Even the Canadians have their political controversies. In "The Globe and Mail" today they talked about the "semantic nimbleness" displayed by Ms. Liczyk, the former City of Toronto treasurer (a real beauty, I might add!) and chief financial officer who was one of two senior bureaucrats to sign a notorious computer-leasing contract. They likened her use of words to that of Ex-President (U.S.) Clinton by saying she displayed a certain "semantic nimbleness à la Bill Clinton." Why? They asked her if she knew Mr. Lyons was an influential lobbyist. She responded with "How do you define influential?"

Now, I agree that this is similar to Bill Clinton's infamous comment that it all depends on what you mean by the word "is." Yet, I have never thought that infamy was fair. Being a literalist myself, I certainly sympathize with both of them. It really does matter, in my mind, what you mean by the words "influential" or "is", doesn't it?

In the case of "influential" it certainly matters as all the word means is "has an influence" with no implication of whether that influence is good or bad.

To describe someone as "influential" is, partly thanks to the media use of the word, almost always taken at first hearing as a positive thing but in reality it is just as likely to be a negative.
After all Rasputin was influential at the Russian court and few would suggest that it was a good thing.

However it isn't really a case of how you define "influential", it's a case of how you intend it as the word itself is fairly neutral.

There are lots of words like this which can be a back handed compliment.
For example there is the word remarkable. "CJ's posts are remarkable." means only that they cause people to remark about them although of course in this case we would only ever remark favourably.

"His work is exceptional." could mean "exceptionally bad" rather than "exceptionally good".

"It was a noteworthy performance" could just as easily be applied to a football team who lost 10 - 0 as to one who won 10 - 0.

I have a small confession to make. In conversation I often use words like this deliberately to mean the opposite of how I know they will be taken.

Glaubt es mir - das Geheimnis, um die größte Fruchtbarkeit und den größten Genuß vom Dasein einzuernten, heisst: gefährlich leben.
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

quote:

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Originally posted by BobHale:
"CJ's posts are remarkable." means only that they cause people to remark about them although of course in this case we would only ever remark favourably.

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To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, "The only thing worse than being talked about is being thrown into jail (AKA gaol) for a lifestyle which, given another hundred years or so, will become entirely acceptable."


(That's a very rough paraphrase...)

quote:

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Originally posted by C J Strolin:
To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, "The only thing worse than being talked about is being thrown into jail (AKA gaol) for a lifestyle which, given another hundred years or so, will become entirely acceptable."


(That's a very _rough_ paraphrase...)

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I've always thought old Oscar was onto a bit of a loser with that particular witty epigram. Good grief I can probably think of a hundred things worse than being talked about right off the top of my head. For example...

Having bamboo slivers driven under my fingernails.

Being trampled to death by a herd of incontinent wildebeest.

waking up in a bath of cold water to find someone has stolen my kidney.

Having my spleen eaten by a crocodile.

Being forced to watch daytime television (especially Kilroy who is, for the benefit of the US audience, a kind of fourth rate cut price Jerry Springer, who is bad enough to begin with)

Finding half a worm in my apple.

Having to drink non-alcoholic beer (and please no responses using the dreaded B word).

Reading one more post using the dreaded B-word.

Ordering a cheddar ploughman's and finding that it isn't cheddar it's processed cheese. (I have no idea if that one is even comprehensible across the pond).



Good heavens, the list would probably be endless. By comparison being talked about is quite trivial and even not being talked about hardly rates a mention.



Glaubt es mir - das Geheimnis, um die größte Fruchtbarkeit und den größten Genuß vom Dasein einzuernten, heisst: gefährlich leben.
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

... than an Oscar Wilde paraphrase is Oscar Wilde - unedited

[This message was edited by jerry thomas on Wed Nov 5th, 2003 at 16:06.]

"It was a noteworthy performance" could just as easily be applied to a football team who lost 10 - 0 as to one who won 10 - 0.


...who is reputed to have written once, as part of her ongoing feud (cat-fight?) with Kathryn Hepburn,
"Miss Hepburn's performance was not up to its usual standard."

Kallah and I love Hepburn's work.

Dororthy Parker did not. Reviewing Hepburn's performance in the 1933 Broadway play, The Lake, Parker wrote, "Miss Hepburn runs the gamut of emotions from A to B."

Great discussion. You have all convinced me that it really did matter what the questioner meant by the word is!