A skunked term is a word that becomes difficult to use because it is evolving from one meaning to another, perhaps inconsistent or even opposite, usage,[1] or a word that becomes difficult to use due to other controversy surrounding the word.[2] Purists may insist on the old usage, while descriptivists may be more open to newer usages. Readers may not know which sense is meant especially when prescriptivists insist on a meaning that accords with interests that often conflict.
The term was coined by the lexicographer Bryan A. Garner in Garner's Modern American Usage and has since been adopted by some other style guides.[2]
^Bryan A. Garner, Garner's Modern American Usage, 2009, p. 306f
^ abBen Yagoda, How to Not Write Bad: The Most Common Writing Problems and the Best Ways to Avoid Them, ISBN 1594488487, 2013, p. 82 and passim.
A skunkedterm is a word that becomes difficult to use because it is evolving from one meaning to another, perhaps inconsistent or even opposite, usage...
the term polecat is sometimes used as a colloquial nickname for a skunk, even though polecats are only distantly related to skunks. As a verb, skunk is...
countries. The Skunk Works name was taken from the "Skonk Oil" factory in the comic strip Li'l Abner. Derived from the Lockheed use of the term, the designation...
a similar controversy involving remarks regarded by some as racist Skunkedterm, a word to be avoided because it has inconsistent meanings Pilgrim, David...
Snakes in mythology – Serpent that only appears in myths and legends Skunkedterm – Word avoided due to inconsistent meanings Hippocratic Oath – Oath of...
conflative term is always a polyseme. Amalgamation (names) Confounding variable in regression analysis Essentialism Portmanteau Skunkedterm Stemming algorithm...
class of names Oxymoron, contradiction used as a figure of speech Skunkedterm, a term that becomes difficult to use because it is evolving from one meaning...
Newspeak Phono-semantic matching Q-based narrowing Retronym Semantic field Skunkedterm "13 Words That Changed From Negative to Positive Meanings (or Vice Versa)"...
The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is a skunk of the genus Mephitis that occurs across much of North America, including southern Canada, the United...
The eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) is a small, relatively slender skunk found in North America, in the central and parts of the southeastern...
theory) – Learning theory involving the construction of mental models Skunkedterm – Word avoided due to inconsistent meanings History of English grammars...
the earliest instances popularizing the term "Skunk Ape" in the state lexicon. Reports alleged that the Skunk ape had invaded homes, stalked people, and...
(October 20–26, 2005). "The grass is always greener: no short-term memory loss for GrimSkunk". Montreal Mirror. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011...
player cribbage (plus applicable match points if the player has skunked/double skunked their opponents). The remaining players play until there is a second...
the term polecat is sometimes applied to the black-footed ferret, a native member of the Mustelinae. In Southern United States dialect, the term polecat...
plastic glasses or plastic bottles (or aluminium cans). Lightstruck, or "skunked" or "skunky", beer has been exposed to ultraviolet and visible light. The...
primarily for the sake of radical innovation. The term originated with Lockheed's World War II Skunk Works project. Everett Rogers defined skunkworks as...
July 22, 2009. Cummings, Jeanne (September 16, 2009). "Joe Biden, 'the skunk at the family picnic'". The Politico. Retrieved September 17, 2009. Bailey...
Mydaus of the skunk family of carnivorans, the Mephitidae. They resemble the better-known members of the family Mustelidae also termed 'badgers' (which...
general. Bovine refers to all species of genus Bos. The term aerie is a classic 15th-century term of venery that refers to only two "hawks of the tower"...
medicinal hemp use". Skunk refers to cannabis strains that are strong-smelling and have been likened to the smell of the spray from a skunk. These strains of...
designed and built by Edge Autonomy and originally sold by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works for an unspecified customer, presumably United States Special Operations...
13 and 14 being the average. Some cats can sleep as much as 20 hours. The term "cat nap" for a short rest refers to the cat's tendency to fall asleep (lightly)...
they take it to the forest. While in the forest, Tramp gets sprayed by a skunk and runs away. Chip feels bad and decides to give up on trapping. Steve...
results in an over-powering musky acrid odor that remains apparent in the 'skunked' dog's coat for many days or even weeks until steps are taken to neutralize...
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