An Incomplete Education - 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn't

632 AN I N C O M P L E T E

But it was the Great Powe
tionalists, Stalin on the side o
production and turning it into
civil war turned into chapter-l
Italians sent troops (the Italian
military advisors; both sides a
could pack up, with the empha
the battlefield. The British an
French, Americans, and other
publican side.

A lot more happened in th
until 1939, by which time the
publicans. Guernica, in the B
at least by the Germans (Picas
his famous "fifth column" line
cling Madrid, and a fifth colu
and Ernest Hemingway comp

But what really mattered wa
world into Fascist and anti-F
could work nicely together in
war, but War, was inevitable.
Generalissimo Franco, a brilli
from attempting to conduct
course of the next forty years,
nize her to the present.

E EDUCATION

ers—Hitler and Mussolini on the side of the Na­
of the Republicans—who, by taking a local amateur
o a dress rehearsal for bigger things, made sure the

ength world-history-book stuff. The Germans and
ns over fifty thousand); the Soviets technicians and
as much equipment—tanks, planes, guns—as they
asis on those items that still needed to be tested on
d French, again, hung back, though plenty of Brits,
rs went to Spain as volunteers, usually on the Re­

he course of the Spanish Civil War, which lasted
e Nationalists, led by Franco, had crushed the Re­
asque country, was bombed by the Nationalists, or
sso got it down on canvas); General Mola tossed off
e (about how he had four columns of soldiers encir­
umn infiltrating and undermining it from within);
pleted his research for For Whom the Bell Tolls.
as what the war had crystallized: the splitting of the
Fascist camps; the proof that Germany and Italy
a Rome-Berlin Axis; the general belief that not just
Also to be noted: the arrival on the world scene of
ant military strategist and so-so politician, who, far
Spain into the twentieth century, would, over the
, insulate her from the rest of the world and immu­

W

DIEN BIEN PH

Years later, nearly everyone would agree that Fran
dochina had been doomed from the start, that her
the region had been a series of disastrous misjudgm
that her empire had been little more than a grand
of World War II. But it wasn't until the total def
Vietnamese garrison of Dien Bien Phu in May 195
was forced to drop its blindfold and admit that the g
had the smoke cleared than the American governm
field, retrieved the blindfold, and tied it securely ov

The area now called Vietnam had always be
France's Indochinese empire. The territory was div
turally, into two native kingdoms, Tonkin and Ann
Cochin China, in the south, a fragmentation that m
and administration awkward. What was worse, the
ter of Viet culture, were proud, feisty, and subvers
been ones to bow and smile when outsiders tried
time Japan invaded Indochina in 1940, the French
decades putting down village rebellions, scattered r
coalesce into a Communist-dominated nationalis
Minh had learned some valuable lessons in organiz
Japanese took the keys to the country away from th
keeping up with the war in Europe to put up muc

ORLD HISTORY

HU

nce's colonial ambitions in In­
seven-and-a-half-year war in

ments and miscalculations, and
illusion since at least the end

feat of its forces at the North
54 that the French government
game was over. And no sooner
ment crept back to the battle­
ver its own eyes.
een the biggest headache in
vided, geographically and cul­
an, in the north, and a colony,
made communication difficult

peoples of the north, the cen­
sive by nature; they had never
to take over their turf. By the
h had already spent a couple of
resistance groups had begun to
st underground, and Ho Chi
zation and strategy. When the
he French, who were too busy
ch of a fight, and turned them

634 AN I N C O M P L E T E

over to the Vietnamese, the st
although none of the major p

The nationalist Communis
any time. Keeping discreetly o
in the villages and fortified th
rendered in 1945, H o Chi Mi
self head of the Democratic R

This, however, was not wh
European equilibrium by boo
to give her back her colonies,
nese troops to recapture the
Giap, soon-to-be hero, from
wars. Giap raided the local a
and Japanese and made as m
and Chinese forces. For the n
conclusive skirmishes and lots
Minh learning the hard way t
and the French continually t
couldn't see.

The nature of the enterpris
over China. H o Chi Minh su
steady supply of artillery pouri
United States began to talk
perimeters. Vietnam was sud
was heartened. Ho had long a
one of the invaders, and Giap
rocious assaults that decimate
setting French nerves on edge
tions. Eventually, it also led th

Hoping to draw enough fir
their position in the rest of th
my's aggressiveness by setting
at Dien Bien Phu, near the
men stationed at the fortress
this time, were being heavily
they could hold out indefinite
volumes; for instance, the am
had gotten through to the Vi
dense vegetation surrounding
enemy, much less destroy its s
fusal to respond to France's l
power to the rescue. Dien Bien

E EDUCATION

truggle for control in the north was effectively over,
owers realized it at the time.
sts, by then known as the Viet Minh, didn't waste
out of the way of the Japanese, they spread the faith
heir positions in the countryside. When Japan sur­
nh had consolidated enough power to declare him­
Republic of Vietnam.
hat the Allies had in mind. Determined to restore
osting France's fractured self-esteem, they decided
, sending the British to take over Saigon and Chi­
north. Enter, at this point, General Vo Nguyen
the nationalists' point of view, of two Vietnamese
arsenals for the weapons left behind by the French
uch trouble as he could for the occupying French
next few years the war in Vietnam consisted of in­
s of military bungling on both sides, with the Viet
that conventional warfare was not their strong suit
trying to launch surprise raids on an enemy they

se began to change in 1949, when the Reds took
ddenly found himself with an ally at his back and a
ing in from both China and the Soviet Union. The
about keeping the Communist threat within safe
ddenly everyone's business. General Giap, for one,
ago declared himself ready to lose ten men for every
p made good the promise, launching a series of fe­
d his own forces but did, at least, have the effect of
e and driving French troops back to fortified posi­
hem to make their fatal mistake.
re to exhaust the Viet Minh's resources and weaken
he country, the French decided to play on the ene­
g up fifteen thousand men in a defensive position
Laotian border of North Vietnam. Although the
could be supplied only by air, the French, who, by
backed by the United States, were confident that
ely. W h a t they didn't count on could, and did, fill
mount of Russian and Chinese heavy artillery that
et Minh, and the Viet Minh's ability to use it; the
the fortress, which made it impossible to see the
supply lines from the air; and the United States' re­
last-ditch appeals for help by sending its own air
n Phu was besieged for fifty-five days, beginning in

W

March 1954; on May 7, the French surrendered c
Minh had suffered more casualties, they had won t
directly to the Geneva Conference, at which Fran
pendence to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, there
dochina.

