[Ads-l] famous or infamous?

[Dan Goncharoff]

I have always understood "infamous" to mean "well known for doing something
bad", which accurately describes Trump supporters' views of Brad
Raffensberger.
DanG


On Sun, Apr 24, 2022 at 10:10 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> More paradigmatic:
>
> CNN reporter Marshall Cohen says that "Brad Raffensberger...is famous, or
> infamous, for being on the receiving end of Donald Trump's wild phone call
> ...cajoling him to help steal the election here in Georgia."
>
> "Infamous" appears to mean no more than "well-known but not deserving of
> true fame."
>
> JL
>
> On Tue, Jun 23, 2020 at 5:57 AM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > So I'm not the only one who hasn't seen the movie.
> >
> > JL
> >
> > On Tue, Jun 23, 2020 at 3:59 AM Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> > Fort Lee, VA, not Fort Lee, NJ
> >>
> >> Fort Bragg, CA, and Fort Bragg, NC cause similar problems.
> >>
> >> On Wed, Jun 10, 2020 at 2:24 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
> >> >
> >> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> -Wilson
> >> -----
> >> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint to
> >> come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> >> -Mark Twain
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> 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
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org