Thread: Life My boyfriend broke up with me today.
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Old 04-08-2009, 11:16 PM   #84
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kysirsoze View Post
I did mean abstruse. That's what I get for being a vocab dick.


But I believe that definition is one added through common misuse.

Here's a pretty good site put up by an English professor that has a lot of common errors in the language.

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.txt

ABSTRUSE/OBTUSE

Most people first encounter "obtuse" in geometry class, where it labels
an angle of more than 90 degrees. Imagine what sort of blunt arrowhead
that kind of angle would make and you will understand why it also has a
figurative meaning of "dull, stupid." But people often mix the word up
with "abstruse," which means "difficult to understand."

When you mean to criticize something for being needlessly complex or
baffling, the word you need is not "obtuse," but "abstruse."
Wow I'm bored.
So is he down with "ain't"? When does an "error" become accepted usage? Language is fluid and ever-changing. Most of the widely used dictionaries now accept "obtuse" as I used it. But thank you for the edification. I'll remember that when dealing with my highbrow friends. Not that they understand me anyway.
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