Thursday, May 08, 2008

365 New Words a Year [Merriam Webster] (Workman Publishing 9/2/7: circumspect

circumspect adj : careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences : prudent
The DYK: "Circumspect, cautious, wary, and chary all have the sense of looking before you leap, but each puts a unique spin on being careful in the face of risk or danger. Circumspect implies the surveying of all possible consequences before acting or deciding (as in 'he is circumspect in business dealings'). Cautious suggests fear of danger and the exercise of forethought that it prompts (as in 'a cautious driver'). Wary emphasizes suspiciousness and alertness in sensing danger and cunning in escaping it (as in 'keep a wary eye on the competition'). Chary connotes a cautious reluctance to give, act, or speak freely (as in 'she is chary of signing papers without reading them first')." Rating 10/10 players playing it safe.
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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"