Welcome to the Guess My Word blog. This is a place to discuss the words of the day chosen by Joon and Mike. This paragraph is here mostly as spoiler space. Here are today's words:
i went back and forth on this one. i ultimately decided that unlike "grizzled", you actually can use "flabbergast" as a present-tense verb without awkwardness, so i should go with the uninflected form.
i don't always go with the more common usage. but when an uninflected form is very uncommon or awkward, i try not to use it. flabbergast comes close; i could have gone either way.
still pretty early, but the word cloud indicates a fairly even split, too. there are many flabbergasteds, but probably still under half of (correct) solvers, and i hope not too many got flabbergasted but gave up before trying flabbergast. and FWIW more people tried flab and flabby than flabbergasted.
I felt a bit like Mike's word that I could come up with knuckleball and nothing past that. So I'm putting it down to my brain being muddled due to my having a cold.
I am (joon's word)ed that I couldn't think of Joon's word. What a (mike's word)!
ReplyDeleteGot stuck between FLAB and FLABBILY. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
I know what you mean. I spent over a minute in between FLAB and FLABBY, but I got it; then again, I drew a complete blank on BARISTA yesterday.
DeleteFlabbergasted, yes. Mere flabbergast, no.
ReplyDeleteGot between knuckle and knur/knurl and stuck fast.
What Robert said.
i went back and forth on this one. i ultimately decided that unlike "grizzled", you actually can use "flabbergast" as a present-tense verb without awkwardness, so i should go with the uninflected form.
DeleteFor a change, I agree wholeheartedly with Joon on this one. FLABBERGAST has actually come out of my mouth without stumbling, so there you are.
DeleteAl: "Hmm, Joon always goes with the more common usage, I'd better go with the inflected form"
DeleteJoon: "Hmm, Al always bitches and moans when I go with the inflected form, I'd better pick the root word"
:-)
i don't always go with the more common usage. but when an uninflected form is very uncommon or awkward, i try not to use it. flabbergast comes close; i could have gone either way.
Deletestill pretty early, but the word cloud indicates a fairly even split, too. there are many flabbergasteds, but probably still under half of (correct) solvers, and i hope not too many got flabbergasted but gave up before trying flabbergast. and FWIW more people tried flab and flabby than flabbergasted.
DeleteI felt a bit like Mike's word that I could come up with knuckleball and nothing past that. So I'm putting it down to my brain being muddled due to my having a cold.
ReplyDelete