It means something of great wickedness, a huge affront to morality. Common usage has seen it start to mean the same thing as enormousness, which is wrong but one of those things that happens anyway because people are terrible. I think Obama used it wrongly in his acceptance speech.
I realise that language changes over time and meanings shift but enormity is a perfectly useful word that shouldn't be co-opted into meaning something else just because people are dumb and don't know what it actually means.
3. Excess in magnitude; hugeness, vastness.
This definition has been floating around since around 1792 according to the Oxford English Dictionary. You may have missed that battle. It is still, however, important to know all the definitions of the word and the context it carries.
Looks like blatant shifted to be more than just sound based around 1889, if you were curious.
Y'know, I'm still confused on the "monkey" thing. The article says:
Internet and texting blues -MONKEY – "Especially on the Internet, many people seem to think they can make any boring name sound more attractive just by adding the word 'monkey' to it. Do a search to find the latest. It is no longer funny." Rogier Landman, Somerville, Mass.
I don't think this is referring to the use as a suffix indicating a menial laborer in some field. It sounds like Mr. Landman is complaining about, say, screen names or startup businesses or something like that. But... I haven't really noticed a plague of names ending in "monkey".
Kupi on
My favorite musical instrument is the air-raid siren.
They should ban 'enormity' until everyone knows that it doesn't mean 'very big'.
I've been making the same argument for "quantum" for years, especially when it comes to the term "quantum leap."
It's an idiomatic expression. It's like "burning bridges." You're not literally burning anything at all, nor are you referring to any sort of transportation infrastructure.
I've always been a proponent of more standardized language than actually exists in reality, but people using terms like that are not strictly incorrect in doing so.
programjunkie on
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KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
edited January 2009
No "Thrown under the bus"? or was that last year?
Also, "staycation" can be smoothly replaced with the Hodgmism "Holistay (rhymes with holiday)".
only negative monkeys, possitive monkeys are still allowed.
Lucky for me, really.
Oh, and can we get rid of "literally"? I'm willing to sacrifice using it entirely if only I can stop the bastards that use it as an intensifier.
"I was out until literally three o' clock last night. It was literally wicked. I literally had six blue WKDs, and they are literally delicious."
Are they?
Are they really?
You're literally boring me to death.
The way Feral used it is actually a much better example of the problem with "literally."
Yes. I am literally drinking bleach about it.
Unfortunately, the people I hear it from haven't even got the conversational skills to use idioms and metaphors, so they have no choice but to use "literally" as a simple intensifier.
Actually this could technically be interpreted as tautological.
Maybe you're an idiot and you're due no respect. Maybe you're amazing and you're due adulation. So I could be treating you with any arbitrary amount of respect and it still could be "due."
Feral on
every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.
MorninglordI'm tired of being Batman,so today I'll be Owl.Registered Userregular
edited January 2009
I don't understand this list.
I will treat anybody who attempts to use this list on me with the same condescending withering scorn I reserve for any other blithering moron trying to tell me what words I'm allowed to use.
I know, I'm a maverick. < 3
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
Yeah, but it hasn't been used exceptionally often this year to make any list. It's just universally moronic and should never be uttered by anyone who isn't legally brain dead. Even zombies would roll their eyes if one of their colleagues groaned it.
Yeah, but it hasn't been used exceptionally often this year to make any list. It's just universally moronic and should never be uttered by anyone who isn't legally brain dead. Even zombies would roll their eyes if one of their colleagues groaned it.
Yeah, but it hasn't been used exceptionally often this year to make any list. It's just universally moronic and should never be uttered by anyone who isn't legally brain dead. Even zombies would roll their eyes if one of their colleagues groaned it.
I submit that it was funny in 'Dr. Horrible'.
I thought it was "sheep'll" in that context, as in "Amazing how [sheep will] show up for the slaughter," although either one will work in that sentence.
A UKism maybe, but 'end of' annoys me quite a bit. As in 'end of discussion'. It's an arrogant phrase to use at the best of times and saying 'end of' makes it even more abrupt and condescending.
I will treat anybody who attempts to use this list on me with the same condescending withering scorn I reserve for any other blithering moron trying to tell me what words I'm allowed to use.
I know, I'm a maverick. < 3
There should be an exception there for references to the mildly entertaining Mel Gibson movie
I will treat anybody who attempts to use this list on me with the same condescending withering scorn I reserve for any other blithering moron trying to tell me what words I'm allowed to use.
I know, I'm a maverick. < 3
There should be an exception there for references to the mildly entertaining Mel Gibson movie
Posts
3. Excess in magnitude; hugeness, vastness.
This definition has been floating around since around 1792 according to the Oxford English Dictionary. You may have missed that battle. It is still, however, important to know all the definitions of the word and the context it carries.
Looks like blatant shifted to be more than just sound based around 1889, if you were curious.
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
I don't think this is referring to the use as a suffix indicating a menial laborer in some field. It sounds like Mr. Landman is complaining about, say, screen names or startup businesses or something like that. But... I haven't really noticed a plague of names ending in "monkey".
Literally.
It's an idiomatic expression. It's like "burning bridges." You're not literally burning anything at all, nor are you referring to any sort of transportation infrastructure.
I've always been a proponent of more standardized language than actually exists in reality, but people using terms like that are not strictly incorrect in doing so.
Also, "staycation" can be smoothly replaced with the Hodgmism "Holistay (rhymes with holiday)".
Yes. I am literally drinking bleach about it.
You now owe him $5.
Worth it.
(So do you for quoting me!)
Unfortunately, the people I hear it from haven't even got the conversational skills to use idioms and metaphors, so they have no choice but to use "literally" as a simple intensifier.
"Where u/you at?" - god damn Boost Mobile.
"____-tard" - so lazy.
Actually this could technically be interpreted as tautological.
Maybe you're an idiot and you're due no respect. Maybe you're amazing and you're due adulation. So I could be treating you with any arbitrary amount of respect and it still could be "due."
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
What's worse is that I think some people might do that on purpose because they think it's funny. Kind of like the poor man's irony, or something.
I will treat anybody who attempts to use this list on me with the same condescending withering scorn I reserve for any other blithering moron trying to tell me what words I'm allowed to use.
I know, I'm a maverick. < 3
That's my favourite but in the world. Dreams are made in that but.
Widespread rickrolling led to a backlash against the act, but if someone uses the gag very skillfully it's still fucking hilarious.
That said, you can't use Maverick anymore, ever.
[Edit] - also: :winky:
Poor mites.
I suppose I can get used to calling that NBA team the Dallas Cubans.
I submit that it was funny in 'Dr. Horrible'.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
I thought it was "sheep'll" in that context, as in "Amazing how [sheep will] show up for the slaughter," although either one will work in that sentence.
There should be an exception there for references to the mildly entertaining Mel Gibson movie
dont forget top gun.....
you can't forget top gun....