In hindsight, the lessons of Dien Bien Phu se
some people. On the military level, it demonstrate
superior manpower and technology to overcome
trenched guerrilla force fighting on difficult terrain
geous sacrifices to defend a homeland. In terms of
how much trouble a country could make for itself
with ideology.

The United States seemed, for a minute or two,
Eisenhower had, after all, refused to get directly inv
without the approval of Congress, and the Chiefs
the whole territory of Indochina to be "without dec
U.S. policy in the region had never been character
sistent action. Pretty soon Eisenhower was focusin
noes" speech and the Red Terror than on what ha
Phu—this despite the fact that the Russians and
speaking to each other and it was unclear just wh
emanating from. When the Geneva Conference pa
and South along the 17th parallel, with the promis
to decide on possible reunification, Eisenhower de
the Vietnamese, who were solidly behind H o Chi
confused in the south, vote. J F K compounded the
around for a way to reaffirm U . S . prestige in the w
personally after the Bay of Pigs, and somebody hap
were not going well in Saigon. By the time Lyndo
were headed for Dien Bien Phu all over again. His
ple like to point out—and not just in Vietnam.

WORLD HISTORY

completely. Although the Viet
the war. The French defeat led
nce was forced to grant inde­
eby ending her empire in In­

eemed pretty clear, at least to
ed the futility of depending on
a well-armed, thoroughly en­
n and prepared to make outra­
f global politics, it showed just
f when it confused grandiosity

, to get the message. President
volved in the Vietnam conflict
s of Staff had already declared
cisive military objectives." But
rized by clear thinking or con­
ng more on his "falling domi­
ad just happened at Dien Bien
Chinese had already stopped
here the Red Terror would be
artitioned Vietnam into North
se of free elections in two years
ecided to fight rather than let
Minh in the north and simply
error when he started looking
wake of Sputnik and save face
ppened to mention that things
on Johnson got into office, we
story repeats itself, some peo­

L E XII

ICo N

A Few Hours' Worth
Remedial Work in V
Spelling, Pronunciation
Foreign Expressions

Contents

In the Beginning Was the Prefix 638
Distinctions Worth Making (Or at Least Being
Twenty-Five Words Not to Say Wrong 656
Twenty-Six Words Not to Write Wrong 657
Mistaken Identities: Adjectives Whose Looks A
Unknown Quantities: Adjectives Whose Looks
Six Mnemon ic Devices: Memories A re Made o
SS^ "How Do You Say in Your Country Yearning f
Home's Guide to Words and Phrases in Three

T h e Confusion of Tongues, by Gustave Do

of
Vocabulary,
n, and

g in a Position to Make) 642
7
Are Deceptive 659
s Are Totally Inscrutable 661
of These 664
for the Mud'?": A Stay-at-

Languages 665

oré

6j8 AN I N C O M P L E T E

In the Beginning

Go ahead: Amaze your doorman, dazzle your
up for good with your dextrous and inventive
crypto-, and, yes, even meta-. After all, you master

WHO'S ON TOP?

arch-
vice-
co-
para-
sub-

H i g h e s t u p is t h e m a n w i t h arch- b e f o r e his

title, be it duke, bishop, or angel, each of

whom towers over mere dukes, bishops,

and angels, respectively; likewise your

archrival gives you more trouble than all

y o u r r e g u l a r rivals p u t t o g e t h e r . T h e vice-

person—president, admiral, -consul, or,

the only common such word written solid,

viceroy—is next on the list; he's the stand-

in, the understudy, the one who is ready to

fill in in an emergency or to succeed in the

e v e n t o f d e a t h . T h e co- fellow, w h e t h e r a u ­

thor or conspirator, is all for c o m m o n

cause (and/or shared culpability); some­

times his partner will be in the ascendancy

(as with a copilot, who always has D a n a

Andrews playing him when the pilot is

Burt Lancaster), but more often power

and responsibility are evenly divided, just

as it was between the cocaptains of your

h i g h s c h o o l f o o t b a l l t e a m . T h e paralegal,

t h e paramedic, the ^araprofessional in

general—from a Greek preposition mean­

ing "alongside of"—are not full-fledged,

licensed, or in charge, nor, at the rate

they're going, will they ever be. But then

some people thrive in the glorified-assistant

role. (For the record, paratroopers have

a different prefix to thank for their job

E EDUCATION

Was the Prefix

periodontist, shut your prospective brother-in-law
handling of such mind-clouding prefixes as demi-,
red re-, pre-, and dis-, didn't you?

title, the same one you see in parachute
and parasol, a Latin verb stem meaning
"protect, ward off") A n d don't let's even
consider dealing with the guys who are
sub, a s in s u b a l t e r n a n d s u b l i e u t e n a n t : O b ­
viously, t h e y don't k n o w w h o you are or
they'd never even suggest it.

WHO'S FOR REAL?

W h e n Gore Vidal made media history by
calling W i l l i a m Buckley a 'Vrv/>/<?-Nazi" in
front of millions of television viewers dur­
ing the 1968 Democratic convention, he
presumably meant that beneath Buckley's
conservative facade lurked a fascist trying
to keep the public—or himself—from see­
ing his true colors. A t least, that's the way
Buckley took it; Vidal later pointed out
that what'd he'd actually called his archen­
emy was a "/>ro-crypto-Nazi," in reference
to Buckley's defense of the Chicago po­
lice, who were at that moment battering
demonstrators with gleeful abandon in the
streets outside. This version would make
the cops the Nazis-in-law-enforcement-
officers'-clothing; Buckley merely a sym­
p a t h i z e r a n d , p o s s i b l y , o n l y a quasi-Nazi
himself. (This "less-than-a-full-fledged-
Nazi" interpretation is bolstered by V i d a i s
adding that, in fact, he hadn't meant to use
the term "Nazi" at all; had he not blown his

cool, he said, he would have called his
opponent merely "Fascist-minded.") B e ­
cause a crypto-Nazi has something to gain
by keeping his real feelings hidden, and a
quasi-Nazi probably isn't sure just what
his real feelings are, you don't have to get
out of the way of either of them quite as
f a s t a s y o u d o s o m e o f t h o s e neo-Nazi
organizations, whose members like to
parade up and down Midwestern streets
in modified Luftwaffe surplus, paint
swastikas on synagogues, and bash the
heads of whichever minority groups they
feel are polluting the race these days. In
other words, the neo-Nazi is, or likes to
think he is, the real thing, updated. Last
and certainly least, don't worry at all about
t h o s e f i f t e e n - y e a r - o l d pseudo-Nazi r o c k e r s
who like to affect combat boots and Iron
Crosses and who go around spouting a lot
of racist rhetoric they picked up at the
l a s t h e a v y - m e t a l c o n c e r t ; u n l i k e neo-Nazi
skinheads, who tend to have more frown
lines and fewer teeth, these kids are just
out to scare you in the hopes of being
taken seriously for a change.

