VOCAB wars

[Tidus44]

I should remember the word syntality - the predictable behaviour of a specific group - when I post to a thread. Its generally impossible to have an intelligent discussion without someone having a hissy fit or who has any knowledge of the subject other than a misinformed opinion.

[Tidus44]

So, at just after 7:30 am this morning the tones went and we responded to a collision. Woman driver with a broken leg with her little girl in the backseat; on the way to daycare before going to work and some douche in a 1/2 ton trying to beat the red light wrecked her day.

But, I got to hold and play with a happy 22 month old - a great and peramene (meaning 'very pleasant') way for me to start my day - not so much for the Mom unfortunately.

 

Mom was a bit weirded that daughter didn't make strange with the big, ugly guy with the gravelly voice holding her (I was trying to see if she was hurt) and was actually having a good time and laughing. My PCP pipes up and tells her that little kids are rarely afraid of the big uglies, they like Shrek, Sully and the Beast. Mom had a really nice, musical laugh, I wish I'd been able to record it.

[Tidus44]

HazMat call this pm, something leaking out of a delivery truck. On the way back to the hall we see a radar trap with three cars lined up and the cop leaned over with his head almost inside the driver's window on one car.

As we pass by the car, my driver hits the air horn and the cop jumps, smacks his head on the door and spins around so fast he almost falls flat on his butt. Uproarious laughter ongoing in the apparatus until we get back to the hall.

 

I'm sure I will be hearing something about this in a day or two, but I doubt the cop got our designation number. Actually, I'm sure if I get called on this the Deputy will be laughing just as hard when I tell him what happened.

 

epicaricacy - The joy that results from others misfortune.

[AaronOfMpls]

Epicaricacy sounds a lot like...

 

schadenfreude -- enjoyment from someone else's misfortune

 

Basically the same thing in German instead of Latinized Greek.

[Tidus44]

I suppose in common usage the two words are synonymous, but I have always had the sense that they are somewhat different.

Schadenfreude has a much darker sense to it in that it has an element of hatred associated with it that would be part of the joy one receives. Seeing an enemy defeated or someone you dislike getting into a car accident is schadenfreude.

Epicaricacy, on the other hand, I sense is more a matter of gloating and hate or sadism is not necessarily associated with the joy one receives. Playing chess with a friend who generally beats you and you win a game is epicaricacy.

 

Again, I will point out this is only my sense of the meaning and usage of the words and why I used the one rather than the other.

 

Oh yeah, I need to use a word too; pukajaw; snow that is easily cut to make a shelter - comes to mind because it's snowing right now.

[AaronOfMpls]

Yeah, I think you may be right about the darker slant. Schadenfreude tends to be more malicious.

 

I think you added to the edification (intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement) we might get from this thread.

[Tidus44]

zoilist - A very nasty or rude critic or one who enjoys finding faults.

Found this word in an article about how society (particularly North American) complains and finds fault with everything and anything and has to voice their displeasure in the rudest or most offensive way possible.

 

I was going to provide a comment regarding complaining about complaining, but it sounded too much like complaining.

[Tidus44]

nyctalopia - night blindness or the inability to see in low light.

[tipsfedora]

fedora - a classy hat for a gentleman and a scholar

 

*tips fedora*

[Tidus44]

Whenever I hear fedora I think of the operating system based on Linux.

 

One wonders why stylish hats fell to desuetude (disuse) and worse, why they were replaced by the (shudder) ball cap.