This is not my beautiful storm
Jun. 13th, 2006 07:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
altarielSo that slight puttering sound against the steaming tar of the road seems to be the thunderstorm I was promised last night. Huh.
Thank you to everyone who responded to the quick'n'dirty poll. I asked because for years now I've been noticing the word 'bemused' being used in a sense which is not how I use it: i.e. the only sense I can make is to change the word from 'puzzled' to 'amused'. (It mostly pops up in US mass market paperbacks, which is why I asked the flavo(u)r question; I think the first time I saw it was as a teenager in a ST:TNG paperback.) I've been wondering for some time if it was a "when we say fulsome it's not what you mean" kind of thing, or whether a usage shift was going on. Not sure I've proved anything, but I did find out (thanks,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gehayi) that 'bemused' has a whole other sense, which is 'absorbed in thought'. I don't think that suits at least some of the occasions which I've seen it and been, well, bemused by it, but I can try that next time.
Unfortunately, the instance which triggered this (from Bujold's The Hallowed Hunt) is not a particularly good example, but perhaps I'll post one when I find one.
Thank you to everyone who responded to the quick'n'dirty poll. I asked because for years now I've been noticing the word 'bemused' being used in a sense which is not how I use it: i.e. the only sense I can make is to change the word from 'puzzled' to 'amused'. (It mostly pops up in US mass market paperbacks, which is why I asked the flavo(u)r question; I think the first time I saw it was as a teenager in a ST:TNG paperback.) I've been wondering for some time if it was a "when we say fulsome it's not what you mean" kind of thing, or whether a usage shift was going on. Not sure I've proved anything, but I did find out (thanks,
gehayi) that 'bemused' has a whole other sense, which is 'absorbed in thought'. I don't think that suits at least some of the occasions which I've seen it and been, well, bemused by it, but I can try that next time. Unfortunately, the instance which triggered this (from Bujold's The Hallowed Hunt) is not a particularly good example, but perhaps I'll post one when I find one.
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Date: 2006-06-13 05:29 pm (UTC)It doesn't look as though we're going to get a thunderstorm - just greyness and drizzle. Still, at least it's a bit cooler.
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Date: 2006-06-13 06:16 pm (UTC)There was a rumble of thunder an hour or so ago, but nothing more yet. Your icon makes up for it though!
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Date: 2006-06-13 07:01 pm (UTC)I've been looking for a few watery icons. This one is thanks to
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Date: 2006-06-13 07:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-13 07:57 pm (UTC)