WHICH CAME FIRST?

proto-
archaeo-
Ur-

T h e t h i n g t h a t b o a s t s proto- ( f r o m a G r e e k
word meaning "first") before its name,
whether protozoan, protoplasm, Proto-
Germanic (linguists' jargon for the earliest
form of a language, in this case German,
that they've managed to reconstruct), or
prototype. Vying with proto- for deftness
at conferring precedence is another G r e e k
w o r d , archaeo-, w h i c h , w h i l e it s n o t p a r t i c ­
ularly active in spur-of-the-moment word
formation, does manage to connote not
only "beginning," but "chief, ruler," as well

LEXICON 639

(cf. arch-, above), as in archaeology a n d ar­
chetype.

(To split hairs for a moment, while a
prototype is an early form or instance of
something that then goes on to serve as a
model for a whole string of subsequent
s o m e t h i n g s , t h e t h i n g t h a t c a m e first, a n
archetype, is all that and more: It's not
only as old as the hills, it's ageless. T h u s ,
as Macaulay (see page 573 pointed out,
England's Parliament is the archetype o f
representative assemblies; he could just as
easily have said "prototype," but his point
was that Parliament's still sitting there
next to the Thames, a bit gray around the
temples, perhaps, but a lady with no in­
tention of retiring, and, what's more, im­
mediately recognizable from pictures of
herself as a girl. Gutenberg's printing
press, on the other hand, is the prototype
of the modern printing press—an early
model that served and inspired an entire
h e m i s p h e r e — b u t it's not the archetype o f
it: F e w people would see a resemblance
between the two, and no printer in his
right mind would want to use the origi­
nal.)

Those annoyed with this Greek jock­
eying for position will wish to make the ac­
q u a i n t a n c e o f Ur-, l i k e "echt" ( s e e p a g e
672) a G e r m a n traveler who occasionally
puts up at the Connaught or the Harvard
C l u b . Ur- m e a n s "original, e a r l i e s t , p r i m i ­
tive," a s in Urtext ( a l s o s p e l l "urtext," n o
cap, no italics, no hyphen, which lets you
know the prefix is in the process o f being
naturalized), a text reconstructed from ex­
tant later texts. Thus, to present a sym­
phony of Beethoven's in urtext and in
urperformance is to do it with obvious
mistakes unrectified and with an orchestra
of the size and proportions Beethoven
wrote it for. A s for everything that's not
proto-, archaeo-, or Ur-, consign it to
oblivion with a toss of the head, a raised
eyebrow, a n d a p r e f i x e d neo-: F r o m N e o -
Platonists to Neo-Nazis, who needs 'em?

640 AN I N C O M P L E T E

HOW BIG?

mega-
megalo-
macro-
micro-
mini-

T h e k e y p r e f i x h e r e is mega-, w h i c h , b a c k
in Greece, meant literally "million." T h u s
a megaton bomb has a force equivalent to
a million tons of T N T and megabuck is
somebody's idea of a funny way to say mil­
l i o n d o l l a r s . ( T h e r e l a t e d mégalo-, i n d i c a t ­
ing greatness or strength, without a
specific numerical value, is what you get in
megalomaniac and megalopolis.) Also
worth noting: T h e opposing prefixes
macro- ( d e n o t i n g l a r g e n e s s , l e n g t h , o r
overdevelopment, as in macroeconomics,
see page 129; macrocosm, a.k.a. the uni­
v e r s e ; a n d m a c r o b i o t i c s ) a n d micro- ( d e ­
noting the reverse, as in microeconomics,
microcosm, and microfilm). T h e former is
still little enough known that the doorman
may be impressed; the latter's debased by
centuries o f overuse—though it still beats
mini-.

WHICH HALF?

bi-
semi-
demi-
hemi-
half-

All right, is a ^/monthly magazine one
that comes twice a month or one that
comes every other month? There's no real
consensus out there, but take our advice
and use bimonthly for the every-other-
month one, and call the twice-a-month

E EDUCATION

a s e m i m o n t h l y . Semi-, d e r i v e d f r o m t h e
L a t i n , m e a n s "half," or sometimes a bit
l e s s — b u t t h e n s o d o demi-, f r o m t h e
French, as in demitasse and demimonde;
a n d hemi-, f r o m t h e G r e e k , as in h e m i ­
sphere. If you're indulging in creative pre­
fixing, p u r i s t s w o u l d h a v e y o u c h o o s e , in
any given situation, the prefix of the same
nationality as the root you're attaching it
to, but that doesn't account for demigod,
among others. O f the three, semi- com­
bines most freely, and when in doubt you
can always fall back on good old native
half-, a s in h a l f - w i t , h a l f - p o r t i o n , a n d
half-gainer. Note to absurdists and A n ­
glophiles everywhere: T h e British word
for a musical sixty-fourth note (and you
knew they'd have one) is hemidemisemi-
quaver.

TO WHAT
DEGREE?

hyper-
hypo-

T h e stupidest mnemonic is all you need
h e r e , s o voilà: hyper- h a s m o r e letters, a n d
it's the one that m e a n s "over, too much," as
in hyperactive, hypertension, hyperbole,
a n d j u s t p l a i n hyper. Hypo-, w i t h o n l y four
letters, means "under, too litde," as in hy­
poglycemia (too little blood sugar), hypo­
dermic (literally, "under the skin"), and
hype (from the old slang for the kind of
hypodermic injection we now call a fix).
Both began life as Greek prepositions, and
both traveled well. Hyper-, in particular, is
an industrious, even promiscuous prefix.
W h i c h means that hypo less seen, less
understood—may be a better one to be
able to throw around.

