Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Wednesday Word of the Day

Today's word has to be one of my more favourite words in the history of words. That word is:

conniption \kuh-NIP-shuhn, noun:
A fit of hysterical excitement or anger

"Wah!" says Stella-Rondo. I knew she'd cry. She had a conniption fit right there in the kitchen.
-- Eudora Welty, "Why I Live at the P.O." The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty

When they came home, everybody was having a conniption about a big giant fight in the village over who got whose share of their horrid meat.
-- Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible

A day or two later I was going about my business when a voice from above bellowed, ALL HAPPY FAMILIES RESEMBLE ONE ANOTHER, nearly giving me aconniption.
-- Nicole Krauss, The History of Love: A Novel

Did you know? Conniption is an invented word! It first appeared in 1833 in the good old U.S. of A., and is thought to be related to the word corruption, which was used in the sense of "anger" in the early 1800s. Neat, eh?

Also, for your enjoyment, watch these videos. Next time you think you're somethin' else, think of these two geniuses (geniusi?) and know you're not.





6 comments:

  1. "Conniption." Nice one. And it should, in my opinion, always be paired with "fit," as in your first example.

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    Replies
    1. That's what my mom says. "I'm going to have a conniption FIT!" with the FIT! heavily emphasized. We all think, Oh noes!

      Delete
  2. I love this word. It's so fun to say.

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    Replies
    1. Isn't it? It rolls so trippingly off the tongue. :)

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