Holy Matrimony
I think it's funny how many things are so ingrained in our common vernacular that we've never really bothered to consider the meaning. Like, *incredible*. Like, "That was a fantastic catch. Just incredible!" Or for that matter, *fantastic*.
For the record, *incredible* doesn't mean good, or even exceptionally good. It describes something that is not credible. Something implausible. Something that cannot be believed. So when you say, "That was incredible!" you're kind of actually saying, "That was not credible! That thing that just happened cannot be trusted!" You know? I mean, in practical terms, it makes sense. It's the same as "I can't believe it." But it's an exaggeration. When you say "incredible," most of the time, you don't actually mean *incredible*.
And *fantastic*? Same, but different. Again, fantastic doesn't necessarily have any relation to the word "good". It means, like a fantasy. So, when a teacher writes, "A+ Fantastic!" she's really saying, "This must be a fantasy! I must be imagining this! You can't possibly be that intelligent!"
It's not really about the misuse of words. The thing is, we're not really using those words wrong. We're stretching their intended definitions a little, but more than anything, I think it's funny that we live with this language, but we don't really pay attention to it. It lives without us. All the time, new words and phrases are spawned; old words are reborn with new definitions.
Anyway, this morning, when Onaona and I were talking about the inclusion of certain religious elements in traditional weddings, I was totally confused. She mentioned, "Holy matrimony." And I was like, That's religious? Ohhh. Because it's holy. No kidding. I've heard that phrase dozens of times in my life and I always just thought of it as 'that wedding phrase'. I never thought it was religious.
And 17 hours later, I'm writing a blog post and I'm like, Wait, what's matrimony?
For the record, *incredible* doesn't mean good, or even exceptionally good. It describes something that is not credible. Something implausible. Something that cannot be believed. So when you say, "That was incredible!" you're kind of actually saying, "That was not credible! That thing that just happened cannot be trusted!" You know? I mean, in practical terms, it makes sense. It's the same as "I can't believe it." But it's an exaggeration. When you say "incredible," most of the time, you don't actually mean *incredible*.
And *fantastic*? Same, but different. Again, fantastic doesn't necessarily have any relation to the word "good". It means, like a fantasy. So, when a teacher writes, "A+ Fantastic!" she's really saying, "This must be a fantasy! I must be imagining this! You can't possibly be that intelligent!"
It's not really about the misuse of words. The thing is, we're not really using those words wrong. We're stretching their intended definitions a little, but more than anything, I think it's funny that we live with this language, but we don't really pay attention to it. It lives without us. All the time, new words and phrases are spawned; old words are reborn with new definitions.
Anyway, this morning, when Onaona and I were talking about the inclusion of certain religious elements in traditional weddings, I was totally confused. She mentioned, "Holy matrimony." And I was like, That's religious? Ohhh. Because it's holy. No kidding. I've heard that phrase dozens of times in my life and I always just thought of it as 'that wedding phrase'. I never thought it was religious.
And 17 hours later, I'm writing a blog post and I'm like, Wait, what's matrimony?
Labels: just a thought, words
posted by Dave at
10:25 PM
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