WHERE DO WE
GO FROM HERE?

meta-

N o t all G r e e k prepositional prefixes are as
graspable as hyper- and hypo-. For in­
stance, we wanted to hold forth here on
ana- a n d cata-, b u t f o r g e t it: W h i l e y o u c a n
point out that they mean roughly "up" and
"down," that really doesn't equip a person
to savor "catalogue" or "Anabaptist." B e ­
sides, as prefixes go they're dead; only a sci­
entist would use one to make a new word
t h e s e d a y s . N o t s o meta-, w h i c h c u r r e n d y is
a hotter linguistic ticket than ever, our can­
d i d a t e for t h e préfixer 's prefix. W h i l e it h a s
two "flat" meanings as a simple preposi­
tion—"with, among" (cognate with E n ­
g l i s h "mid" a n d G e r m a n "mit ") a n d "after,
behind"—it's come to be equated with pur­

LEXICON 64I

suit, quest, and change, with the person,
object, or idea that transcends all existing
forms, with the restless and the ineffable.
Actually, this grandeur on the part of
m e t a - is the result o f a little philological
misunderstanding: Aristotlecalled the
book he wrote on transcendental philoso­
p h y Ta meta ta phusika ("the t h i n g s a f t e r
physics") because it followed his work on
that subject, thereby ensuring that meta­
physics would forever be equated with
the transcendental, even though it was
just a simple sequel. Not that that's
stopped anybody from devoting his life—
or his ego—to such pursuits as metahis-
tory ("A historian writes the history o f a
period, a metahistorian compares differ­
ent periods in order to derive an essence,"
as one scholar recently put it), metalin-
guistics, and even metaculture. With
meta- in your pocket, you don't ever
h a v e t o f e e l s t a g n a n t , flaccid, o r m i d d l e -
aged.

642 AN I N C O M P L E T

Distinction

(OR AT
POSI

affect and effect

Promise to get this one down
verb most of the time; it impli
has it affected yours?" "Effec
fect on me and on my health.
comes in) "effect" is the verb.
but of purpose, even impact:
smoking, I have succeeded i
drinking may also have effect
have hastened it along—but
what really turned things aro

Two little problems: (1) th
and (2) the so-called affect (
stuff surrounding a particular
them; concentrate on the diff
to blow it if you're going to b

anxious and eager

Famous last stand of the lan
guorous evening with your ol
less, that is, you've been slee
Then you are anxious.

assume and presume

When you presume, you take
sume, you postulate that it's t
has tied up in it the idea of an

E EDUCATION

ns Worth Making

T LEAST BEING IN A
ITION TO MAKE)

n and we'll spare you "lie" and "lay" "Affect" is the
ies influence: "Smoking can affect one's health; how
ct" is the equivalent noun: "Smoking has had an ef­
." Sometimes, though (and here's where the trouble
. When it is, it brings a sense not of mere influence,
: "I must effect my plan to stop smoking"; "By not
in effecting my complete recovery." O f course, not
ted your recovery—may have contributed to it, may
t here you're claiming that stopping smoking was
ound.
he way one affects a jaunty air or an English accent;
(watch that noun) in psychology: all the emotional
r state or situation. But don't worry too much about
ference in meaning above, which is where you stand
blow it at all.

nguage purists: You're not anxious to spend a lan­
ldest married friends, you're eager to spend it. Un­
eping with one of them for the past three months.

e for granted that something is true; when you as­
true in order to go on to argue or to act. Presuming
nticipation, of jumping the gun, of taking liberties;

hence the adjective presumptuous. Assuming isn't
ther (hence the adjective self-assuming), but at lea
that it has a chip on its shoulder. So, was Stanley b
Livingstone, I presume?" No, not really; after all, h
missionary and explorer for months, on assignmen
and they must have at least furnished him with a ph
had it turned out that the distinguished stranger s
Tanganyika was not Dr. Livingstone, but Dr. D
might have wished he'd said "assume" instead.

authentic and genuine

Something that's genuine hasn't been forged; some
truth about its subject. In other words, you might
your coworkers with the details of your Thursday n
nightspot, when you'd really stayed home and watc
account would be genuine (you are the author o
weren't even in the East Village). Conversely, you m
been lucky enough to overhear, on the Madison
somebody who had been at the club in question th
it verbatim to your coworkers; that account would
person on the bus was telling the truth himself) bu
be passing off somebody else's good time as your o

canonical, catholic, ecclesiastical, ecumen
evangelical, and liturgical

The central word here is "ecclesiastical," which mea
its clergy. "Canonical" means pertaining to church
bers. "Evangelical" means pertaining to the teach
Four Gospels; easy to get from there to hitting th
means pertaining to the liturgy, the whole ritual of
a form of prayer in which the clergyman and th
sponses.) "Catholic" and "ecumenical" are the hard o
sal. "Ecumenical" derives from a Greek word mean
and most often refers to councils or regulations tha

LEXICON 643

t necessarily a swell thing, ei­
ast it's up-front about the fact
being rude when he said, "Dr.
he'd been trailing the Scottish
nt for a New York newspaper,
hotograph. On the other hand,
standing on the shore of Lake
Doolittle, it's possible Stanley

ething that's authentic tells the
t, one Friday morning, regale
night at the latest East Village
ched television again; such an
of it) but not authentic (you
might that same morning have

Avenue bus, the account of
he night before, then repeated
d be authentic (assuming the
ut not genuine, because you'd
own.

nical,

ans pertaining to the church or
law, binding on all its mem­

hings of Christ, especially the
he road for Jesus. "Liturgical"

public worship. (The litany is
he congregation alternate re­
ones: They both mean univer­
ning "of the inhabited earth,"
at govern the entire church, or

644 AN I N C O M P L E T E

all of any one branch of it, o
"Catholic," from a Greek phra
has an additional sense of inc
all-embracing. (That's with a
Popes and Hail Marys busines
derstandably to prefer, and "ca

compleat and complete

The first form is simply archa
with it again. Unfortunately,
editors, publishers, and copyw
jazzed up titles and boosted
1653, with his The Compleat A
ation), a discourse on fishing
Christian faith. N o w look for
pleat Werewolf, The Compleat
Used to describe a person, as i
ever you spell it—is best defin
accomplished."

compose and comprise

The wolves compose the pack;
passive about it, the pack is c
prised by the pack.) In short,
clude"—except that a pack t
merely includes them may hav

continual and continuou

"Continuous" is uncompromis
steady, unbroken, invariable, w

E EDUCATION

or the spirit behind such councils and regulations.
ase meaning "in general," "in respect of the whole,"
clusiveness, of tastes, sympathies, interests that are
a lowercase c, though; uppercase, and it's the old
ss.) Both "ecumenical," a term Protestants seem un­
atholic" are the opposite of parochial, "of the parish."

aic; in a just world, no one would ever have to deal
the world's not just, and for a few centuries now,
writers have found "compleat" to be a word that
sales. Isaak Walton did it first and best, back in

