Thursday, June 26, 2008

From the Polysyllaby Department

The following entry is from pages 251-252 of A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, by H.W. Fowler, revised and edited by Sir Ernest Gowers, Oxford University Press, 1965:

"hugeous. Those who use the form perhaps do so chiefly under the impression that they are satirizing the ignorant with a non-existent word, as others of their kind do with mischevious or underconstumble or high-strikes for mischievous, understand, and hysterics. It is in fact a good old word, and corresponds rather to vasty and stilly by the side of vast and still; but it is practically obsolete, and, as its correctness robs it of its facetious capabilities, it might be allowed to rest in peace."

Thanks, I think I'll just stick with ginormous for now.


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