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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Mar 2011 : 01:18:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
With regard to "commode," Dictionary.com offers the following:
com·mode#8194; #8194;
[kuh-mohd] Show IPA
–noun
1.
a low cabinet or similar piece of furniture, often highly ornamental, containing drawers or shelves.
2.
a stand or cupboard containing a chamber pot or washbasin.
3.
toilet ( def. 1 ) .
4.
a portable toilet, especially one on a chairlike frame with wheels, as for an invalid.
5.
an elaborate headdress consisting chiefly of a high framework decorated with lace, ribbons, etc., worn perched on top of the hair by women in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
Origin:
1680–90; < French < Latin commodus convenient, equivalent to com- com- + modus mode1
So I think my use of the word was kosher
I never meant the word was used incorrectly by you, just pointing out that it threw me off and made me think about it. And thanks to you I know why grandpa used that word, they had a very, very old cabinet upstairs complete with an equally old chamberpot!
Although def 5 would have been a more humorous place for her to have vomited!
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A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 12 Mar 2011 : 01:33:34
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quote:
Originally posted by DBG
quote:
Originally posted by Tremaine
yes the word LASS bugs me no end. I prefer girl over lass any day of the week (no dirty thoughts please)
I am Scottish and I live in Yorkshire, "Lass" is a fairly common from where I come from. But I get your point. What really bothers me is if the writeup on the back of the book is bland, It just doesn't inspire me to read the book.
I'm fine with as long as it's used intermittently with girl or lady. Only when the novel is awash with it [as with the case of most of Ed's] that it becomes a problem for me. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Clad In Shadows
Learned Scribe
Canada
158 Posts |
Posted - 08 Apr 2011 : 21:41:20
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| I remember reading Stardeep and Bruce Cordell used the word "apple-lanche" during a chase scene. Threw me off a little. |
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Spoon
Acolyte
Australia
18 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2012 : 08:38:58
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Sorry to bump an old thread, but I had to throw this in.
When I was reading the Rogue Dragons novels, I noticed that Richard Byers seemed to over use "pinions" when talking about the Avariel's wings. Considering that a Pinion is the birds flight feathers, he could have just used "wing" instead. The same goes for his over use of "esoteric" in the same books. Just something that irked me while I was reading them. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2012 : 14:29:07
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I may be biased (given that Richard's one of my favorites), but I think he used pinions and wings alternately in almost the same number of times for each. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Yoss
Learned Scribe
USA
259 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 20:22:53
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For some reason it drives me nuts when people use heartbeats to indicate a short time span. So and so paused for several heartbeats before answering, etc. no reason other than apparently I irrationally dislike the expression.
Every time I see the word ensorcelled I think of this thread, but it's a perfectly fine word. Just reminds me of this scroll. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 21:59:07
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| One author from the Double Diamond Triangle Saga kept refering to Entreri as the "little assassin." Really bothered me because Entreri is an averaged sized man, not a giant and not too short. IMHO that author utterly failed to grasp that character anyways. |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
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Entromancer
Senior Scribe
USA
388 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2012 : 22:51:37
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| Entreri has been referenced in Salvatore's own works as being a "smallish man." Does he physically appear in the Double Diamond Triangle Saga? |
"...the will is everything. The will to act."--Ra's Al Ghul
"Suffering builds character."--Talia Al Ghul |
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Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
1814 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 00:27:24
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I'm one of the guys who uses heartbeats. I use it in fantasy because I'm generally writing from the point of view of a character who has probably never seen a clock and would therefore be unlikely to think in terms of minutes and seconds.
But, Yoss, sorry if it bugs you. I do know what that's like. Whenever a writer tells me that someone "fired" a bow, I have the urge to rip the book in two. |
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Aulduron
Learned Scribe
USA
343 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 02:59:19
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| I only know what pinions, as related to wings, are because of that "over"usage. |
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Faraer
Great Reader
3308 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 03:03:59
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| I don't mind 'heartbeats', though the usual Realms term for such a short period is 'breaths'. 'Seconds' would jar me. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36963 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 04:27:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
I don't mind 'heartbeats', though the usual Realms term for such a short period is 'breaths'. 'Seconds' would jar me.
Breaths works better, to me, though heartbeat does work quite well in certain specific instances -- usually those when something is immediate or nearly so. |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 04:42:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Faraer
I don't mind 'heartbeats', though the usual Realms term for such a short period is 'breaths'. 'Seconds' would jar me.
Breaths works better, to me, though heartbeat does work quite well in certain specific instances -- usually those when something is immediate or nearly so.
I'm inclined to prefer either or both, really. It's not like a medieval society wouldn't necessarily describe the beatings of a heart as such anyway.
