Word of the Day: facetious

Word of the Day: facetious

Facetious I was being
Source: memegenerator.net

Facetious (adjective) fuh-SEE-shuss

Definition

1 : joking or jesting often inappropriately : waggish

2 : meant to be humorous or funny : not serious

Examples

“My proposal to tax estates heavily is neither entirely serious nor wholly facetious.” — Martha Viehmann, The Cincinnati (Ohio) Enquirer, 17 Aug. 2016

“When I was a kid, I wanted to be a garbage man. I’m not being facetious or silly…. As a four-year-old, my room window faced the street, and I remember being mesmerized by these wild guys waking me up twice a week. They were raucous and loud, they yelled and threw things around with reckless abandon, they dangerously climbed on and hung off a large moving vehicle….” — Andy Nulman, quoted in The Globe and Mail, 11 Sept. 2016

Did You Know?

Facetious—which puzzle fans know is one of the few English words containing the vowels a, e, i, o, u in order—came to English from the Middle French word facetieux, which traces to the Latin word facetia, meaning “jest.” Facetia seems to have made only one other lasting contribution to the English language: facetiae, meaning “witty or humorous writings or sayings.” Facetiae, which comes from the plural of facetia and is pronounced \fuh-SEE-shee-ee\ or \fuh-SEE-shee-eye\, is a far less common word than facetious, but it does show up occasionally. For example, American essayist Louis Menand used it in his 2002 book American Studies to describe the early days of The New Yorker. “The New Yorker,” he wrote, “started as a hectic book of gossip, cartoons, and facetiae.”

Fry being facetious
Source: memegenerator.net

My Take

I try to be humorous in my everyday life, at least when it is appropriate. It’s one reason my girlfriend loves me. Yet, there are days when she is sure that I’m being facetious. Take, for example, the times when she is feeling under the weather, and I try to make light of the situation. I’ll say something that in my mind is light-hearted and candid. Unfortunately, I am amazed at how often she takes exception to my feeble attempt to cheer her up. I see it time and time again, yet I’ll never learn. It’s part of my nature. Sorry honey.

Facetious, urbane or well-mannered
Source: buzzfeed.com

In my research on the word, I found that a century ago, facetious had a very different meaning, ‘urbane or well-mannered.’ It got me thinking. So many of the words I am learning by doing these Words of the Day used to have very different meanings, either decades ago or centuries ago. I find that intriguing. It means that the human race is ever changing. We are not stagnant and dying. It gives me hope for the future. How about you? What do you think?

My bonus picture, available if you share this post by clicking one of the twitter buttons, is especially pertinent to today’s word. It’s sexy, and it’s particularly funny. My gift to you for sharing.

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Word of the Day: Waggish

Waggish, displaying good humored mischief
Source: Vocab Made Easy

Word of the Day: Waggish

Waggish (adjective) WAG-ish

Definition

1 : resembling or characteristic of a wag : displaying good-humored mischief

2 : done or made for sport : humorous

Examples

“A warm person who enjoys banter with often-waggish reporters, [Elizabeth] Brenner joked that her next move would be to take a newspaper-carrier route in Pewaukee. ‘No, that’s not what I’m going to do,’ she quickly added. ‘Can’t get up that early.'” — Rick Romell, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 17 May 2016

“The waggish reaction to Guaranteed Rate’s name and arrow logo is like the feedback Energy Solutions received when its name replaced that of Delta Air Lines on the Utah Jazz’s arena a decade ago. Energy Solutions’ business—disposing of low-level nuclear waste in the Utah desert—led to people calling the arena the Dump, the Isotope and Radium Stadium.” — Richard Sandomir, The New York Times, 25 Aug. 2016

Did You Know?

One who is waggish acts like a wag. What, then, is a wag? Etymologists think wagprobably came from waghalter, a word that was once used for a gallows bird (that is, a person who was going to be, or deserved to be, hanged). Waghalter was apparently shortened to wag and used jokingly or affectionately for mischievous pranksters or youths. Hence a wag is a joker, and waggery is merriment or practical joking. Waggish can describe the prank itself as well as the prankster type; the class clown might be said to have a “waggish disposition” or be prone to “waggish antics.”

Waggish attorney
Source: Get Words

My Take

About the only thing that comes to mind regarding this word is a cat my family had when I was a youngster. The cat’s name was ‘Mischief’ and it was certainly a waggish creature. I remember once when it bought a snake into the house and presented it to my mother as a gift. Mom, of course, did not see it that way. But she was cool. She looked down at the cat and then looked over at our dog and said, “Lady, take care of that.”

Lady, a beautiful border collie, did take care of it. First, she went over and picked up the snake and took it outside. Upon her return, she found Mischief and proceeded to beat the shit out of her, reinforcing the rule, “Never, ever, do that again.” Mischief never did.

I still smile to this day when I think about the incident.

Please share your comments. I’m sure we would all enjoy reading them.

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