 "2009-03-16T16:09:20Z")
“We shall grapple with the ineffable, and see if we may not eff it after all.” — Douglas Adams in _Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency_ ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/10 "2009-03-16T16:11:33Z")
I guess _vaunt_ can be used as a verb, but I only ever hear _vaunted_, and used as an adjective. ---
**Author:** ![KnitWit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@KnitWit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KnitWit)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/11 "2009-03-16T16:12:28Z")
> [@pantheon](#): > > “We shall grapple with the ineffable, and see if we may not eff it after all.” — Douglas Adams in _Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency_ Classic! Thanks so much for the laugh. Apparently, whelm means the same thing as overwhelm. Interesting. Kind of like regardless and irregardless. And…err…gardless? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/12 "2009-03-16T16:19:01Z")
> [@KnitWit](#): > > Apparently, whelm means the same thing as overwhelm. Interesting. Kind of like regardless and irregardless. And…err…gardless? That’s a different case in that irregardless is probably the bastard child of regardless and irrespective; it’s not intended to mean something separate from those words. I’ve only heard whelm used in an ironic way. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/13 "2009-03-16T16:19:18Z")
> [@KnitWit](#): > > And…err…gardless? Nah, that would be like a fast-moving, high-scoring forward on the basketball court. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/14 "2009-03-16T16:27:08Z")
_Incorrigible_ apparently comes from an adjective I’ve never heard, _corrigible_, meaning correctable, which in turn comes from the middle-English verb corrige, to correct. ---
**Author:** ![KnitWit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@KnitWit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KnitWit)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/15 "2009-03-16T16:30:47Z")
> [@bup](#): > > _Incorrigible_ apparently comes from an adjective I’ve never heard, _corrigible_, meaning correctable, which in turn comes from the middle-English verb corrige, to correct. Indubitably, it does. “Dubitably,” however… ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/16 "2009-03-16T16:33:57Z")
Draggled. One can be _be_draggled, but never draggled. Also, gruntled, kempt and ept. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/17 "2009-03-16T17:10:10Z")
Outstanding! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/18 "2009-03-16T17:14:01Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Outstanding! Heh. Good one. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/19 "2009-03-16T17:34:48Z")
Since zombie status begins at six months in this forum, and since [Things it’s better to do right the first time](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=328561) had its 24 Replies and 406 Views starting 08-03-2005, 01:45 PM, I’ll just mention it. If this is not the thread to continue it, maybe somebody else will see fit to start another. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624/20 "2009-03-16T17:37:11Z")
Has anyone ever swashbuckled? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ing-went-the-strings-of-my-heart/489624.md?page=2)