Today's Bit of Forgotten English

[the_gneech]

Elucubrate

"To produce a literary work by expendature of 'midnight oil.' Formed of elucubrare, to compose by lamplight.'"

--James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1901

"To doe a thing by candlelight."

--Henry Cockeram's Interpreter of Hard English Words, 1623

Birthday of English poet John Milton (1608-1674), who clarified the need for dictionaries, writing, "All arts acknowledge that then only we know certainly, when we can define, for definition is that which refines the pure essence of things from the circumstance." When asked how Milton could write such a monumental work as Paradise Lost and fare so poorly with sonnets, Samuel Johnson replied, "Milton, Madam, was a genius that could cut a colossus from rock, but could not carve heads upon cherry-stones."

Hmm ... I think that's what I should put as my profession from now on, "Elucubratist."

-The Gneech

Comments

[kylet.livejournal.com]

Midnight oil? You went to bed at 9:30 last night! ;-)

What's the daytime version of an elucubratist?


V.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Last night was the exception, not the rule, you silly thing!

And strictly speaking, if you take it from the Latin root, to "elucubrate" should actually mean "to compose with difficulty" ... the lamplight part seems to have been worked in by popular use.

-TG

[kylet.livejournal.com]

Like I have time to look up the definition!

...he said, posting to LJ.

:::shrug::: Haven't seen you 'round lately, thought you were slumberin' ;-)


V.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

That's me, the hibernatin' lion. ;)

Besides, I've been around! You're the one who's never there! ;P

-TG

[kylet.livejournal.com]

I'm usually on 8:30 'til about 10:30, PST. Ask anyone non-hibernating!

V.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

So you sign on half an hour after I go to bed, and stay on until the wee hours of the morning. Like that helps!

*pout*

-TG