On our bulletin board we've been playing around with the word agley (= awry or askew), as in, "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley." So it seems appropriate to follow last week's theme, about romantic love, with a theme of words about love gone agley. We'll rely heavily on Depraved and Insulting English by Novobatzky and Shea.
imparlibidinous - pertaining to inequality of desire between two people
A state of affairs we know all too well. When you ask the woman of your dreams out on a date and she fleers at you, simply explain to your friends that the two of you were imparlibinous.
A good thought, Kalleh, but it was Novobatzky and Shea who provided that example-sentence, which I've somewhat cleaned up.
anteric - seeking vengeance for slighted love
In an anteric rage, Sarah decided that slashing the tires of her ex-boyfriend's pick-up truck just wasn't enough. So she set it ablaze and flung herself on top of it.
synechthry - the state of living together in a loveless marriage
Say N&S: Yes, it has a daunting spelling, but simply knowing that there is a word out there to encapsulate an all-too-common situation is worth something, isn't it?
"Insisting that they were staying together 'for the children's sake,' the Dorchesters spent twenty-five years gritting their teeth at each other in synechthry and raised a find brood, all of whom eventually graduated to lovelless marriages of their own."
anagapesis - a loss of feelings for one formerly loved.
Again, I take Novobatzky and Shea's witty explanation.
This is a terrible yet useful word. Far all those who at one time or another have clumsily and ineffectually struggled to say, " I don't love you anymore," without having to actually say it, don't be fooled: "I love you, I'm just not in love with you" is a horrible thing to tell somebody. To avoid this and other clichés, it is better to tell one's ex-to-be that one has been stricken with anagapesis – then get the hell out of there before he or she reaches for the dictionary.
Kalleh feels that the words offered here are slanted toward men rebuking women. She muses, "I wonder if there is a word for Meg Ryan's great scene in 'When Harry Met Sally'.",
Though there should be, I know of no such word more formal than 'faking it'. But to redress any female/male imbalance, I'll offer two words today to end this weekly theme.
artamesia – sexual dissatisfaction in a woman due to the premature climax of her partner. It is a beautiful thing that a word exists for this all-to-common occurrence.
We all know that woman has to kiss many frogs before she finds her prince. Or shall we say that she must endure repeated amplexus? amplexus – the mating embrace of a toad or a frog A technical word with fine potential for figurative use
quote:Originally posted by wordcrafter: _artamesia_ – sexual dissatisfaction in a woman due to the premature climax of her partner. It is a beautiful thing that a word exists for this all-to-common occurrence.
