Engineering amazing

[Jonathan Lighter]

Cf. "Handsome is as handsome does."

JL

On Sat, Nov 5, 2011 at 7:13 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Engineering amazing
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A series of excellent finds that also demonstrate that the =
> being-deletion theory doesn't hold.=20
>
> The effect seems to be giving the active feeling of an adjective while =
> using nouns.
>
> One interesting property most of these examples seem to share is that =
> the noun forms are unwieldy, such as requiring a -ness suffix. One token =
> has the property that the noun form does not adequately express the =
> meaning that the adjective does.
>
> Going backward through the list:
>
> crazy - craziness
> interesting - interest doesn't express the meaning of interesting, =
> leaving interestingness which is even worse
> ordinary - actually, this is a noun; however, this example feels like it =
> fits in this category
> tired - tiredness
> rich - richness doesn't cut it
> big - bigness doesn't cut it
> original - originality is an exception as it has a cachet and is a =
> regular-sounding form
> fresh - freshness
> smart - smartness doesn't cut it
> amazing - amazingness=20
>
> Benjamin Barrett
> Seattle, WA
>
> On Nov 5, 2011, at 2:47 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
>> Turner Classic Movies promises "a castleful of crazy in _Dementia =
> 13_!"
>>=20
>> JL
>>=20
>> On Thu, Nov 3, 2011 at 4:26 PM, Jonathan Lighter =
> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
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>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>> Subject:      Re: Engineering amazing
>>> =
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> -----
>>>=20
>>> TV commercials just this week:
>>>=20
>>> "Chex Mix is a bag of interesting!"
>>>=20
>>> "Leave behind ordinary!" [Visit South Africa.]
>>>=20
>>> JL
>>>=20
>>> On Sun, Oct 23, 2011 at 12:25 PM, Jonathan Lighter
>>> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
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>>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>>> Subject:      Re: Engineering amazing
>>>> =
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> -----
>>>>=20
>>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D9DNexGfaUVA :
>>>>=20
>>>> "Tired sucks. Not end of a long day tired. But middle of the day,
>>>> places to go, things to do, deadlines to meet. But all I want to do =
> is
>>>> close my eyes tired. 5-hour ENERGY fixes tired fast."
>>>>=20
>>>> Also on TV.
>>>>=20
>>>> JL
>>>>=20
>>>> On Wed, Oct 5, 2011 at 12:51 PM, Jonathan Lighter
>>>> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
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>>>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>>>> Subject:      Re: Engineering amazing
>>>>> =
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> -----
>>>>>=20
>>>>> Re adj. > n.
>>>>>=20
>>>>> Michael Moore explained today that the banks are filthy rich.
>>>>>=20
>>>>> "But filthy rich isn't good enough."
>>>>>=20
>>>>> All of these forms may be characterized as simple (though novel)
>>>>> "being"-deletion.
>>>>>=20
>>>>> (Apologies if someone has already suggested that.)
>>>>>=20
>>>>> JL
>>>>>=20
>>>>> On Tue, Sep 27, 2011 at 11:31 AM, Ben Zimmer
>>>>> <bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu>wrote:
>>>>>=20
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>>>>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>>>> Poster:       Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
>>>>>> Subject:      Re: Engineering amazing
>>>>>>=20
>>>>>> =
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> -----
>>>>>>=20
>>>>>> On Tue, Sep 27, 2011 at 11:23 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>>>>>>=20
>>>>>>> The commercial I mentioned is for Grant Thornton, management =
> consultants.
>>>>>>>=20
>>>>>>> As the words materialize on the screen, a voice tells you,
>>>>>>>=20
>>>>>>> "Big doesn't win....
>>>>>>>=20
>>>>>>> "Original wins.
>>>>>>>=20
>>>>>>> "Fresh wins.
>>>>>>>=20
>>>>>>> "Smart wins."
>>=20
>
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