Angler (subtitled Or the Contemplative Mans Recre­
liberally laced with rural wisdom and unshakable
r, at your corner bookstore, the likes of The Com­
t Belly Dancer, and The Compleat Nevada Traveler.
in any of the foregoing examples, the word—how­

ned as "perfectly skilled or equipped; consummate,

; the pack comprises the wolves. (If you want to get
composed of the wolves, and the wolves are com­

"comprise" is sort of an uptown synonym for "in­
that comprises wolves is all-wolf, while one that
ve two hyenas and a German shepherd in it, too.

us

sing: A continuous slope or vigil or downpour is
without even a temporary reversal or a tiny inter-

ruption. "Continual," on the other hand, allows fo
that something recurs at regular intervals, with tim
showings are what you get at the movies, and cont
the rate of only half a dozen a year. Now, try to rem
general, more sznous—not to mention scientific, a
tinuous function, the physicist's continuous wave
continuous creation. Continue/ is what you usuall
describes how things seem, feel, strike an onlooke
are under continual disquietudes, never enjoying a

converse and inverse

"Converse" is a matter of simple transposition: "He
hit him"; "He had glamour but no money" is the co
no glamour." "Inverse" is a more extreme—and a m
entails turning something inside out or standing it
quantities vary inversely, one gets bigger as the oth
a mathematical operation is the one that will nullify
of multiplication). In logic, the inverse of a state
both its hypothesis audits conclusion: T h e inverse
then she's drinking scotch" would be "If Alice isn't
drinking scotch"—as it happens, a logically defectiv
the converse: "If Alice is drinking scotch, then sh
bad, though; the woods are full of defective inverse

deprecate and depreciate

In terms of etymology, "deprecate" is the opposite
the opposite of "praise." If you put yourself dow
depre«tf/ing remark; if you really let yourself hav
you've been being lately), the remark might th
deprectf/ing. Don't expect anybody to applaud, tho
or the preciseness of your language; this is a distin
he's even supposed to be making.

LEXICON 645

or gaps, and suggests, in fact,
me out in between: Continual
tinual setbacks may crop up at
member that "continue/ is, in
as in the mathematician's con­
e, the astronomer's theory of
ly mean; it's more figurative,
r, as in Swift's "These people

minute's peace of mind."

e hit me" is the converse of "I
onverse of "He had money but
more ambiguous—business; it
t on its head. Thus, when two
her gets smaller; the inverse of
y it (e.g., division is the inverse
ement is attained by negating
e of "If Alice is drinking JôcB,
t drinking JÔcB, then she's not
ve, or "false," statement. (So is
he's drinking J&JB." Don't feel
es and converses.)

e of "pray for"; "depreciate" is
wn a little, you make a self-
ve it (and you know how bad
hen, but only then, be self-
ough—either the flagellation
nction almost nobody knows

646 AN I N C O M P L E T

discreet and discrete

"Discreet"—prudent, circum
should be when you're having
worth, comes from the same
tinct, discontinuous, separat
crete elements," and should p

dock and pier

Don't try to walk on a dock:
of water. ("Drydock" makes t
drained out of it so that the
it's the structure on which th
loaded. Assuming, that is, th
shore, preferably at a right a
not a pier but a wharf. P.S.: D

egotist, egoist, solipsist

They're all stuck on themsel
egotist (from the Latin word
details of his life, even if you
that / as standing for "talk."
interest is the foundation of
downright antisocial not to p
for "alone"), who took even
the egoist did, would mainta
outside his own mind, that
thoughts, and not just on ra
no major philosopher has eve
to refute it; Schopenhauer—
egoism" and hoped we woul
term of Freud's devising (see
looking at his reflection in a

E EDUCATION

mspect, just this side of walking on eggs—is what you
g an illicit love affair. "Discrete" (which, for what it's
e Latin word, discretus, "sifted through") means dis­
te, as in "discrete entities," "discrete particles," "dis­
probably be reserved for dress-up occasions.

It's the space where a ship comes to rest and it's full
the point nicely: Picture the space with all the water
repairs can start.) T h e pier is what you can walk on;
he passengers stand and onto which the cargo is un­
he structure runs out into the water, away from the
angle to it. I f it runs along the shore, it's technically
Don't mention any of this to Otis Redding.

t, and narcissist

lves, but only two of them could tell you why. T h e
d for "I") couldn't: H e just wants to fill you in on the

have heard them all several times before. (Think of
") T h e egoist, by contrast, might explain that self-
all morality, and that it's therefore not just silly but
put oneself first. The solipsist (from the Latin word
more philosophy courses as an undergraduate than
in that no person has any proof that anything exists
each of us, like him, is totally alone with our own
ainy April afternoons, either. (As it happens, while
er accepted solipsism, neither has any ever been able
—see page 322—for his part dubbed it "theoretical
ldn't worry about it too much.) The "narcissist," a
e page 434), after the Greek youth who couldn't stop
pool of water, is basically going steady with himself

and may not want to talk to you at all. If he does, h
on the nature of his belief system, but to charm yo

enormity and enormousness

Straightforward enough. "Enormousness" is the o
mensity: the enormousness of the cosmos. "Enormi
outside the moral norm (the root in both words) tha
thinkable, the lowest of the low: the enormity of h
talk about the enormousness of somebody's crimes,
big. But do try not to refer to the enormity of th
something we don't.

epidemic and endemic

An epidemic disease breaks out somewhere and ev
endemic disease breaks out and is still there centur
in parts of Asia; when it broke out in Europe, it w
the difference between epi~, "over," and en-, "in.") W
epidemic is looking more and more like the A I D
demic, given that it's shaping up to be in residenc
once.

epigram and epigraph

Both words derive from the Greek preposition ep
plus the familiar Greek word for "write," and both b
of inscription you find on a monument or statue
that—sometimes. More often, it refers to a motto
ning, or "over," the body of a book, chapter, or poem
or provide an entrée to the work to come (for instan
the head of Eliot's "Prufrock," the "If I thought I w
dead man" business). "Epigraw" never refers to an

LEXICON 647

his goal will not be to expound
u into joining his fan club.

one that's a synonym for im­
ity" refers to something so far
at it's monstrously wicked, un­
his crimes. O f course you can
, too, if all you mean is they're
he cosmos—unless you know

ventually goes away again; an
ries later. Cholera is endemic
was epidemic. (Think of it as
Which means that the A I D S
D S endemic. Make that pan­
ce pretty much everywhere at

pi, meaning "upon" or "over,"
began by designating the kind
e. " E p i g r a ^ " still does mean
or quotation set at the begin­
m, intended to set the tone for
nce, the snatch from Dante at
were talking to anybody but a
inscription anymore; it occa-

648 AN I N C O M P L E T E

sionally is used of a super-sho
usually it refers to a concise, c
with a sting or twist at the e
who attended the Yale prome
least surprised").

