Oh what fun to find you! Two language nerds in a pod, or something. One of my subscribers and a fellow Substacker, @alanasnen, brought this to my attention. I *love* the word "bucolic" and have never thought ill of the poor dear, drifty and languorous as it has always been to my mind. I think you are 100% dead on about associations with "colic" and "bubonic." Poor, lovely word, desecrated by ignorance. I will use it more often!
Hear hear! Or, there, there, but anywhere is good. And not to worry, Thesauri Rexi are very tame and mostly harumph about crap usage and giggle at their own ridiculous mental word parties.
I am fine with the word 'bucolic' and have even been known to use it myself because was the right word at the time. Don't give up - we need words like this.
Pretty interesting essay, thanks for sharing it. At first, never really thought anything bad about the word bulolic. Found it even more interesting since it’s the first time I see it, searched for it right away. Also tried seeing if there was a spanish translation for it but there isn’t. What I did find in the dictionary was the similar word of “bulo” which in spanish means the spread of false news, specially with a negative intent.
I also remembered a word recently used by myself in one of my posts which is hermeticism which means trait of what it is closed, impenetrable or difficult to interpret. Other translations of it were spiritual current or philosophy, all of that really made me like the word even more.
I'm glad to hear you had a positive first impression Rubén. Hermeticism is a great word. I'll see if I can work that into my next essay somehow. I do have a bit of a hermetic tendency.
Thanks. I’m so glad to hear you liked the word & even flattered that you took the word into consideration. All the best to your next essay. I should do essays as well.
Seriously, I used ‘bucolic’ recently in a story episode about the very part of the world where you live. The context is an improbably lush green valley which the protagonists glimpse through a snow storm, and the story setting is the mid-19th century. It just seemed the right word … and my approach to fiction writing is to strive for the words which best express the ideas in my head, with no concessions.
If this were ’day job’ writing (English for teenage German speakers) I’d use a different word. If it were for the community page on Facebook I’d use a different word again.
The point I guess is that appreciation of register is part of our enjoyment of language. As is tracking down the personal associations we attach to words, as you’ve done so nicely 😊 here (and ghosting in my mind is the obsolescent sense ‘nice = precise, fine’).
Yes, it really is the perfect word for this part of Australia, which is why I used it in the region's visitor guide. There are only so many times you can repeat an adjective in a tourist guide before it sounds banal. The volunteer staff at the Visitor Information Centre were horrified and requested bucolic be removed, which I agreed to do for the same reason you mention above about audience. We don't want tourist thinking they're going to return home with swollen lymph nodes under their armpits (although, some residents would disagree). But the incident made me all the more determined to slip it in whenever suitable opportunities arise :)
That sounds lovely. I'm yet to visit that area. I'm well over the other side of the range in the Ovens Valley. I think you'll be lucky with the weather next week, but the thermostat has dropped significantly in the past fortnight and it's definitely time to pack the thermals. We had snow up top two days ago.
It’s a first for me on the south side 😊. I’ve been to Mount Buffalo at this time of year and generally spent a bit of time in the Ovens Valley. Beautiful part of Victoria.
Thanks for confirming my suspicions Fred. Looks like I'll just need to convince everyone to call colic by another name so it stops messing with bucolic's image :)
Oh what fun to find you! Two language nerds in a pod, or something. One of my subscribers and a fellow Substacker, @alanasnen, brought this to my attention. I *love* the word "bucolic" and have never thought ill of the poor dear, drifty and languorous as it has always been to my mind. I think you are 100% dead on about associations with "colic" and "bubonic." Poor, lovely word, desecrated by ignorance. I will use it more often!
Fantastic! I've never been followed by a Thesaurus Rex. You've made my day. Thanks for the introduction Alan.
Hear hear! Or, there, there, but anywhere is good. And not to worry, Thesauri Rexi are very tame and mostly harumph about crap usage and giggle at their own ridiculous mental word parties.
I am fine with the word 'bucolic' and have even been known to use it myself because was the right word at the time. Don't give up - we need words like this.
I share that sentiment. We need more words, not less.
Pretty interesting essay, thanks for sharing it. At first, never really thought anything bad about the word bulolic. Found it even more interesting since it’s the first time I see it, searched for it right away. Also tried seeing if there was a spanish translation for it but there isn’t. What I did find in the dictionary was the similar word of “bulo” which in spanish means the spread of false news, specially with a negative intent.
I also remembered a word recently used by myself in one of my posts which is hermeticism which means trait of what it is closed, impenetrable or difficult to interpret. Other translations of it were spiritual current or philosophy, all of that really made me like the word even more.
I'm glad to hear you had a positive first impression Rubén. Hermeticism is a great word. I'll see if I can work that into my next essay somehow. I do have a bit of a hermetic tendency.
Thanks. I’m so glad to hear you liked the word & even flattered that you took the word into consideration. All the best to your next essay. I should do essays as well.
Seriously, I used ‘bucolic’ recently in a story episode about the very part of the world where you live. The context is an improbably lush green valley which the protagonists glimpse through a snow storm, and the story setting is the mid-19th century. It just seemed the right word … and my approach to fiction writing is to strive for the words which best express the ideas in my head, with no concessions.
If this were ’day job’ writing (English for teenage German speakers) I’d use a different word. If it were for the community page on Facebook I’d use a different word again.
The point I guess is that appreciation of register is part of our enjoyment of language. As is tracking down the personal associations we attach to words, as you’ve done so nicely 😊 here (and ghosting in my mind is the obsolescent sense ‘nice = precise, fine’).
Yes, it really is the perfect word for this part of Australia, which is why I used it in the region's visitor guide. There are only so many times you can repeat an adjective in a tourist guide before it sounds banal. The volunteer staff at the Visitor Information Centre were horrified and requested bucolic be removed, which I agreed to do for the same reason you mention above about audience. We don't want tourist thinking they're going to return home with swollen lymph nodes under their armpits (although, some residents would disagree). But the incident made me all the more determined to slip it in whenever suitable opportunities arise :)
My wife and I are camping in the Macalister Valley next week btw. Hoping for some half-decent weather 🤞
That sounds lovely. I'm yet to visit that area. I'm well over the other side of the range in the Ovens Valley. I think you'll be lucky with the weather next week, but the thermostat has dropped significantly in the past fortnight and it's definitely time to pack the thermals. We had snow up top two days ago.
It’s a first for me on the south side 😊. I’ve been to Mount Buffalo at this time of year and generally spent a bit of time in the Ovens Valley. Beautiful part of Victoria.
I’m enjoying the picture of the horrified visitor centre staff 😊
Thanks a bunch for the feature, glad you liked Leave to Remain. x
It's a great film Remy!
When we had infant children, "colic" could leave a child crying for hours. "Bucolic" sounds like a bad case of it.
Thanks for confirming my suspicions Fred. Looks like I'll just need to convince everyone to call colic by another name so it stops messing with bucolic's image :)
😊
I say know all the words, and use them 😊
I like that. And I will add, 'and make some up from time to time.'
Absolubally!