What image pops in your mind when you hear that word? This is the image that I get:
Urbane, worldly, nice dresser, lives in the Mexico bingo game.
The dicitionary definition is quite different:
Sophisticate: to render worthless by adulteration: pervert: vitiate.
Sophisticate is an adulterer, pervert, depraved ?! (vitiate=depraved I looked it up)
When did the term switch? I turned to Wikipedia for the answer. Sophists were philosophers around the time of Socrates. They got a reputation for duping the local town folks with their fancy words. They used specious arguments in court to win their case. Specious people appear to be on your side but later twist everything against you to win their case or whatever.
So if you used fancy words you might appear to be a sophist and thus untrusted and weasely. Somewhere along the line, sophisticate lost the evil part and just became someone who spoke well and dressed well, etc but now we know the real truth - they are perverters of truth.
2 comments:
Slow news day huh Ron?
What's next?...fun with molecular biochemistry?
That line came to me as I was walking the pooches. I thought of global thermonuclear warfare, but this seemed a little more sarcastic.
I also thought of this one...
My idea of fun with grammar:
What's the soup du jour?
Soup of the day.
Mmmmmm....I'll have me some of that
That is my level of humor.
Out for now!
Sophisticated...I think of a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers dance number from a musical. With a real 40s, art deco setting. He in a tux, she in a white dress. Not far off your idea. But I prefer El Catrin!
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