"fiend": in anyone's active vocab?

[Wilson Gray]

On 11/11/05, Douglas Dee <AmateurLinguist at aol.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Douglas Dee <AmateurLinguist at AOL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "fiend": in anyone's active vocab?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I'd say "fiend" is in my active vocabulary, but not in its serious sense.
>
> I think I got the word from my grandmother.  If I left a window open, she'd
> call me a "fresh air fiend," and if I defeated her at Scrabble, backgammon, or
> whatever, she'd say "You're a fiend!"
>
> I'd probably use the word in the same way, but I'd never say anything like,
> "The fiends who plotted this terrorist act must be brought to justice."  That
> would sound silly.
>
> Doug
>

I'm with you on this, Doug.
--
-Wilson Gray