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January 2, 2008

Noir (noun)

Pronunciation: ['nwa(r) ]

Definition: Gloomy crime fiction or film featuring cynical characters in sleazy settings.

Usage: This adjective has not been completely assimilated by English as it occurs only in a few French phrases, as in French, always after the noun it modifies: "film noir" and "roman noir." The adjective is "noirish" with the "r" pronounced. For a parody of the genre noir, listen to the adventures of Guy Noir on Prairie Home Companion. Not directly related to café noir "black coffee" or pinot noir the "black Pinot" grape that produces the hearty red wine of the same name.

Suggested Usage: Weaving the expressions that "noir" occurs with into casual conversation calls for considerable lexical dexterity, "I feel sorry for him; his life is a kind of roman noir that he can't seem to brighten up." It is easier to use it literally: "The film set out a tantalizing detective mystery but midway evolved into a sort of film noir that could not sustain even a passing glint of optimism."

Etymology: French noir "black" from Late Latin "negro," Latin niger, nigr- "black" found in "Nigeria" and "denigrate." From PIE nekw-, also underlying English "night" and Greek nix, niktos "night". This root also had an O-grade form, nokw-, that produced Latin nox, noctis, German Nacht, Russian noch', Albanian natë—all meaning "night." The sounds [k] and [g] are identical except for the voicing of [g], i.e. the vibration of the vocal folds.

January 3, 2008

Replete (adjective)

Pronunciation: [ree-'pleet or rê-'pleet]

Definition: Abundantly provided with parts that complete the whole.

Usage: Full refers to containing the full amount while complete implies that all parts are present. Replete implies the presence of what is an integral part in sufficient or even more than sufficient supply.

Suggested Usage: Use this adjective to indicate an integral part of something that is abundantly or visibly present: "The job came replete with long hours and short tempers."

Etymology: From Latin repletus "filled up" from re- + ple-n-us "full". Related to replenish. Latin plenus is an Indo-European cognate of English full and Russian pol-nyj "full". The "p" original PIE *pel-/pol would be realized in Germanic languages like English as "f" as a result of (Jakob) Grimm's Law, discovered by the man of fairy tales.

January 4, 2008

Carfuffle (noun)

Pronunciation: [kah(r)- or kê(r)-'fê-fêl]

Definition: Uproar, agitation, commotion, brouhaha, fuss.

Usage: Today's lexical oddity is used mostly—you guessed it—in Scotland, home of the most intriguing words in English. It is a colloquial expression, spoken more than written. As a result, no one really knows how it is spelled: "kerfuffle," "curfuffle," and a few others may be found in the Oxford English Dictionary, both with and without the [r]. The Macquarie Australian dictionary adds "kerfoofle," "kafuffle," and "kafoofle."

Suggested Usage: When someone raises a brouhaha over something, a comment like "What is all the fuss about" is likely to be ignored. "What is all the carfuffle about?" is much more likely to get the attention the comment deserves. Try it yourself and see. I am sure you find yourself in situations where, "I hear, she raised a big stink over the alimony," is grates sensitive ears too much. In those situations, "I hear she raised a big carfuffle over the alimony," will positively soothe the ear.

Etymology: Today's word probably came from Gaelic car "twist, bend, turn about" found in other combinations such as car-fhocal "a quibble, prevarication," car-shúil "rolling eye," and car-tuaitheal "wrong turn." "Fuffle" originated as a verb meaning "to jerk about, throw into disorder." It may be a blend of "fuss" and "shuffle," an onomatopoeic creation on the order of "piffle," or of almost any other origin. We simply are not sure. The spelling "kerfuffle" probably results from the influence of the prefix ker- found in "kerplop," "kerthump," "kersplash."