Unthaw

[Peter A. McGraw]

That sounds like either the study of frogs or a medical term for some
distasteful growth, disease or procedure.  (Do we need a word for that?)

* E.g.:

"Patient No. 5537118 has an amphibology on his left forearm."

Or:

"Mr. Smith, I'm afraid we're going to have to do an amphibology."

I vote for "ipsonyms."

Peter Mc.


--On Thursday, July 29, 2004 1:25 PM -0500 Dennis Baron <debaron at UIUC.EDU>
wrote:

> I believe I once proposed amphibology, but I wasn't particularly
> serious.
> dennis
>
> On Jul 29, 2004, at 11:57 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: Unthaw
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> --------
>>
>> They need a name that intro to linguistics students can memorize.
>>
>> Allow me to suggest "ipsonyms."  Or is that taken?
>>
>> JL
>>
>> Dennis Baron <debaron at UIUC.EDU> wrote:
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender: American Dialect Society
>> Poster: Dennis Baron
>> Subject: Re: Unthaw
>> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> --------
>>
>> Thaw/unthaw is just one of several words that mean their own opposites
>> (sounds like a talk show topic, like planets that eat their own moons.
>> Tomorrow, on Oprah, words that mean their own opposites).
>>
>> These are common enough -- altho there is no technical term for them:
>>
>> ravel/unravel (knitting up the raveled sleeve of care)
>> literally/figuratively (she was literally climbing the walls--literally
>> is seldom used literally, whereas figuratively is always used
>> literally; go figure)
>> unloosen/loosen
>> bone/debone
>> and of course cleave (which means both cling to and separate, though it
>> is really two different words that have become identical)
>>
>> Dennis (that's me, and so far as I know that's all it means, tho
>> sometimes it means Dennis Preston)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Dennis Baron office: 217-244-0568
>> Professor of English and Linguistics mobile: 217-840-0776
>> Department of English fax: 217-333-4321
>> University of Illinois https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/debaron/www
>> 608 S. Wright St.
>> Urbana, IL 61801
>> debaron at uiuc.ed
>>
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*****************************************************************
Peter A. McGraw       Linfield College        McMinnville, Oregon
******************* pmcgraw at linfield.edu ************************