Today’s post is tiny… and out there. I was curious to discover a heated debate taking place on social media between a reader and… a dictionary. Yep. It all started when Mirriam Webster posted a note to say that ‘supposably’ was a word. (For the record: my spell checker agrees because it did NOT add a red-wavy-no-no-line under it as I was typing).
People were apparently as upset about this news as I was when I discovered Pluto was no longer a planet and “My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Noodles” instead of “Nine Pizzas”.
There were many hilarious responses along the lines of “that’s NOT a word” and Mirriam Webster replying, “It is, and has been since 1627, but feel free not to use it.”
Apparently, supposably means “as may be conceived or imagined”, whilst, supposedly means “allegedly.”
I spent way too long reading all the back and forth banter. Perhaps the funniest response was someone telling ‘Mirriam’ (maybe not knowing who they were?) that only “a blithering idiot of a caveman who knows nothing about words” would think that was a real word.
As someone else pointed out: it might be a real word, but let’s be honest and admit that most people who USE ‘supposably’ MEAN ‘supposedly’.
[Just to confuse myself even more – I looked up ‘supposably’ in the Oxford English Dictionary. The feedback was similar but different. They say the word came into use in 1696 and means: “As may be supposed; imaginably; presumably; supposedly”… So supposably means supposedly… sigh.]
Two things ultimately came out of the argument:
- I learnt something new which I’m unlikely to ever put into practice, and
- I learnt a second thing that had me looking at words in a new way for the last couple of days based on one of the Mirriam Webster replies: “Many words are their own opposites; they are called ‘contronyms’.”
Huh.
Examples of contronyms, please??
Sure:
- BOLT = to secure >AND< to flee. (As in; “if you don’t bolt the gate, the dog will bolt”).
- CLIP = to join two things together >AND< cut things apart. (“I’m going to clip your fringe then clip the receipt to the invoice for you.”)
- CUSTOM = a common practice >AND< special treatment. (“This store has a long-held custom of always providing each visitor a custom experience.”)
- DUST = dirt that accumulates >AND< the process of removing dirt. (“I’m going to dust my shelves to get rid of the dust.”)
- OVERSIGHT = neglect to notice >AND< supervise. (“I think it was an oversight that management did not provide more oversight for the new guy.”)
- PUT OUT = extinguish >AND< create. (“I was in such a rush to put out this blog post, I didn’t notice my daughter had started a fire in the microwave which I needed to put out.” (Just joking – there was no repeat of the ‘Dream Big‘ disaster!)).
OK, so – WOW!
I am a huge fan of words, and this is no exception, but…
How do I use contronyms for a mindful journey towards greater health and happiness?
In my mind, I see a coin spinning through the air – heads or tails – it lands one way, and then… if you don’t like the answer; flip it.
“There is no cure to migraine, you’ll just have to learn to live with it” was the worst possible news a doctor ever told me a few years ago, because it implied I was a lost cause and would never get better. I was so sad, I posted about the experience under the title “Doctors Behaving Badly.”
BUT
Now, with the benefit of time-passed, (and less head-pain), I can flip the narrative slightly. I can see that the doctor wasn’t telling me “too bad, too sad, you’re stuck with the pain, so suck it up girlfriend” – she was telling me that migraine will always be a part of me and my life, and I needed to learn how to manage it, reduce my triggers, increase my resilience and adjust my mindset.
When you’re in the thick of it (pain, grief, stress, overwhelm) it is near enough to impossible to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know because I lived in that darkness for a long time. “Cheer up”, never helps someone who is struggling… but… tough love moment coming up … wallowing for too long in your sadness is not a solution to improving wellness… it’s just not.
Not convinced?
Here’s a few more of my blog posts that advocate similar (but contrary) approaches to self-healing:
3 Little Piggies (and a migraine)
It’s time to take out the trash (talk)
The three ghosts of Christmas migraines
Have you had a nervous breakthrough?
Is it OK to feel sorry for yourself?
Anyway… a strange little excursion into the weedy-world or words… sometimes it’s supposably in the marginalia and the undergrowth that you find occasional treasure… and perhaps a new sense of self.
Take care taking care out there,
Linda x
*
PS – a year ago I did a post called The Bluesky Dictionary which was trying to tick off the usage of every English word on the Bluesky app (including ‘supposably’). At that time, it was up to 15% complete. I checked in again last week and it was now up to 85%… not bad… but still not 100%!
PPS – a quick shout out to some blogs that have come to my attention, or subscribed to join The Mindful Migraine Team, pop across and share some blog-love if you have time:
BubblyOllie – Creating a bubbly, lovable life.
Horror Blog, Movies & Horror Game Reviews And Horror News
Johnny Jones – Scottish Historian and Author
Mindful Caravan – Peace, Love, & Self-care
Periegheze – He who fears nothing is stronger than the one everyone fears – Friedrich Schiller
Leave a Reply