I’m currently reading The Duke and I and the author is constantly using the word “acerbic”. I had never heard of the word before now and had to google the definition. The word has shown up so much that I’m tempted to go through the book and count its appearances lol.
Have you noticed any authors having favorite words that they use page after page?
Arthur Conan Doyle uses ejaculated in a way that will seem odd to modern audiences.
It was common in the 19th century, since the word simply means “throwing outward” in a generic sense. It shows up in Edgar Allan Poe, too. I once had a book about colloquial Latin that pointed out that on a Roman baseball team, the position of pitcher would be known as the ejaculator.
Somehow I don’t remember that from my Holmesian middle school years!
Even more jarring when they do it during “intercourse” 😂
Intercourse just means exchange, connection or commerce. There’s even a city in the US called Intercourse. The problem only came about when “sexual intercourse” became a popular euphemism and then people began dropping the “sexual” part.
It can go hang out in Newfoundland with Conception Bay, Come by Chance, and Dildo.
Intercourse, blue ball virginville, two lick Valley near Lancaster, pa
Climax, Rough and Ready, Puseyville, lover
Beaver (town and county), honey pot, honey hole
Mount Joy in Susquehanna County,
Good old puritan pa…
Don’t forget the word “singular” appears regularly throughout the series, as in “a singular event” or such.
It’s a shame he didn’t often use the phrase “well regulated” to describe properly functional lives and behaviors, as was the reference of the earlier era. A lot of Constitutional debates would be simplified.
I remember in like 3rd grade finding a 19th century novel with the line, “‘My blood!’ ejaculated the vexed coachman.” and it’s always stuck with me.
There’s a scene in Around The World in 80 Days where they’re playing whist or something and it’s all about rubbers and flipping partners and idk, my middle school brain was like…?
Also “knocked up”, which meant to go to someone’s home and knock on the door
There’s a story where Holmes says to Watson “you knocked me up”
Tangentially related but was reading Fellowship of the Ring recently and Merry kept talking about how quickly they can get off when they’re leaving the Shire.
And to “knock up” someone, is simply to show up at their flat and knock on the door.
One of the most celebrated works of English-language devotional poetry is George Herbert’s The Temple: Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations, whose subtitle gets me giggling every time.
I came here to say this. Cracks me up.
JK Rowling used it correctly in one of the HP books. Ron does it, in fact. She knew full well to use it with a boy, though, she knew what she was doing.
Same with Alexander Dumas.
“He ejaculated!” he ejaculated.
Harriet Beecher Stowe did this in Uncle Tom’s Cabin too