[Ads-l] famous or infamous?

[Jonathan Lighter]

Bonus "infamous."   Unequivocally it means "famous or celebrated," not
"undeservedly famous," as some would have it:

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/cobra-kai-moves-youtube-netflix-160002702.html
 * :*

“Cobra Kai” takes place 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley
Karate Tournament, where a now-successful Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio)
struggles to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of Mr.
Miyagi, and must face his previous adversary, down-and-out Johnny Lawrence
(William Zabka), who seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai
karate dojo. "

On Mon, Jun 22, 2020 at 11:42 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> How soon can you become infamous?
>
> https://www.yahoo.com/news/even-fox-friends-isn-t-150608180.html  *:*
> Despite the infamous image of a downtrodden Trump shuffling off Marine One
> on Saturday night, McEnany insisted the president was in “good spirits” and
> a “great mood” on the trip back to Washington after the rally.
>
> Or does it mean "widely publicized to someone's detriment"?
>
> JL
>
> On Wed, Jun 10, 2020 at 3:00 PM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> wrote:
>
>> > On Jun 10, 2020, at 2:23 PM, Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>> >
>> > On Wed, Jun 10, 2020 at 1:57 PM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> >>> On Jun 10, 2020, at 1:44 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
>> >
>> >> wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>> Paradigm case.
>> >>>
>> >>> Yahoo News:
>> >>>
>> >>> "Fort Lee is named for Gen. Robert E. Lee, the infamous Confederate
>> >>> commander."
>> >>>
>> >>> It would have been easier (and less condescending to everybody) just
>> to
>> >>> leave out the value judgment (if that's what is).
>> >>>
>> >>> JL
>> >>
>> >> If also would have been easier and less condescending if they’d
>> realized
>> >> Fort Lee is actually named for General Charles Lee, who served under
>> >> Washington.  I remembered that from one of those McCullogh books about
>> the
>> >> Revolutionary War, and wikipedia confirms.  Now Charles Lee himself was
>> >> both famous and infamous (
>> >> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lee_(general)), court-martial
>> and
>> >> all, but for insubordination and other alleged offenses, not including
>> >> being a Confederate commander. That would have been no mean feat,
>> since he
>> >> was dead by the end of 1782.
>> >>
>> >
>> > The news article JL quoted is about Fort Lee, VA, not Fort Lee, NJ.
>> >
>> >
>> https://www.businessinsider.com/military-bases-named-after-confederate-leaders-2020-6
>> >
>> > —bgz
>> >
>>
>> Ah, that’s my Gotham-centric world view coming out again (cf.
>> https://tinyurl.com/y9u6btxb).  You can just about make out my Fort Lee
>> in the distance, and the Virginia one is nowhere in sight.  Nevermind.
>>
>> LH
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>


-- 
"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