What is your favorite uncommon word beginning with “B”?
Post your answer in the LEAVE A COMMENT section below. I’m not the boss of you, though. Don’t write anything for all I care! Won’t you “B” a sport, though, and help me out.
. . .here are my thoughts.
What is your favorite uncommon word beginning with “B”?
In the early 19th century, Thomas Bowdler published a prudish edition of Shakespeare’s works, eliminating all sexual references made by the Bard. His attempt to make Shakespeare more appropriate for fathers to read to their children ultimately entrenched his name in the English language lexicon.
bowdlerize: remove material that is considered improper or offensive from a text or account, especially resulting in the text becoming weaker or less effective
Needless to say, since I’m including this under a question asking for an uncommon word, Bowdler is not nearly as remembered as the man whose work he bastardized. Bastardize—another underused “B” word! An infamous, modern-day example of bowdlerization is the bastardized Die Hard line of “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfu**er.” If you were to watch the movie on TV, you’d hear that final word dubbed over: “Yippee-ki-yay, Mr. Falcon.” There’s no Mr. Falcon in the film! Bowdlerization at its worst. I don’t use this term often, but I love the story behind it. Here are some more common eponymous words you may not have known were named after real people: America, mesmerize, boycott, maverick, Caesar salad, Fahrenheit, diesel, sandwich, cardigan, braille. Have fun investigating!