Friday, January 20, 2017

A Vainglorious Time


Tomorrow the United States inaugurates its 45th President.
I am lost for words.
So, I am turning this Fryday over to two eminent brothers who were never lost for a word and indeed were made of and for words.
They are George and Charles Merriam who in 1843 founded G&C Merriam Co. which, after the brothers bought A Compendius Dictionary of the English Language from the estate of Noah Webster, would publish the much lauded and venerable Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The first publication was in 1845.
I turned to their dictionary for two reasons. First, its American origins and, second, I wanted the exact definition of one of my favourite words—a word I despaired of ever having an opportunity or a reason to use.
Until now.
Until the 45th President of the United States.
The word is vainglorious.
According to the Webster brothers, it means, boastful.
Exactly.
Now, there may be Fryday readers of a certain persuasion who do not think vainglorious a fair or accurate description of the 45th President. Maybe even that it is disrespectful. I respect that view. However, for the rest of us here is a little game inspired by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The Dictionary gives us a long list of synonyms and words related to vainglorious. I have replicated the list below. The game is for you to tick off how many you think aptly and accurately describe the incoming President. If you are feeling particularly studious, you might even send me a number.
Happy hunting.

assured, biggety (or biggity), bigheaded, complacent, consequential, egoistic (also egoistical), egotistic (or egotistical), important, overweening, pompous, prideful, proud, self-conceited, self-important, self-opinionated, self-satisfied, smug, stuck-up, swellheaded, vain, conceited, blusterous, blustery, boastful, bombastic, braggart, bragging, braggy, cocky, swaggering; arrogant, assumptive, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, disdainful, fastuous, haughty, high-and-mighty, high-hat, huffy, lofty, lordly, masterful, peremptory, pontifical, self-asserting, self-assertive, snobbish, snobby, snooty, supercilious, superior, toplofty (also toploftical), uppish, uppity; domineering, high-handed, imperious; highfalutin (also hifalutin), holier-than-thou, pretentious; overconfident, presuming, presumptuous; confident, self-assured, self-confident; self-adulatory, self-congratulatory, self-contented, self-gratulatory; self-applauding, self-dramatizing, self-glorifying, self-promoting; self-affected, self-centered, self-engrossed, selfish; condescending, patronizing.

No comments:

Whetu Calls: Water Gate

  Whetu is an old friend of Fryday’s. Not that I think he knows that. He doesn’t have email or access to the internet. In fact, he is so far...