perfect synonyms

[Jonathan Lighter]

Henry Attwell, in _Notes & Queries_ (7th Ser.) XI, May 23, 1891, p. 406, may
have been the genius who first identified "gorse" and "furze" as roughly 98
44/100 % identical synonyms.  And get ready for this:  he also adduced
"whin," which, while phonetically not so close, is semantically identical,
making a "triplet of synonyms" (or "hat trick," for mavens of metaphor).

Attwell doesn't say that this triplet of linguistic consilience is the only
such a one in English, but it would be tough to find another.

Takers?

JL



On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 3:40 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: perfect synonyms
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 7/10/2009 11:47 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >Sounds like "gorse" and "furze" are still the winners.
> >
> >I might add that "gorse" and "furze" also are synonymous in all contexts
> and
> >at all levels of discourse.
>
> The OED's date profiles are similar, too.
>
> But -- Including regional variations, such as south to north?  Both
> botanical and linguistic.  They don't speak the same English starting
> somewhere north of Aberdeen.  :-)
>
> Joel
>
> >A classmate of mine once insisted that "speed"
> >and "velocity" were just as synonymous.  I tried to disabuse him by
> pointing
> >out that "velocity" was far more prevalent in more technical contexts; in
> >addition, I believe it has certain technical connotations and nuances that
> >"speed" does not.  Naturally, he shrugged off my objections.
> >
> >A pair like "aardvark" and "earth-pig" might work, but "earth-pig" is
> rather
> >factitious (besides being open to the charge of binomialism or
> compounding,
> >unlike "aardvark," at lest in English). Neither "gorse" nor "furze" is
> >factitious.
> >
> >JL
> >
> >On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 11:28 AM, Jim Parish <jparish at siue.edu> wrote:
> >
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> > > -----------------------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       Jim Parish <jparish at SIUE.EDU>
> > > Subject:      Re: perfect synonyms
> > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > > > Years ago I revived the claim that the two most nearly synonymous
> > > > words in English are "gorse" and "furze."  Not only do they designate
> > > > the same referent; they are both monosyllabic and even bear a minor
> > > > phonetic resemblance.
> > > >
> > > > I can now reveal two comparably synonymous English words. They are so
> > > > mundane, however, that no one will be impressed.
> > > >
> > > > The envelope please:
> > > >
> > > > "Flapjack" and "slapjack."
> > >
> > > Hmm? In my lexicon, "flapjack" is a pancake and "slapjack" is a card
> > > game.
> > >
> > > Jim Parish
> > >
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