Wednesday, April 16, 2008

365* New Words a Year [Merriam Webster] (Workman Publishing) 1/28/8: redux

redux adj : brought back
The Did You Know page indicates that this word "belongs to a small class of English adjectives that are always used postpositively—that is, they always follow the words they modify." The Wikipedia article lists Whopper Junior and Ipod Nano as examples of postpositive adjectives. While I initially thought that these are just brand names, indeed the Nano part is modifying the Ipod (telling you which Ipod the speaker had in mind). I'm not sure if Whopper Junior isn't just the two-word name, but certainly Toyota Prius would fall in this category. Mind you, the examples in the Wikipedia article seem to be lonesome examples. I.e., I don't think you'll find martial as a postpositive adjective except in court-martial. Some, like available, of course are used both ways. But redux, like apparent, only gets to go one way, and that's what makes it fun. Rating 10/10 John Updikes
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A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. — 'Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood. --Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Self-Reliance"