I've also seen "lifebeats" used in alternate fiction, mostly DRAGONLANCE. I've adopted that for my Realms as well. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8027 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 06:03:22
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| I know it's difficult to avoid, but I'm often disgruntled by common idioms and expressions (dare I say clichés?) appearing in the Realms when they are deeply rooted in our English-speaking cultures. As someone who learned and lived English after another native language (which shall remain forever undisclosed, mwoohahaha) I'm acutely conscious of quirks which don't translate meaningfully without a cultural context. I would've thought that Realms-natives would express all manner of statements, phrases, wordplay, and folklore (derived from their histories, religions, wars, farming, horses, magic, whatever) which would seem mildly nonsensical or difficult to parse for us. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 09:01:11
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“Heartbeats” is often used in other fantasy settings as well. I don’t mind it, really. I’m fine with “breaths,” too. “Seconds” is okay as long as it’s been fairly established that (most of) the people in the setting use clocks. Which just isn’t the case in FR. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Richard Lee Byers
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
1814 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 15:00:50
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Ayrik: I know what you mean. It's unfortunately easy for a writer to use expressions that evoke our modern world, either because he doesn't realize the origin or he's just not thinking about it. One I've seen in fantasy is "point of no return," which, of course, derives from real-world aviation.
You're also right that these characters would use references and turns of phrase that would be difficult for people from our world to grasp. The writer's problem is that dialogue that reflected very much of this probably wouldn't be any fun to read and might not even gets its fundamental points across.
I try to walk a middle way where I avoid jarring anachronism but also create something that's clear and pleasant to read. I think it's worthwhile to remember that these characters aren't actually supposed to be speaking English or any real-world language anyhow, so ultimately, you can't write something that's utterly authentic. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8027 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2012 : 16:19:01
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I suppose allowances can be made because, in the end, the "Common" spoken in D&D settings is just plain English. Or we can presume it's not but it's been translated into English for our convenience; incongruous language could be explained as (deliberate or inadvertent) choices made by the translator.
The handwavium fails when one considers the possibility of supposedly error-free magical translation methods. But that would be overanalyzing the entertainment to a silly degree. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Yoss
Learned Scribe
USA
259 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2012 : 09:38:14
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quote:
Originally posted by Richard Lee Byers
I'm one of the guys who uses heartbeats. I use it in fantasy because I'm generally writing from the point of view of a character who has probably never seen a clock and would therefore be unlikely to think in terms of minutes and seconds.
But, Yoss, sorry if it bugs you. I do know what that's like. Whenever a writer tells me that someone "fired" a bow, I have the urge to rip the book in two.
Haha, "fired a bow".
I totally understand the use of heartbeats. It makes sense, like bowshots make sense in terms of measuring distances where miles or some such description wouldn't in the context of characters who don't measure distance like that. I just suddenly get this mental picture of someone's heart beating very loudly in their ears, counting out the passing moments that are elapsing, and it throws me off. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2012 : 14:06:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Entromancer
Entreri has been referenced in Salvatore's own works as being a "smallish man." Does he physically appear in the Double Diamond Triangle Saga?
Yes he is a character in that series and makes his appearance 3 books into the series i think.
This author made him seem like he was 5 ft tall |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
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Edited by - Artemas Entreri on 09 Jan 2012 14:09:19 |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2012 : 14:19:17
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Well, at least D&D elves and drow are not as short as their HP counterparts. Might have been better though if they were. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Yoss
Learned Scribe
USA
259 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2012 : 23:59:51
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quote:
Originally posted by entreri3478
quote:
Originally posted by Entromancer
Entreri has been referenced in Salvatore's own works as being a "smallish man." Does he physically appear in the Double Diamond Triangle Saga?
Yes he is a character in that series and makes his appearance 3 books into the series i think.
This author made him seem like he was 5 ft tall
Isn't he also missing his arm in those? Apparently they hacked off five inches of height too? As the shortest person in my family, I've been known to get a little ticked off when called shorter than 5 ft 8 . But I'm not a badass fantasy assassin. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2012 : 13:50:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Yoss
quote:
Originally posted by entreri3478
quote:
Originally posted by Entromancer
Entreri has been referenced in Salvatore's own works as being a "smallish man." Does he physically appear in the Double Diamond Triangle Saga?
Yes he is a character in that series and makes his appearance 3 books into the series i think.
This author made him seem like he was 5 ft tall
Isn't he also missing his arm in those? Apparently they hacked off five inches of height too? As the shortest person in my family, I've been known to get a little ticked off when called shorter than 5 ft 8 . But I'm not a badass fantasy assassin.
I don't want to give away anything specific, but something does happen to his arm in the series; but he still manages just fine  |
Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin
Amazon "KindleUnlimited" Free Trial: http://amzn.to/2AJ4yD2
Try Audible and Get 2 Free Audio Books! https://amzn.to/2IgBede |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2012 : 14:49:40
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Transliteration of the less intelligent beings often irritates me. Like an orc/gnoll trying to speak Common/English. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Topic |
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Do any words or phrases throw you off a story?
