Friday, June 19, 2015

I Have Trouble with Words.

I have been speaking, writing, and thinking with the American English language for over 70 years now and you would think that I should have it figured out . . . but I don't.  One of the things that get to me are words that have completely opposite meanings.  Can you think of any?  Here are a few examples:

"Cleaver"  That word could mean an instrument that cuts stuff into two or more pieces but it could also mean some one who clings to something or another person.

"Left"  And I am not talking about direction, but a couple of other definitions.  Left can be used as "After I left the room there was no one left."

"Trim"  To cut away is to trim the tree but to add decorations to a tree is also to trim a tree.

"Fast"  I will hold it fast or it will run away fast.

"Weathered"  To hold your ground, like "I weathered the storm" or it could mean worn away, like the weathered old fence post. . .

"Off"  I had to turn off the burglar alarm after it went off.

"Clip"  You can cut off (clip off) or put together (clip together).

I guess that there are just some words you can't take out of context if you want to know what they mean.

Now tell me some of your favorites and make sure you have a great day, you hear?

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10 comments:

  1. Andolphus GreyJune 19, 2015 at 1:13 PM

    Isn't English a fun mess? That's what happens when everything is stolen from other languages, mixed with Latin rules that don't really apply and then it all gets codified in dictionaries before it can be fixed.

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    1. Dizzy-DickJune 19, 2015 at 3:57 PM

      I am glad I grew up with English, if I had to learn it later it would be almost impossible.

      Delete
  2. GypsyJune 19, 2015 at 7:12 PM

    I'd say you have a pretty good grasp of words, DD.

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    1. Dizzy-DickJune 19, 2015 at 9:38 PM

      I know a lot of words but my problem is retrieving them when I want to use them.

      Delete
  3. our awesome travelsJune 19, 2015 at 7:25 PM

    Engilsh is a very hard language to learn, looks like you have it figured out.

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  4. HermitJimJune 19, 2015 at 8:10 PM

    I consider it a good thing if folks can understand what I'm saying!

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  5. jimkabobJune 19, 2015 at 9:24 PM

    When someone misunderstood my Dad, he would reply, "why didn't you say what I meant?"

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    1. Dizzy-DickJune 19, 2015 at 9:40 PM

      Yep, they should only hear what we mean, not what we say.

      Delete