Words that *sound* complementary, but aren't.

gmarkdc

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Nov 23, 2009, 11:06:57 AM11/23/09

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enervating
meretricious
benighted

More?

contrex

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Nov 23, 2009, 12:40:55 PM11/23/09

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On 23 Nov, 16:06, gmarkdc <gmar...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> enervating
> meretricious
> benighted
>
> More?

Complementary to what? Did you mean "complimentary"?

musika

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Nov 23, 2009, 12:46:35 PM11/23/09

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In news:d171b355-8669-4a32...@e20g2000vbb.googlegroups.com,
gmarkdc <gma...@googlemail.com> typed:
> enervating
> meretricious
> benighted
>
> More?

Complement.

--
Ray
UK

gmarkdc

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Nov 24, 2009, 9:52:55 AM11/24/09

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On 23 Nov, 17:46, "musika" <mUs...@SPAMNOTexcite.com> wrote:
> Innews:d171b355-8669-4a32...@e20g2000vbb.googlegroups.com,
> gmarkdc <gmar...@googlemail.com> typed:

>
> > enervating
> > meretricious
> > benighted
>
> > More?
>
> Complement.
>
> --
> Ray
> UK

Ooops! - Touché! - naughty step for me for a while...

...

OK, I'm back... any similar words spring to mind?

Brian Cryer

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Nov 24, 2009, 10:45:03 AM11/24/09

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"gmarkdc" <gma...@googlemail.com> wrote in message
news:d171b355-8669-4a32...@e20g2000vbb.googlegroups.com...
> enervating
> meretricious
> benighted
>
> More?

priceless - Two meanings, 1. worth more than you can put a price on and 2.
being without a price and thus worthless - is that the sort of thing you are
after?

It can often be the way things are said just as much as what is said, but
I'm sure you already know that.
--
Brian Cryer
www.cryer.co.uk/brian

HVS

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Nov 24, 2009, 12:23:40 PM11/24/09

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On 24 Nov 2009, gmarkdc wrote

> On 23 Nov, 17:46, "musika" <mUs...@SPAMNOTexcite.com> wrote:
>> Innews:d171b355-8669-4a32...@e20g2000vbb.googlegr

>> oups.com, gmarkdc <gmar...@googlemail.com> typed:

>>
>>> enervating
>>> meretricious
>>> benighted
>>
>>> More?
>>
>> Complement.
>>
>> --
>> Ray
>> UK
>

> Ooops! - Touch�! - naughty step for me for a while...

>
> ...
>
> OK, I'm back... any similar words spring to mind?

"Fulsome" is perhaps the most notorious example.

--
Cheers, Harvey
CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed

gmarkdc

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Nov 24, 2009, 3:14:48 PM11/24/09

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>
> "Fulsome" is perhaps the most notorious example.
>

> --
> Cheers, Harvey
> CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed

Hmm - not 100% sure 'bout that: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fulsomeMore
;

Think maybe I was aiming at more of: 'the disruption within one's
soul after the sudden realisation one had used a word badly in the
past"'

Maybe the Germans have a succinct word for that...

David Kaye

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Nov 25, 2009, 6:43:13 AM11/25/09

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"Brian Cryer" <not.here@localhost> wrote:

>priceless - Two meanings, 1. worth more than you can put a price on and 2.
>being without a price and thus worthless - is that the sort of thing you are
>after?

I don't see "priceless" as having the meaning of valueless.

However, one I hear on the radio from time to time is "unmatched", such as
"See our unmatched fabric selection today", which would seem to indicate that
the fabric is odd lots of mismatched patterns, etc.

Opinicus

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Nov 25, 2009, 11:24:58 PM11/25/09

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See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damn_with_faint_praise

--
Bob
http://www.kanyak.com