To complete the picture, an
an epilogue the little speech or
the end of a book sketching th
opposite of the epigraph.

ethics and morals

In early English scholarship,
from Greek ethos ("nature or
"custom"), respectively. Gradu
ence or philosophy of morals (
of ethics; as often happened i
the real, tangible, everyday do
for the idealized, theoretical u
"ethics" even when they mean
less common. Don't pay any
make the distinction between
"moral" has been tainted by th
ual misconduct, and as a resul
describe all kinds of recogniza
son, proper, admirable, or just

farther and further

The deal is this: "Farther," ety
fore, more forth." So, it's far
Miami to Fort Lauderdale; pl
move farther away still—Day
further steps (note the shift fro
ple of additional qualifications
to space: you may have packe

E EDUCATION

ort poem expressing a single acidulous thought, but
cleverly worded, essentially antithetical statement,
nd (e.g., Dorothy Parker's "If all the young ladies
enade were laid end to end, no one would be the

n epitaph is an inscription, always on a tombstone;
r poem that concludes a play, or the short section at
he future of its characters—in short, the structural

the two words were treated as synonyms, deriving
disposition") and Latin mos (genitive form, moris;
ually, though, ethics came to be viewed as the sci­
(see page 306), morals as the practice or enactment
in those days, the Latin-derived word was used for
oing of something, the Greek-derived one reserved
understanding of that doing. Today some people say
n "morals," simply because the word is that much
attention to them. Instead, save your strength to
n the adjective forms, "ethical" and "moral." Here,
he association of its opposite, "immoral," with sex­
lt lost much of its range. "Ethical" has been left to
able, day-to-day behavior that is, for whatever rea­
t plain honest.

ymologicaUy, means "more far; further, more to the
rther from Miami to Palm Beach than it is from
us, if you hate Florida's Gold Coast, you'll want to
ytona, maybe. Once you're settled in Daytona, no
om literal to figurative) should be necessary. A cou­
s here. First, "farther" can apply as easily to time as
d up and left Miami farther back than you can re-

member. Second, there are so many cases where try
farther to go or further? more far (in terms of she
terms of effort or visibility or prominence)?—that
distinction, while it may help you get a grip on w
slow you down to the point that you never make it

flaunt and flout

Don't try to tell us you were appalled—or, for that
President Carter declaimed at the height of crisi
must realize that it cannot flaunt, with impunity,
the world community." After all, using "flaunt" (of
parade oneself ostentatiously, to be gaudily in evid
generally show off) when what you mean is "flou
French word for flute, an instrument whose whi
sound derisive; meaning to be scornful of, to show c
of) is a problem for everybody. T h e confusion is un
speak behavior that's excessive, inappropriate, and
member that flaunting and flouting are, when p
opposites—acts typical of the chauvinist and the se

heathen and pagan

Neither's partaking in the great Judeo-Christi
though, with its classical background (from a Latin
trict"), often refers specifically to the ancient Gree
hard even for nineteenth-century Christians to hold
is simply a slam term, directed at some poor benigh
Thus Christian missionaries go out to convert the
pulsating jungle rhythms, while the pagans hold o
merits of red and white wine and the connection be
infidel, unlike the pagan or the heathen, had a relig
threatened by, most often Muhammadanism, well
minarets. Today, it denotes, among Roman Catho
from heathen to Protestant.

LEXICON 645

ying to decide which is right—
eer distance) or more forth (in
t thinking too hard about the
what you really mean, will also
t out the front door.

matter, listening—back when
is, "The Government of Iran
the expressed will and law of
f unknown origin; meaning to
dence, to wave proudly, and to
ut" (probably akin to the Old
istling noises can sometimes
contempt for, to fly in the face
nderstandable: Both words be­
potentially disruptive. But re­
push comes to shove, virtual
editionist, respectively.

ian tradition—yet. "Pagan,"
n word meaning "country dis­
ks and Romans, whom it was
d in total contempt; "heathen"
hted creature not yet one of us.
e heathens, all loincloths and
orgies and debate the relative
etween pain and pleasure. The
gion the European at least felt
l supplied with scimitars and
olics, any unbaptized person,

650 AN I N C O M P L E T E

infer and imply

It s a matter of where you st
You imply something in a rem
remark. Anybody who goes a
he's addressing a philosopher,
smart.

insidious and invidious

The thing that's insidious (fro
it's not only undesirable, it's s
that's invidious (from the Lat
pugnant and certain to cause
itself, generally directed agai
called New York "Hymietown
a politically not very savvy) re

jealousy and envy

Envy is the simple one, and—
the seven deadly and absolut
and greed, it's when you first
thing (ox, ass, V C R ) , then cov
materialistic. At its classiest, it
is "jealous for" his daughter's
God." More often, it has to
pected, frequently of a sexual n
Envy may make us behave ba
cloud our minds; jealousy alw

mean, median, mode, an

The umbrella term here is "ave
by schoolchildren, sportswrite
2, 4, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 13. Wha
vide by the number of terms y

E EDUCATION

tand, of whether you're transmitting or receiving.
mark to a friend, who infers something from that
around saying "What are you inferring?" is, unless
, almost certain to be pretentious, and not all that

om the Latin word for "ambush") sneaks up on you;
stealthy and it's treacherous, like cancer. The thing
tin word for "envy") isn't subtle or sneaky, just re­
trouble, in the form of ill will, resentment, or envy
inst whoever said or did it. When Jesse Jackson
n," in the mid-Eighties, he made an invidious (and
emark.

