Speaking of meanings that have changed, “nice” once meant discriminating and strict, “cute” meant shrewd, “vulgar” was of the common people, “crafty” was strong, “silly” was blessed, “gaudy” was joyful, “tawdry” was St. Audrey’s lace (a souvenir in honor of her), “vest” meant clothing in general, “gay” meant happy (and it still sometimes does), “maudlin” was after Magdalene’s (“Maudlin’s”) tears at the tomb of Christ, and a “deer” once meant any quadruped. “Harlot” was a boy, “meat” was any food, “counterfeit” was an original, and “egregious” – one of my favorite words and one that I apply to terrible writing errors – meant extraordinarily good. What’s a writer to do?
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 15:53:52 +0000
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