Yesterday was awful for me, and today I don't feel as cantankerous. Just to make sure I was using cantankerous in the proper sense of the word, I looked it up. It means bad-tempered or quarrelsome. Etymology doubtful. My husband can surely testify to that being the right word, then. I told him I was sorry about yesterday's mood and he said he was getting ready to cap my ass with a .22. Ha, I would've appreciated that, I said.
When words are in the dictionary with the etymology given as "doubtful", is this a cop-out?
Would knowing the etymology of words like cantankerous open up a poisonous web of intrigue? I gots ta know.
"This word will blow your head clean off."
Ah, the power of words!
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