Schumer vs. Wash. Times on "fulsome"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Like there was any doubt about what Schumer meant.

Pundits....

JL

Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at RCI.RUTGERS.EDU> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Benjamin Zimmer
Subject: Schumer vs. Wash. Times on "fulsome"
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>From Media Matters for America...

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http://mediamatters.org/items/200507220001

Wash. Times launched "fulsome" attack on Schumer's diction

A July 22 Washington Times editorial attacked Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)
for saying that Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. "does not have a
long and fulsome record" as a judge, referring to Robert's two years on
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The Times suggested
Schumer used "fulsome" out of ignorance, noting that "fulsome" means
"offensive and disgusting," which "the senator would know if he had looked
it up." "Fulsome," however, carries multiple definitions, one of which is
"characterized by abundance," which makes Schumer's usage appropriate.

>From the Times editorial:

Mr. Schumer lamented that Judge John Roberts, who was confirmed in
2003 for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit,
"does not have a long and fulsome record -- he's only had two years as
a judge." We agree that his record is anything but "fulsome," which
means "offensive and disgusting," as the senator would know if he had
looked it up.

The Merriam-Webster Online dictionary's definition of "fulsome" lists
"copious" as the first definition and states that the definition cited by
the Times is "the least common":

Main Entry: ful·some
Pronunciation: 'ful-s&m
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English fulsom copious, cloying, from full + -som -some

1 a : characterized by abundance : COPIOUS detail -- G. N. Shuster> Maxine Kumin> b : generous in amount, extent, or spirit passengers were fulsome in praise of the plane's crew -- Don Oliver>
have been fulsome, the farewells tender -- Simon Gray> c : being full
and well developed Eckert, Jr.>

2 : aesthetically, morally, or generally offensive nauseous flattery -- William Congreve> fulsome rogue -- George Villiers>

3 : exceeding the bounds of good taste : OVERDONE chromium glitter of the escalators dominating the central hall --
Lewis Mumford>

4 : excessively complimentary or flattering : EFFUSIVE whose extent I did not express, lest I be thought fulsome -- A. J.
Liebling>

- ful·some·ly adverb
- ful·some·ness noun

Usage: The senses shown above are the chief living senses of fulsome.
Sense 2, which was a generalized term of disparagement in the late
17th century, is the least common of these. Fulsome became a point of
dispute when sense 1, thought to be obsolete in the 19th century,
began to be revived in the 20th. The dispute was exacerbated by the
fact that the large dictionaries of the first half of the century
missed the beginnings of the revival. Sense 1 has not only been
revived but has spread in its application and continues to do so. The
chief danger for the user of fulsome is ambiguity. Unless the context
is made very clear, the reader or hearer cannot be sure whether such
an expression as "fulsome praise" is meant in sense 1b or in sense 4.

— S.S.M.

Posted to the web on Friday July 22, 2005 at 12:07 PM EST
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--Ben Zimmer

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