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Word For The Day, Thursday, July 5, 2012 - mumpsimus
distionaries ad nauseam | 5 July 2012 | Thursday's sub

Posted on 07/05/2012 4:36:02 AM PDT by secret garden


In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day".

mumpsimus \MUHMP-suh-muhs\ , noun
1. Adherence to or persistence in an erroneous use of language, memorization, practice, belief, etc., out of habit or obstinacy.
2. A person who persists in a mistaken expression or practice.

Example sentences:
"I profess, my good lady," replied I, "that had any one but you made such a declaration, I should have thought it as capricious as that of the clergyman, who, without vindicating his false reading, preferred, from habit's sake, his old Mumpsimus...
-- Sir Walter Scott, The Talisman

Mr. Burgess, who sticks (I fancy) to his old mumpsimus, thought that the other gentleman might have given the canoe a shove to get it clear of the lock…
-- Ronald A. Knox, The Footsteps at the Lock

Etymology:
Mumpsimus comes from a story (perhaps first told by Erasmus) about an illiterate priest who mispronounced a word while reciting the liturgy. The priest refused to change the word, even when he was corrected.

The sentence must, in some way, relate to the news of the day. The Review threads are linked for your edification. ;-)
Practice makes perfect.....post on....


Review Threads:

Review Thread One: Word For The Day, Thursday 11/14/02: Raffish (Be SURE to check out posts #92 and #111 on this thread!)
Review Thread Two: Word For The Day, Tuesday 1/14/03: Roister
Review Thread Three: Word For The Day, Tuesday 1/28/03: Obdurate

WFB's attempt to emulate us ; ) No pushing at the door please!


TOPICS: Word For The Day
KEYWORDS:
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1 posted on 07/05/2012 4:36:09 AM PDT by secret garden
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To: secret garden; Fierce Allegiance; Jack Deth; K4Harty; miskie; Dutchgirl; cardinal4; MoochPooch; ...

Rise and shine!


2 posted on 07/05/2012 4:36:58 AM PDT by secret garden (Why procrastinate when you can perendinate?)
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To: secret garden

"...mumpsimus...a condition you get while having the mumps that affects your pronunciation of the word sinus"

3 posted on 07/05/2012 4:43:55 AM PDT by Doogle ((USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))
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To: Doogle
A+ for you!
4 posted on 07/05/2012 4:46:12 AM PDT by secret garden (Why procrastinate when you can perendinate?)
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To: secret garden

Good morning. I just woke up and cannot think of a good example of mumpsimus, although I know there are many that abound on FreeRepublic.


5 posted on 07/05/2012 5:02:34 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: secret garden
Algore's mumpsimus is the entire global warming line of BS. and can we note, after looking at the pix of said paramours, that the DNC donor is far too decent looking to have to settle for the fat blowhard.
6 posted on 07/05/2012 5:14:54 AM PDT by xsmommy
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To: afraidfortherepublic
Good morning. I just woke up and cannot think of a good example of mumpsimus, although I know there are many that abound on FreeRepublic.

Here. Let me help you out while you get the coffee started:

"I could care less" used to mean "I could not care less".

7 posted on 07/05/2012 5:17:48 AM PDT by Paine in the Neck (Socialism consumes everything)
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To: xsmommy
no discussion of algore is complete without his signature pic.


8 posted on 07/05/2012 5:18:05 AM PDT by xsmommy
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To: secret garden

OK. I’m little bit awake now.

The nation has had an unfamiliar word thrust upon us in the past few weeks — derecho — due to the violent storms that swept DC. In trepidation that I might engage in a mumpsimus after seeing derecho used in report, after report, and never hearing it pronounced, I looked it up on the Web and was surprised to discover that my first inclination to pronounce it dar’—ee—ko is wrong. So, to avoid an embarrassing mumpsimus, I’ve been practicing the correct pronunciation which is more like dare—eh’—cho.

http://www.forvo.com/word/derecho/


9 posted on 07/05/2012 5:25:04 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: secret garden; xsmommy

Seems as though it ought to be “Senator Mumpsimus”.


10 posted on 07/05/2012 5:25:52 AM PDT by NicknamedBob (I didn't feel up to going through a second childhood. That's why I had myself cloned.)
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To: Paine in the Neck

Excellent, and my husband is making the coffee right now!


11 posted on 07/05/2012 5:26:35 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: secret garden

Twenty somethings saying “my bad” instead of “It was my mistake.”


12 posted on 07/05/2012 5:30:19 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

I speak spanish so it is familiar to me, but they are saying that it means STRAIGHT as in straight line winds. I am more familiar with the Spanish word DERECHO meaning RIGHT, as in “derechos humanos”, human rights. “a la derecho”, means to the right, “a la izquierda” means to the left, and the word for LEFTIST is “izquierdista”.


13 posted on 07/05/2012 5:44:29 AM PDT by xsmommy
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To: secret garden

Towards Holder, I’m bristling with animus
As he keeps putting forward the mumpsimus
That his “contempt” has no basis
It’s just that we’re racist
The lies of a true rectus maximus


14 posted on 07/05/2012 6:09:11 AM PDT by TruthShallSetYouFree (If a gay guy wants a man date, give him a tax.)
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To: xsmommy

I studied French, and I like their word for left — “sinistre”.


15 posted on 07/05/2012 6:11:14 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: secret garden

Mumpsimus

This mumpsimus will need our DCT, that’s Deep Cyphering Tek-nee-que.

Mump is a lump turned into a mountain and si mas sounds like Spanish for “yes, more” so maybe this Sir Water Scotch fella was Spanish.
Now I know it was spelled simus not simas but spelling is just opinion and opinions are like fleas, they come and go.

So let’s not get all in tell lectual here and start wearing glasses and underwear every day and stuff.


16 posted on 07/05/2012 6:11:54 AM PDT by count-your-change (You don't have to be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: secret garden

The mumpsimus of Bawney Fwank is unrelated to that particular viral malady (although no doubt others are present), nor is it necessarily due to any "residue" remaining from prior "encounters" -- it's basically the same vicious crap you hear from most Libs time & time again...

17 posted on 07/05/2012 6:12:22 AM PDT by mikrofon (Mumpsimus Maximus)
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To: xsmommy

Furthermore, I live in the mid-west where we’ve had straight line winds all the time. We just call them “straight-line tornados”. We don’t need no “steenkin” Spanish word to explain the destruction. A derecho blew the steeple off of my stable in 1989 and another derecho blew the back doors of my barn open and flipped them onto the roof in about 2003, or 2004. I lost my home owner’s insurance after that one. They paid, but they cancelled me.

Another derecho blew right down the main street of Cedarburg about a mile from me about 10 years ago and broke, or uprooted, all of the 100-150 year old trees that lined Washington Ave. Nobody diagnosed it as a derecho at the time. “Straight line tornado” was the diagnosis here. Midwesterners don’t whine, and they don’t put on airs. They just clean up and carry on.


18 posted on 07/05/2012 6:22:34 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

it is uncommon here.


19 posted on 07/05/2012 6:37:10 AM PDT by xsmommy
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To: afraidfortherepublic
I can give you several of my Dad's: Adidas, conch, Baylor. He purposely mispronounces them to irk me.
20 posted on 07/05/2012 7:14:23 AM PDT by secret garden (Why procrastinate when you can perendinate?)
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