Three Words I Think Should Mean Something Else
Winona blogs the hilarious and fashionable over at Daddy Likey. She spends her days writing for National Geographic (no, really!) and her nights writing haiku's about chlamydia.
Nonplussed
I think “plussed” sounds like a synonym of “stressed” or “flustered,” therefore “nonplussed” should mean cool and collected.
Prolific
“Prolific,” to me, is a combination of “terrifying” and “sadistic.” So when I hear a phrase like, “Prolific writer,” I get frightened and offended.
Trollop
What a delicious little word that means such a horrible thing! I tend to think a trollop is a delicious edible—show me a “Summer Trollop Salad” on a menu and I’d order it without a second thought!
What words miss their mark with you?
I think “plussed” sounds like a synonym of “stressed” or “flustered,” therefore “nonplussed” should mean cool and collected.
Prolific
“Prolific,” to me, is a combination of “terrifying” and “sadistic.” So when I hear a phrase like, “Prolific writer,” I get frightened and offended.
Trollop
What a delicious little word that means such a horrible thing! I tend to think a trollop is a delicious edible—show me a “Summer Trollop Salad” on a menu and I’d order it without a second thought!
What words miss their mark with you?
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10 comments:
Wow, I actually thought nonplussed meant what you think it should mean. Doh! Just lucky I never use that word.
It always kind of rang in my head as non-fussed, like not fussed. lol.
Football- I'm Welsh, so when people say football, I think of what you lot call soccer. It gets very confusing!
Chips- Like the first word, it's another British/American translation issue. I think of chips as in "fish and chips" and crisps are the thin ones. Also very confusing.
Hooter Girls- When I moved to Canada and my school had a fire drill, I asked who the hooter girls were (Girls who blow the fire horns in Britain) and everyone laughed. Little did I know they were topless waiters. Oops.
Great post! I honestly thought that nonplussed meant just that!
I read the title of this post and yelled "NONPLUSSED!!" out loud. You never disappoint.
I am so with you on nonplussed! And now that you mention it, trollop sounds like a happy little skip to me.
Hah - I agree on prolific.. I think perhaps because I've heard it often associated with criminals, like, serial killers. Prolific... in a terrifying kind of a way.
ive always got this things for the french word poubelle. it actually means trash can, but to me, the way i still remember it is: "a pretty bin" as belle means pretty!!
who knew what the french people were thinking when they called their bin pretty.
;P
and also Trollop should mean what you've decided it to mean..
trollop reminds me of a jingle on a sour cream commercial "What would you do for a dollop, a dollop, of Daisy?"
who knew it meant slut?
also, lofty?
arrogantly or condescendingly superior in manner; haughty
no way.
I thought it meant someone who wasn't all quite there, y'know? Like loony, and moony and dreamy.
@moremagicalways
"Chips" is even more confusing in New Zealand, as it means both hot chips/fries and potato chips. You just have to work out which one people are talking about through the context!
And I think the saying "lucked out" should mean out of luck, not lucky. It confuses me every time!
"Fitful". When we have a fitful night of sleep, it just seems to me that it ought to mean, "Slept deeply and well". But it means to toss and turn, as in having fits all night.
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