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In an entry yesterday, I (knowingly) used

In an entry yesterday, I (knowingly) used the word nonplussed in a non-standard fashion. The Oxford American Dictionary on my computer tells me: "In standard use, nonplussed means 'surprised and confused'. In North American English, a new use has developed in recent years, meaning 'unperturbed' -- more or less the opposite of its traditional meaning. Although the use is common, it is not yet considered standard." I'm happy to help move the English language forward (backward?) in this manner. That and I wanted to see if the language pedants in the audience were paying attention...and they certainly were. ;) (thx, everyone who sent this in)

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This entry was published on November 30, 2006 at 12:26 pm.

Tags for this entry:  language 

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