Positively Seeking Orphaned/Unpaired Negatives.

umsolopagas · Post by **umsolopagas** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:52 pm

Disembowel
Uncouth
Unwieldy

umsolopagas · Post by **umsolopagas** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:55 pm

Unscathed - Is scathed still in use?
Inescapable?

the grim squeaker · Post by **the grim squeaker** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 5:54 am

inescapable, isnt the opposite escapable?

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 11:08 am

the grim squeaker wrote:inescapable, isnt the opposite escapable?

Yes, but when was the last time you heard someone describe something as "escapable"?

the grim squeaker · Post by **the grim squeaker** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 5:36 am

Good point. Hey, my hamsters cage is like, totally escapable.
There you go.

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:51 am

"scathed" is not used, but "scathing" is

Darnit, I thought of a really good one last night, and I can't remember it!

the grim squeaker · Post by **the grim squeaker** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:55 am

In-dependant

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:59 am

Dependent is still commonly used though....

the grim squeaker · Post by **the grim squeaker** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:01 am

Ye gods.

It must be cuz I'm soooo hungover today.

Algot Runeman · Post by **Algot Runeman** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 3:49 pm

Impeccable is the effort going into this "contest" (no prize offered).

...and while the results aren't always immaculate, the fun continues.

Does anyone routinely use peccable or maculate?
If not, the negatives seem sufficiently 'orphaned' to qualify for the list.

Here are a couple of links to follow in the effort to validate your recommended words.

The Online Etymology Dictionary has helped me to track candidate words.

Wiktionary is not the Oxford English Dictionary, but it gives me a quick look.

Of course entering 'define: word' in Google's search form is also often helpful.

Michael Quinion has an article on 'unpaired negatives' on his World Wide Words Web site. It seems like we are not the first to consider the issue in this forum topic. Nonetheless, we should be able to incorporate words he recommends into our list.
(at the next list restatement)

Keep 'em coming!
--Algot

the grim squeaker · Post by **the grim squeaker** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 4:51 am

I have been known to use both, but not on a regular basis.

Un-wieldy?

the grim squeaker · Post by **the grim squeaker** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:13 am

diminish

umsolopagas · Post by **umsolopagas** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:59 pm

Does anyone routinely use peccable or maculate?
If not, the negatives seem sufficiently 'orphaned' to qualify for the list.

I don't even use immaculate or clement. Most people I know associate those words with a person's name. I would not like to use them in a sentence and have people turn around looking for "Clement".

umsolopagas · Post by **umsolopagas** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:10 pm

the grim squeaker wrote:diminish

Diminish - minish (what sort of word is that) mean the same thing, don't they?

The irony is that "to make small" transformed into a longer word.

umsolopagas · Post by **umsolopagas** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:11 pm

Does distrain work?

the grim squeaker · Post by **the grim squeaker** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:14 am

I cant find any matches so far.

Dis-embowel

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:24 am

the grim squeaker wrote:I cant find any matches so far.

Dis-embowel

That's because it's bloody difficult to "Embowel" someone

the grim squeaker · Post by **the grim squeaker** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:28 am

Organ transplants? at least that way it wont end up in a pasty...

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:30 am

You show me a case where someone has had bowels IMPLANTED, and I will be really impressed

They're usually taken out or moved around. I've never heard of them being put in LOL

the grim squeaker · Post by **the grim squeaker** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:33 am

I bow to the sheer impressive wieght of your knowledge of human anatomy, dear Toll.

tollbaby · Post by **tollbaby** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:40 am

Nah, just my aunt's a nurse, and I used to watch a lot of medical shows - my aunt's one of those nurses who deals with intestinal and bowel surgeries (She's a stomatherapist - sp? It's either stoma or stomo... but since the wound itself is called a stoma, I assumed).

the grim squeaker · Post by **the grim squeaker** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:41 am

I see.

Un-couth

Algot Runeman · Post by **Algot Runeman** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:31 am

Fabulous findings, friends.

I'm not sure if we should look with disdain on distrain: taking something in place of a debt payment. It is a legal term, apparently, and is a new word in my vocabulary (Thanks, The Grim). I cannot find a positive version, true, but it doesn't appear there was one. It sounds like the spirit of forclosure, a sad, negative state of affairs for many in the U.S. recently. Let's hold this one for further consideration.

The starred words added below come from Michael Quinion's World Wide Words article. I think one word he suggested innocuous: not harmful, is actually paired with noxious: harmful, which seems just a spelling issue. Any thoughts?

ageless (* - incorporated from World Wide Words)
countless (*)
disconsolate (*)
disembowel
disgust
dismantle (*)
disparage
hapless (*)
immaculate (This and the next stretch the 'rule' as they are very positive negatives...)
impeccable (...being without stains or sins.)
incongruous
indiscriminiate
ineffable (*)
inevitable
innocent (*)
inviolate
nondescript
ruthless
uncouth
ungainly (*)
unkempt (*)
unmentionables
unrequited
untoward (*)
unwieldy

Keep 'em coming!
--Algot

the grim squeaker · Post by **the grim squeaker** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:32 am

Re-pair

gpackin · Post by **gpackin** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:36 am

tollbaby wrote:You show me a case where someone has had bowels IMPLANTED, and I will be really impressed They're usually taken out or moved around. I've never heard of them being put in LOL

Well, what if somebody was disemboweled but made it the hospital in time to have them put back in. Wouldn't that be embowelment or would that be re-embowelment?