Little known/Misused Words

[person427]

Search bar approved assuming I used the right one this time.

Today I discovered that the word "Create" is actually commonly misused. It actually means to make something out of nothing.
Over the summer I learned about the word "ze" which can be used instead of "he or she" or "he/she" so
So what are some little known/ misused words you know of?

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

From the Wire, you can evacuate a building but evacuating people means giving them an enema.

 

[Ibanez887]

I know surreptitious can be used in place of sneaky or stealthily
Im not sure if its used in every day vocabulary though

 

[Gerazzi]

Clock, meaning to get from 9,999 points to 0,000 points.
Used as "hey, did you clock that game last night?"

yes it's a real word, or at least very old slang.

 

[Fbuh]

Well, I know that around where I live, the word "ignorant" is commonly used in place of rude. This in general pisses me off, but for the sake on being on topic, we wont go into it too much.

Nice. Very few people know that it really means accurate or precise. Cookie to the one who gets this.

 

[Lukeje]

Search bar approved assuming I used the right one this time.

Today I discovered that the word "Create" is actually commonly misused. It actually means to make something out of nothing.

That's only one definition;

Spoiler: Create

1. a. trans. Said of the divine agent: To bring into being, cause to exist; esp. to produce where nothing was before, 'to form out of nothing' (J.).

b. with complemental extension.

c. absol.

2. a. gen. To make, form, constitute, or bring into legal existence (an institution, condition, action, mental product, or form, not existing before). Sometimes of material works as fig. of 1.

b. absol.

c. Of an actor: To be the first to represent (a part or role), and so to give it its character. [F. creer un role: see Littre, Hatzfeld.]

d. To design (a costume): see CREATION 5c. Also, to design and execute a scheme of interior decoration.

3. To constitute (a personage of rank or dignity); to invest with rank, title, etc. Constr. to create a peer, to create a man a peer.

4. To cause, occasion, produce, give rise to (a condition or set of circumstances).

5. intr. To make a fuss, grumble, 'go on' about (something). slang.

Over the summer I learned about the word "ze" which can be used instead of "he or she" or "he/she" so
So what are some little known/ misused words you know of?

"Ze" is not in the OED, so I refuse to accept that it exists.

Oh, and slightly more on-topic, I have two books full of little-known words at home; Foyle's Philavery [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Foyles-Philavery-Treasury-Unusual-Words/dp/0550103295/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253746018&sr=8-1] and Further Philavery [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Foyles-Further-Philavery-Christopher-Foyle/dp/0550104364/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253746018&sr=8-2]. My favourite word from there is "pixilated";

Spoiler: Pixilated

Chiefly U.S. regional. Slightly crazed; bewildered, confused; fey, whimsical; (also) intoxicated.

 

[klemmy]

Though i can't think off the top of my head the actual words, the alexandria quartet book series by Lawrence Durrell has tons of english words that are very rarely used. i had to look up words every page or two in a rather thick dictionary for some of them.

 

[wordsmith]

Well, I know that around where I live, the word "ignorant" is commonly used in place of rude. This in general pisses me off, but for the sake on being on topic, we wont go into it too much.

Nice. Very few people know that it really means accurate or precise. Cookie to the one who gets this.

Agnes Nutter?

Clock is old slang, it comes from "clocking a glance" at someone, which means to look and take note of something. The condensed form became "I clocked him" (which interestingly can also mean hit- "She clocked him over the head with a frying pan"), so to "clock" something became to see or notice something, usually fleetingly but it sticks in your mind.

I'm intrigued as to how people misuse "create" though...

 

[Deleted]

Well, I know that around where I live, the word "ignorant" is commonly used in place of rude. This in general pisses me off, but for the sake on being on topic, we wont go into it too much.

Sweet irony.

I remember when 'epic' had meaning, as in something giant or massive doing a spectacular amount of damage or actions. Now anything is 'epic', it saddens me.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Inane, a lot of people seem to think it's me mistyping insane, but, no...

 

[Berethond]

<url=http://www.cracked.com/article_15664_9-words-that-dont-mean-what-you-think.html>Here be the top nine.

 

[AvsJoe]

I used to say irregardless until I found out that word is shite. Also does anybody know the difference between revenge and vengeance?

<url=http://www.cracked.com/article_15664_9-words-that-dont-mean-what-you-think.html>Here be the top nine.

*****t, ninja'd. Beat me to it, ye ***t***. Good job.

 

[SmartIdiot]

The word 'random' is misused so often that if I catch anyone using it I generally give them a slap. People have become so lazy with their vocabularies now that instead of engaging their brain and actually using a different descriptive word for something the end result is often 'random'. For example "Look at that dog over there, that's kinda random" - "Great night at the pub, such random banter" - "Hey have you met my friend James? He's so random!"

Pencil snapping fury.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Oh god... The idiocy on that word... [http://maddox.xmission.com/hatemail.cgi#INANE]

Indeed, my satirical hero suffers from this curse of illiterate fools, too.

 

[person427]

some people think that idiot just means stupid but it actually is a medical term used to classify a person of the lowest order in a now unused classification of mental retardation, meaning a person having a mental age of less than three years old and an intelligence quotient under 25.

Also, idiot was originally used by the Greek's(more specifically, Athens) and meant anyone who didn't take part in politics.

 

[SultanP]

Ironic is used by many people instead of unfortunate and other meanings that are also wrong.

 

[Xojins]

Most people don't know that gay does not mean stupid, nor are they related except in the minds of stupid people.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Inconceivable!

Or is it?

Most people don't know that gay does not mean stupid, nor are they related except in the minds of stupid people.

Strangely enough there is actually an etymological link for this as the original meaning of gay meant "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy". This would have been associated with childishness or stupidity, but later on it changed towards immoral behaviour, and from that route came to mean homosexuality.

So...I think there's actually more of a link to stupidity than homosexuality in the word gay, but YMMV.

I don't think the Flintstones were having a "homosexual old time" but they might have been having a "carefree old time", or even "stupid old time".

 

[Syndarr]

Most people don't know that gay does not mean stupid, nor are they related except in the minds of stupid people.

THANK YOU. It's difficult to genuinely offend me, but when I hear someone say "that's gay" when they don't like something, they are guaranteed to lose a LOT, if not all, of my respect.