—along with wrath, gluttony, and the rest—one of
tely unmistakable sins. Implying both resentment
t begrudge your neighbor the possession of some­
vet it for yourself. Jealousy is much subtler and less
t implies principled protectiveness, as when a father

welfare, or principled intolerance, as in "a jealous
do with ongoing personal rivalry, known or sus­
nature, coupled with a fear of loss or supplantation.
adly, even turn us green, but it doesn't necessarily
ways does.

nd average

erage"; all the others are types of it, employed mainly
ers, and statisticians. Take the following numbers:
t you think of as the average (add them all up, di­
you added) is, technically speaking, the arithmetic

mean, here 63 divided by 9, or 7. The median is als
7 is the center term in the sequence, with four term
cally, the median can sometimes give a more reliab
instance, when three people get a 60 on a test
mean—70—might make you think a successful l
going on, when in fact three-quarters of the class
thing, as revealed by the median—60. The mode
kinds of average: It's simply the term that crops
other, in the sequence given not 7, but 8.

mutual and common

Just remember that Our Mutual Friend, the Dicke
that is, a language-use blunder of a particularly blat
tual" implies exchange, interaction, reciprocity, no
simply share a friend with somebody else—when y
"Mutual admirers," on the other hand, makes perfe
admire me. We're reciprocating, we're interacting
happy. Note, though, that if somebody admires bot
mirer—unless, of course, each of us is willing to ad
ing the admiration mutual. Careful here: Some p
educated you are on the basis of how you handle th

objective and subjective

If you're objective, you sacrifice your personality, y
attention to some higher (or at least bigger) goal: Y
the Washington Post and you vow just to give the
how you feel, where you're coming from, and what
Beirut, not to mention the fact that you're gettin
stolen last week, and that country music is big, tha
over Andy Rooney's spot on 60 Minutes. Simple e
should know that "objective" and "subjective" are
critics, who can't decide which of them good critici
erature should be, let alone how to tell the diffe
who've been arguing about the subject (the active m
the object (everything else, further analyzable into
seer and the seen, the thought and the thing, ever

LEXICON 651

so 7, but for a different reason:
ms to either side of it. Statisti­
ble picture than the mean, for
and one gets 100: Here, the
learning experience had been
s hadn't learned much of any­
e is the least used of the three

up more frequendy than any

ens title, is a famous solecism,
tant sort. More precisely, "mu­
one of which occurs when you
you have a friend in common.
ect sense: I admire you and you
g. We're provided for. We're
th of us, he is our common ad­
dmire him back, thereby mak­
eople think they can tell how
he one word "mutual."

your mood, and your need for
You become, say, a reporter for

facts. If you're subjective, it's
t you make of the situation in
ng older, that your wallet was
at counts: So you angle to take
enough, we grant you, but you
fighting words for (a) literary
ism, or, since you ask, good lit­
erence; and (b) philosophers,
mind, the thinking agent) and
several dozen categories), the
since Aristotle.

652 AN I N C O M P L E T E

oral and verbal

Quick: How do you describe
Well, sure, it's verbal. But so'
oral—spoken, as opposed to
word for "mouth") with "aura
almost always pronounced ali

pathos and bathos

Pathos, which in Greek mean
ture or art that stimulates pity
Greek means "depth," is a
maudlin or the banal. Alexan
mock-critical treatise called "
One of his favorite examples,
but Space and Time, / And m
scription of the death of Little
Oscar Wilde remarked, famo
read it without laughing) and
T h e a is long in both words,

redundancy, tautology, a

Deadwood. "Redundancy" is
the other two (as well as lan
words even if they don't all m
are both more specialized. Th
is explicit in a way that sugge
he's chosen, and it's widely h
books, visible to the eye, cons
of assertion that sets out to pr
best poem that Sylvia Plath e
good.") The second, from the
device. It repeats what is alrea
strictly speaking, necessary, al

E EDUCATION

e a contract that two people strike over the phone?
's any contract that uses words. The right answer is
written. And don't confuse "oral" (from the Latin
al" (from the Latin word for "ear") even if they are
ike.

ns "suffering" or "passion," is the quality in litera­
y or compassion in the onlooker. Bathos, which in
downward (and an unintentional) slide into the
nder Pope (see page 191) named it, in 1727, in a
"Peri-Bathous, or, O f the Art of Sinking in Poetry."
, from a contemporary poem: "Ye Gods! annihilate
make two lovers happy." Equally bathetic: the de­
e Nell in Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop (of which
ously, that only a man with a heart of stone could
d the motto "For G o d , for Country, and for Yale."
by the way.

and pleonasm

the blanket term here, describing any instance of
nguage that's merely verbose, that uses too many
mean the same thing). "Tautology" and "pleonasm"
e first, from the Greek tauto-, "same," repeats what
ests the speaker isn't entirely up to using the words
held to be indefensible. Examples: bibliography of
ensus of opinion. (It's also used in logic of the kind
rove itself through simple restatement: "This is the
ever wrote; after all, none of the others is nearly so

Greek pie (i)on, "more," is an established rhetorical
ady implicit by adding a word or phrase that is not,
lthough it may contribute to overall clarity, empha-

sis, or effect. Examples: fall down, to see somethi
just begun. Too much pleonasm can get on a pers
the point of the exercise: The Bible, for instance, i

sensuous and sensual

In both cases, it's the senses, not the mind, that're b
ideas, that you wind up having. Coined by Milton (
suous, and passionate [than rhetoric]," he wrote),
less uncharged term and applies to the kind of ple
scented candles, and seedless grapes. "Sensual" ha
sure, with the indulgence of the appetites, with gl
aren't all they should be. Make the "sensual"/"sex
won't give you any trouble.

sententious and tendentious

You don't want to be either of these, if you can he
fectation and pompous moralizing, the second abo
of the tract writer.

specious and spurious

Good debunking words, these, possessed of an Ox
efaction and spleen. Both mean "lacking authen
false." "Spurious" also has overtones of bastardy, ille
in gutsy phrases like "spurious brood." (Which isn
bit of financial advice can't equally well prove spurio
ten at the core, "specious" adds a veneer of char
From the Latin species, "outward appearance," it d
fair, sound, or true, but that, on closer inspection,
dence is not only false evidence, but evidence prese
and, implicitly, evidence that almost succeeds in do

LEXICON ^53

ing with one's own eyes, only
ons nerves, but sometimes it's
is built on it.

being gratified; sensations, not
("[Poetry is] more simple, sen­
"sensuous" is today a more or
easure you get from art, music,
s more to do with erotic plea­
luttony, lust, and motives that
xual" connection, and the pair

elp it. T h e first is all about af­
out the relentless proselytizing

xford-debates-Cambridge rar­
nticity or validity, counterfeit,
egitimacy, and tends to pop up
n't to say that a document or a
ous.) To the basic sense of rot­
m, seductiveness, plausibility.
describes the thing that seems

is anything but. Specious evi­
ented with intent to deceive—
oing so.

