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Slava
Senior Lexiterian
Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 625
Location: Geneva, NY
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 Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 10:11 pm
Post subject: Temerity |
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As in the Temerity of Hope? Guts, chutzpah, etc.
Have you not the temerity to defy authority when needs be?
Who, me? Nay, give me cruise control and I'll be happy.
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Stargzer
Grand Panjandrum
Joined: 15 Feb 2005
Posts: 2323
Location: Crownsville, MD
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:15 pm
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I actually used this word at work today, not knowing it was a GWOTD suggestion.
| Quote: | | "Well it might have been Doug who called you to come down for your PIV enrollment, but he had the temerity to call in sick today." |
Chutzpah is unmittigated gall, temerity on steroids.
| Quote: | | "He had the chutzpah to throw himself on the mercy of the court because, having killed his parents in a most grisly manner, he was now an orphan." |
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Regards//Larry
“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.”
-- William Pitt the Younger |
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Slava
Senior Lexiterian
Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 625
Location: Geneva, NY
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 1:01 am
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In some circles also known as testicular fortitude.
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Perry
Grand Panjandrum
Joined: 29 Mar 2006
Posts: 2128
Location: Asheville, NC
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:09 am
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| Stargzer wrote: |
Chutzpah is unmittigated gall, temerity on steroids. |
I think you are overstating the meaning of chutzpah. | Quote: | Chutzpah (pronounced /ˈxʊtspə/) is the quality of audacity, for good or for bad. The word derives from the Hebrew word ḥuṣpâ (חֻצְפָּה), meaning "insolence", "audacity", and "impertinence." The modern English usage of the word has taken on a wider spectrum of meaning, however, having been popularized through vernacular use, film, literature, and television.
In Hebrew, chutzpah is used indignantly, to describe someone who has over-stepped the boundaries of accepted behavior with no shame. But in Yiddish and English, chutzpah has developed ambivalent and even positive connotations. Chutzpah can be used to express admiration for non-conformist but gutsy audacity. Leo Rosten in The Joys of Yiddish defines chutzpah as "gall, brazen nerve, effrontery, incredible 'guts,' presumption plus arrogance such as no other word and no other language can do justice to." In this sense, chutzpah expresses both strong disapproval and a grudging admiration.
The word has also entered Polish, German and Dutch from Yiddish and is written as "hucpa" in Polish, "Chuzpe" in German and "gotspe" in Dutch. It likewise means arrogance, audacity and shamelessness.
Related terms in Hebrew are khatsuf (חצוף) and khatsufah (חצופֿה), which means an "impudent man" and an "impudent woman", respectively.
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from Wikipdeia
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Slava
Senior Lexiterian
Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 625
Location: Geneva, NY
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 1:34 pm
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[quote="Perry"] | Stargzer wrote: |
Chutzpah is unmittigated gall, temerity on steroids. |
I think you are overstating the meaning of chutzpah. | Quote: | | Leo Rosten in The Joys of Yiddish defines chutzpah as "gall, brazen nerve, effrontery, incredible 'guts,' presumption plus arrogance such as no other word and no other language can do justice to." In this sense, chutzpah expresses both strong disapproval and a grudging admiration. |
I think this definition fits quite well with Stargzer's. He doesn't mention the disapproval and admiration, but "arrogance such as no other word and no other language can do justice to" sounds a lot like "temerity on steroids" to me.
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Stargzer
Grand Panjandrum
Joined: 15 Feb 2005
Posts: 2323
Location: Crownsville, MD
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:12 am
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My wife cleaned up a while back and I'm not sure where my updated copy of Rosten's book is. There's a lot of books I'm looking for ...
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Regards//Larry
“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.”
-- William Pitt the Younger |
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