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September 30, 2010

Incorrigible Quidnuncs

I wanted to share this with people because I'm a fan of obscure/outdated terms.

I recently came across the phrase "Incorrigible Quidnuncs" in a work by Robert Frost.
(Sorry, I didn't note which one; I'll note it later if I remember)

I was intrigued by the phrase because I had no idea what a Quidnunc was, much less how it could be incorrigible.

I found this definition at dictionary.com:
quid•nunc –noun
a person who is eager to know the latest news and gossip; a gossip or busybody.

Thus, an incorrigible quidnunc is an unabashed gossip, someone wholly incapable of keeping a secret or minding their own business.

I think it's a wonderful phrase and would make a great name for a gossip column blog.

8 comments:

  1. For sure we learn something NEW everyday!
    Interesting and fun too!

    Smart

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  2. How is it prounounced? "kwid-nunk"?

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  3. Exactly right!

    (Not to be an incorrigible quidnunk, but did you know that Mama Zen had never even HEARD that word before?)

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  4. Damn, I'm one of those! LOL! I'm adding this word to my collection. Thanks for sharing it. Blessings!

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  5. LOL! Eric! Shameful of you to incorrigibly quidnunk on poor Mama Zen like that...!

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  6. So there's where you got it :) Thanks for stopping by and joining my contest. Although too bad it's just for local residents. Honestly, the name kinda stuck to my head! :)

    Happy weekend!

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  7. Robert Frost used this phrase in The Milky Way Is A Cowpath, verse 3:

    On wings too stiff to flap
    We started to exult
    In having left the map
    On journey the penult.

    But since we got nowhere,
    Like small boys we got mad
    And let go at the air
    With everything we had.

    Incorrigible Quidnuncs,
    We would see what would come
    Of pelting heaven with chunks
    Of crude uranium.

    You can find the rest of the poem here:

    http://www.squidoo.com/lesserknownfrost

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