Misunderstood Words
We asked you on twitter about Misunderstood Words…We picked some of the best answers!
@WomenWriters I used to think "askance" meant something like "questioning" and then discovered it meant "suspiciously." Whoopsie-doodle.
— Eileen Gonzalez (@EileenDGonzalez) October 5, 2013
@WomenWriters I got one: @EmmaSamms1 and I agree – "enervate" sounds exactly opposite of what it actually means. A misleading, sneaky word.
— Angela Rynan Durrell (@Rowaenthe) October 5, 2013
@WomenWriters 'Perverse' as in behaving in a contrary way from the expected, not as in 'perverted'. Mixing them up ends in a lot of bother!
— Hannah Brockbank (@hannahbrockbank) October 5, 2013
@WomenWriters i was still at school + thought Good Riddance meant have a good ride or journey!!
— Biker (@hypnowizz) October 5, 2013
@WomenWriters Thought 'obliged' meant 'delighted'. Why else would people say 'much obliged'?
— Claire Nolan (@ClaireNolan) October 5, 2013
@WomenWriters oh… curly academic words that have been burned from my mind. Dulcet is a classic from childhood though.
— Pursuit of Adventure (@MsZoeAmy) October 5, 2013
@WomenWriters I thought homely meant pretty. Probably why I don't have body image issues!!!
— Beverly Army (@Beverly_Army) October 5, 2013
@WomenWriters I thought bucolic meant sickness. I got confused as a child reading tales where villages were described as lovely AND bucolic
— Lyn G Farrell (@FarrellWrites) October 5, 2013
@WomenWriters ludicrous and lucrative still trip me up by times.
— Karen Spafford-Fitz (@karen_sp_fitz) October 5, 2013
@WomenWriters I was 'self-depreciating' till I was about 24…
— Bronwyn Cook (@BlondieCook) October 5, 2013
@WomenWriters I once mistakenly said "cervical stimulation" when I meant "cerebral stimulation" – that provoked some rather shocked looks!!
— SquareSparrow (@SquareSparrow) October 5, 2013
@WomenWriters I couldn't work out why adults thought that 'universal suffrage' should be encouraged. How could suffering be a good thing?
— thebooktrail (@thebooktrailer) October 5, 2013
@WomenWriters My grandma thought horny meant feeling silly and proceeded to tell total strangers "Don't mind me, I'm just horny."
— Rebecca J Allred (@LadyHazmat) October 5, 2013
Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing, Women Writers on Twitter
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When I was a child in the South and heard about the Civil War, I thought it was the Silver War!!
I love hearing stories like this. When I was overseas and met someone from “Merryland” I thought it was the place where everyone was happy. (It was disappointing years later when I saw how it was spelled.) – Anora McG
Ha! These are classic. The last one reminded me of the mother of a boy I dated in high school. She thought to “make out” meant to “chat” and would always tell us to head on down to the basement and make out. Needless to say we willingly obliged. 😉