654 AN I N C O M P L E T E

sybarite, hedonist, and e

The ancient Greeks are behin
ignate, the sybarite is the mos
both of whom had ancestors
head: His folks, wealthy Gree
simply knew how to have a go
justification for his pursuit of
simply, the chief good, thoug
telling you why. A n epicurean
yoke gratification with tastefu
isn't—if he's a bona fide follow
ter not even offer him a drink.
primacy of pleasure in life, ten
tional control of one's desires
lectual rather than bodily hidi

sympathy and empathy

For centuries, we English-sp
"feeling with," the power to s
his experiences, to walk a mi
deal: Just a little compassion
movie. "Empathy," "feeling in
lation of the German psych
one's personality into someon
tions here: Is empathy a bigge
just more self-conscious? Do
feel it? To use it? Should one
and Holden Caulfield or have
is no longer enough? Is one i
pathy? Empathy but no symp
of our publisher. Goodbye.

synecdoche and metony

Both are highly specialized fo
uses an appropriate part of
hands" means "ten hired w
Metonymy (muh-TAHN-uh-

E EDUCATION

epicurean

d all three. O f the kinds of pleasure-lover they des­
st blatant and unredeemed. Unlike the other two—
s with Ph.D.'s—he doesn't have a thought in his
ek colonists in the southern Italian town of Sybaris,
ood time. A hedonist, by contrast, has an elaborate
f pleasure {hedone, in Greek): H e believes that it is,
gh he'll probably have his hand on your leg as he's

may or may not be hedonistic. If he is, he'll at least
ulness, and probably put ease before orgasm. If he
wer of the Greek philosopher Epicurus—you'd bet­
. A true Epicurean (note cap), while he accepts the
nds to equate it with the avoidance of pain, the ra­
s, and the practice of virtue, and to seek it in intel­
ing places.

peakers made do perfectly nicely with "sympathy,"
share another person's emotions, to be affected by
ile—or simply a few yards—in his shoes. No big
n, is all, and the chance every so often to cry at a
nto," originated in 1912 as a pseudo-Greek trans­
hoanalytic term Einfuhlung, the ability to project
ne in order to understand him better. Several ques­
er deal than sympathy? Is it somehow "heavier," or
oes one require special imagination or training to
be content feeling sympathy for Elizabeth Bennet
e the stakes been raised to the point that sympathy
in trouble if one's shrink has sympathy but no em­
pathy? What's it all about, Alfie? Write to us care

ymy

orms of metaphor. Synecdoche (sin-EK-duh-kee)
something to signify the whole; thus "ten hired
workmen," and "wheels" were your father's car.
-mee; literally, "name-changing") includes, techni-

cally, all synecdoche, but most often denotes the u
attribute for the object or institution under discus
ken of as "the press," one steps on "the gas" as r
pedal, and an idea comes to you out of "the blue
critics and classical linguists still make a lot of this
time on rhetorical devices; these days, you'll get m
to distinguish between Verizon and Cingular.

turgid, turbid, and tumid

In botany, turgor (from a Latin verb meaning "to
the result of a plant's having taken in too much
means swollen, inflated, enlarged; and, by furthe
bastic. "Turgid" does not mean "turbid," which de
"crowd," and means "muddy, impenetrable, opaqu
can remember it from "turbulent.") For better or
"tuwid," which is related to the word "tumor" (from
to swell), and which means "swollen, inflated, en
bombastic." The one difference we can make ou
or healthy distention (a branch turgid with sap)
least doesn't put you to sleep. "Tumid" almost alw
ity: a starvation victim's tumid stomach, a cow's tu
speaks sheer bloat.

uninterested and disinterested

The former means "indifferent, uncaring," the latte

venal and venial

The two have nothing to do with each other, et
"Venal" (from the Latin word for "sale") means "o
capable of betraying one's honor or duty for a price,
than by merit." "Venial" (from the Latin word for
able, easily excused, minor in nature"; thus "venial
variety). Suggested mnemonic: "Venal" rhymes wit
bribe-takers wind up; "venial" rhymes with "genia
given that you're not going to be taken to task for

LEXICON 655

use of an associated or outside
ssion; thus journalists are spo­
routinely as on the accelerator
" rather than the sky. Literary
pair, but don't spend too much
more mileage out of being able

o swell") is cellular rigidity as
water. By extension, "turgid"
er extension, pompous, bom­
erives from the Latin word for
e; confused, disordered." (You
for worse, "turgid" does mean
m another Latin verb meaning
nlarged," as well as "pompous,
t: "Turgid" can imply normal
) and the kind of rant that at
ways has overtones of morbid­
umid ulcer; figuratively, it be­

er "impartial." It's that simple,

tymologically or conceptually.
open or susceptible to bribery,
, obtainable by purchase rather
"forgiveness") means "pardon­
sin" (as opposed to the mortal
th "penal," and prison is where
l," which you can afford to be,
your mistake.

6s6_ AN I N C O M P L E T E

Twenty-Five W

Ten where you have no choice

1. flaccid:
2. heinous:
3. scion:
4. segue:
5. ague:
6. caste:
7. dais:
8. inchoate:
9. quay:
10. ribald:

Eight where you have to choo
sounding pretentious) or disar

Correct

11. dour: Rhymes with "poor"
12. err: Rhymes with "fur"
13. grimace: Accent on second syllable: g r i - M A
14. harass: Accent on first syllable: H A R - a s s
15. impious: Accent on prefix: IM-pee-ous
16. schism: SIZZ-em
17. extant: Accent on first syllable: E K S - t u n t
18. long-lived: Long i (as in "life")

Four where you have to know

19. forte: It's one syllable (ignore th
when it's the musical direc

20. bases: More than one base? Say

21. slough: In America, S L O O (rhy
swamp, bayou, or backwa
spair figuratively akin to it
you're shedding dead skin

22. prophecy/prophesy: The former's the noun and
you say PRAH-fuh-sigh.

E EDUCATION

Words Not to Say Wrong

e:

FLAK-sid
HAY-ness
SIGH-en
SEG-way
AY-gyoo
KAST
DAY-is
in-KOH-it
KEY
RIB-uld

ose between being unimpeachably correct (and risk
rmingly casual (and risk sounding uneducated):

Casual

ACE Rhymes with "power"
s Rhymes with "fair"
Accent on first syllable: G R I M - u s
t Accent on second syllable: huh-RAS S
Accent on root: im-PIE-ous
SKIZZ-em
Accent on second syllable: eks-TANT
Short i (as in "live")

what you mean before you open your mouth:

he e) when it means strong point; two (FOR-tay)
ction meaning loudly.

BAYS-es. More than one basis? Say BAYS-ees.

mes with "goo") is preferred for the actual mire,
ater; S L O U (rhymes with "cow") for the deep de­
t; S L U F is the only acceptable pronunciation when
n.

d you say PRAH-fuh-see; the latter's the verb and