Google Alerts

Here's what I don't get: I have "epicaricacy" on my Google Alerts, just in case something interesting pops up. Often, though, when I am sent links I can't find the word. This is an example. It is particularly intriguing because on the Google Alert it says, "Greek Etymologies - Friends of Epicaricacy: Is it really" so it could mention this Blog. But I can't even find the word "epicaricacy" anywhere.

What is it?

Oh my God. My Wordcraft friends will chuckle at this one. My daughter and I were watching "Crazy Christmas lights" tonight and were amused by the work people go to in order to produce total dreck. One man (who admitted he is obsessive compulsive) puts up more than 700,000 lights. Talk about gaudy, tacky, and ostentatious! Then the announcer called it "art." My daughter said, "What is art anyway?" Oy vey. I had to laugh...hard!

[For non-Wordcrafters, this has been a contentious discussion on our board and we really can't bring it up any more. 'Tis a pity.]

Is it really a word?

I had a discussion with a disbeliever (in "epicaricacy") recently and ever since I have been wondering whether it really is an English word. Remember, it has a Greek etymology, and the first (and one of the only) citation in a dictionary is using some of the Greek letters. How then is it any different from "Schadenfreude," which is, to me, a German word. Further, how often is "epicaricacy" used as a word in English...really? It is used, but only to define it, call it a word or used in arrogance (e.g. "Ha! ha! you don't know the word!")

Now, in support of the word, it is becoming more widely known. I have been getting many more Google alerts these days...like this one and this one. In each of them, you have to scroll down to the comments.

While the writers do use the word, as you can see, it's merely in lexacographical manner. So...I am myself beginning to think the OED might be right to not include it.

Here is one of the comments:

I have a fondness for the word "schadenfreude", and the supposedly english version of the word..."epicaricacy".

I have had them posted on my wall for 3 or more years, and have only heard the word "epicaricacy" used once. "Schadenfreude" was the explanation when I looked up "epicaricacy".

And here is the other:

Dude, I just did a whole post on "Schaudenfreude" a couple of weeks ago. Of course, I spelled Schaudenfreude wrong and completely botched the context, but I hardly am ever hard on myself for misspelling things in German. The english equivalent is "epicaricacy." I learned that from one of my smart readers. I was as surprised as anyone when I found out I had one.

alphadictionary

That Google Alert feature is invaluable to Blogs like mine. Today I found alphadictionary via Google Alert, and the illustrious Tsuwm, from the Worthless Word of the Day, posted this:

"this word, as defined in Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of
Unusual... Words, has caused a lot of discussion
in the past on a couple of forums that discuss these
sorts of things. where in the world did she find
this English word for a concept that isn't supposed
to have a word in English (schadenfreude being German
in origin)? this question has yet to be answered in
full, but I can quote you this from Nathan Bailey's
An Universal Etymological English Dictionary, which
is a very olde dictionary indeed (1721):

Epicharikaky - from the Greek words or roots for 'upon', 'joy', and 'evil': 'A Joy at the Misfortunes of others'."

I am sure one of the forums he was referring to was my beloved Wordcraft.

Lotsa epicaricacies

Well, today may be my lucky day...or my unlucky day...depending on how you look at it. I received from Google Alerts a bunch of epicaricacy Web alerts. The first one, however, is from my least favorite site in the whole world. I'll be the bigger person and post a link to it: "Schadenfreude, as everyone knows, describes the pleasure some derive from another's personal misfortune. Is there a word to describe the possibly more common feeling of resentment at another's success?" Funny thing is, I asked a similar question on this Blog recently. Down further in the thread someone mentions epicaricacy: "then there's the other complement of epicaricacy..macarism (rare) taking pleasure from another's happiness."

Then there's this little mention of it in: Epicaricacy does not own glee.

The next is from a Blog; comment #1: "I must admit I've picked up on epicaricacy and keep trying to use it. This is probably more showing off than anything else."

The next was here, but I have no idea what to do with it.

Here's another Blog comment [Were I so lucky!]: "THAT’S what makes the Schadenfreuders rub their hands with glee and delight. And the English equivalent of this word is epicaricacy."

And, lastly, here's one: "If you feel particularly pretentious, or if you're talking to Frasier, use the term 'epicaricacy' instead of lulz."

Yeah, yeah. The top one is the best. Ugh.

Thanks

Mary Schmich wrote about a Zen parable:

A wealthy merchant heard about a school that needed larger quarters, so he went to see the schoolteacher. He offered the teacher a sack of gold. The teacher said he'd take it.

The wealthy man was dissatisfied with the teacher's response. His sack contained a lot of gold, he said. A person could live for a whole year on a fraction of this sum. Even for a rich person, such a large gift was a big deal.

The teacher heard the hint. "Do you want me to thank you for it?" he asked.

"You ought to," said his benefactor.

"Why should I?" asked the teacher. "The giver should be thankful."

It made me think. Recently I had sent someone a gift because his wife had been in an accident. I was surprised that they didn't even acknowledge receipt of the gift...with a 30 second email or something. After reading Schmich's column, I suppose I should be thankful because I was the giver and giving makes me happy.

In real life, though, a simple thank you is not out of line (from the receiver, of course!). I am not talking about thank you note, but a quick email, phone call or even text message should be expected. After all, when you send something, you are not even sure the person received it. When I was in South Africa in June, I sent someone something as a gift and still don't know if she received it. I'd feel rude asking, so I've let it go.

I'm wondering if these people who don't send their thanks are remembering the parable...or if they're just lazy.

Sarcasm backfired

One of the things I hate about Jonah Goldberg is that I fear that he might be Jewish, and that would be so embarrassing for the rest of us.

Jonah is an extreme conservative. If anything is proposed by even a moderate Republican, he's against it. One can only imagine his hatred for Obama. In his recent column he said, "Sarah Palin is neither savior (that job has been taken by the current president, or didn't you know?) nor is she satanic."

But one thing that he does, and I am sure it happens on both sides of the aisle, is ridicule sarcasm...with his own sarcasm. It strikes me as not only being anti-intellectual, but also disingenuous. For example, he says, "Other readers pounced like wolf-size Dobermans on an intruder. One guffawed, 'That sentence by Sarah Palin could be entered into the annual Bulwer-Lytton bad writing contest. It could have a chance at winning a (sic) honorable mention, at any rate.'" "Wolf-size Dobermans?" "Annual Bulwer-lytton bad writing contest?" And yet, what about his "sic?" Gotcha!

And then, of course the "horrible" sentence was written by Obama. Wasn't that convenient for his point?

Then there's: "My all-time favorite response to John McCain's selection of Palin as his running mate was from Wendy Doniger, a feminist professor of religion at the University of Chicago. Doniger wrote of the exceedingly feminine 'hockey mom' with five children: 'Her greatest hypocrisy is in her pretense that she is a woman.' The best part about that sentence: Doniger uses the pronoun 'her' -- twice." Now, that's telling her! (And I only used it once!)

He then complains about the "one-birther conspiracy theory," about Palin's youngest child. Yes, it's vicious, I agree. But then what about the birthing conspiracy out there about Obama? You see, what goes around comes around.

Why can't we just argue with facts? Why all the inuendoes and sarcasm. Just speak the truth, Goldberg.