WOTD: Barmecidal

(Adjective)

Pronunciation: ['bahr-mê-sId-êl] Listen

Definition: Illusory, unreal sumptuousness, especially though not exclusively of a meal or hospitality.

[@more@]

Usage: Dickens wrote, "It is a Barmecide Feast; a pleasant field for the imagination to rove in," in American Notes (1850). As you see, the noun may be used adjectivally, too. The adjective is never capitalized and, since the original word, "barmecide," has joined the ranks of common nouns, there is no further need to capitalize it, either.

Suggested Usage: The crucial point is that today's word refers to illusory sumptuousness: "Hermione still drives around town in her barmecidal limousine, that old '65 Oldsmobile of hers." Since the word has been commonized, I suppose someone could commit barmecide, "Another round of barmecidal bonuses means another barmecidal Christmas for us." (Would this make the management team at this company barmecidal maniacs?)

Etymology: No, today's word has nothing to do with the murder of barmaids or anything else. The eponym of today's word was a prince of Baghdad just before Haroun-al-Raschid who, in the tales of the Arabian Nights, served a beggar empty dishes, pretending they were a sumptuous feast (a variation of the emperor's new clothes). "Barmecidal" is therefore a commonization of the proper surname of a certain Prince Barmecide.

来自 “ ITPUB博客 ” ，链接：http://blog.itpub.net/10312298/viewspace-927969/，如需转载，请注明出处，否则将追究法律责任。

转载于:http://blog.itpub.net/10312298/viewspace-927969/