quixotic

ADSGarson O'Toole adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Thu Jan 30 20:41:23 UTC 2014


http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quixotic

quixotic adjective

1: foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals;
especially :  marked by rash lofty romantic ideas or extravagantly
chivalrous action
2: capricious, unpredictable

A quest to preserve sense one which is rooted in the actions of Don
Quixote and block sense two would perhaps be quixotic.

Garson

On Thu, Jan 30, 2014 at 3:00 PM, Jonathan Lighter
<wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      quixotic
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 'quirky'? 'erattic'? 'unpredictable'?
>
> From an email:
>
> I think January's quixotic weather was also a good reason to have it a bit
> closer to whatever is going to pass for Spring in New Hampshire.--
>
>
> JL
>
>
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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