Believe it or not, I am well aware that not every word in the English language comes from Latin! And I am equally aware that wordsmithing is not entirely about roots and definitions. One of the finer points of vocabulary is understanding connotation and denotation and the fine-tuned nuances of synonyms. For example:
throw - is a general word that means to cause to move through the air by a propulsive motion of the arm.
But if we want to indicate a particular kind of throw and conjure up a more specific image, we might use one of these synonyms:
toss - to throw lightly or carelessly
hurl - to throw forcefully and swiftly for a long distance
fling - to throw sharply or vehemently so that it strikes a surface with considerable impact
pitch - to throw toward a definite aim, target or direction
You know what to do...just try and make me smile. :-/
4 comments:
Throw up: to toss, hurl, or fling some unwanted contents from your stomach. It is not uncommon for someone to emit a strange noise when doing so. This noise is often not centered on a definite pitch!
Throw: (informal) to "cause" the outcome of a game or contest to "move" in a particular, predetermined direction, in violation of the spirit of sincere competition. Often performed for monetary gain. If caught, will result in getting oneself "thrown" (tossed, flung, or hurled, figuratively) out of a league or "kicked" (again, figuratively) off of a team.
Maybe not the funniest, but it's all I could think of.
Love it. You BOTH made me smile...thanks!
An unfortunate image of a person losing their lunch flashed before the eyes of the contrary librarian when she saw the words "toss" and "hurl." "I can't go there," she lamented, choosing instead to fling those words aside and perhaps pitch a new sentence to the Wordsmith at a later time.
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