[lit-ideas] Re: Whose the Brainiest?
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 19:56:39 EDT
In a message dated 9/17/2004 4:04:35 PM Eastern Standard Time,
judithevans001@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
pitted professionals from 22 different areas of
Eac> expertise against each other to determine who the
Eac> brainiest professionals are.
-----
Interesting use of 'brainy'.
It's interesting that all the cites in the OED for 'brainy' are figurative.
Though the OED defines 'brainy' as "[she] that has plenty of brains" [_sic_ in
plural], none of the cites is (as philosophers would say),
'truth-conditional'. The Dickens one is actually funny in being slightly
contradictory:
"Betty's fiance was an undersized
[in length] but brainy boy."
Angel in Corner, 1956
-- This is _Monica_ Dickens, by the way.
Cheers,
JL
[f. BRAIN n. + -Y.]
That has plenty of brains; acute, clever.
1845 LEIGH HUNT Let. 19 July (1862) II. 104
That was a good, hearty, brainy, valuable bit of existence you gave us the
other night.
1874 Sex & Educat. 25
Men here are for the most part wiry, sinewy, nervous, and brainy.
1883 D. WHEELER By-Ways of Lit. iii. 42
The culture [in monasteries] was of a more brainy sort.
1951 J. CANNAN And All I Learned x. 174
All of them had passed except poor old Timothy and she had to confess that
he wasn't at all brainy.
1956 M. DICKENS Angel in Corner xi. 228
Betty's fiancé was an undersized but brainy boy.
------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
Other related posts:
