coincidentally = ironically = also

[Wilson Gray]

I saw it. I was reminded of _embiggen_, which was used on "The
Simpsons" many years ago.

-Wilson

On 2/1/07, Charles Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: coincidentally = ironically = also
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> For anybody who missed The Daily Show last night, I recommend watching the early-evening rebroadcast tonight--specifically "our White House correspondent" John Oliver's hilarious satire of Bush and the Bushistas' orchestrated use of the phrase "embolden the enemy/terrorists" (that's what any expression of an opinion other than theirs will do, of course). I can't remember it all, but Oliver says criticism will "beweaken our troops," etc.
>
> --Charlie
> _________________________________________________________
>
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2007 13:38:56 -0500
> >From: Benjamin Zimmer <bgzimmer at BABEL.LING.UPENN.EDU>
> >Subject: Re: coincidentally = ironically = also
> >
> >This follows the well-known rule that a word sounds fancier with extra syllables in front. Cf. "epicenter" = 'center', "penultimate" = 'ultimate', "quintessential" = 'essential', "juxtaposition" = 'position', etc.
> >
> >http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0509c&L=ads-l&D=0&P=20099
> >
> >
> >--Ben Zimmer
> >
>
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