Hi, Bill.

BG> Frank, at 08:30 on Jun 11 1995, you wrote to Bill Grimsley...

BG> BG> Prosaic adj. 1. commonplace or dull, matter-of-fact or unimaginative.
BG> BG>              2. having the character or spirit of prose as opposed to
BG> BG>                 poetry, as verse or writing.

BG> FM> That's not actually 2 meanings, it's 2 interpretations of one meaning -
BG> FM> unimaginative (etc) like prose, cf poetry. (Although I've seen some
BG> FM> pretty unimaginative poetry :-))

BG> Dunno, that's not the way I'd read definition #1 at all.  If they meant
BG> "like prose", they should have said so, the whole point
being that I don't
BG> find prose unimaginative or dull at all (in general; as you say, there is
BG> certainly some unimaginative poetry about).  Matter-of-fact just doesn't fi
BG> at all though.

BG> BG> In case you wondered, in its original context, mine is definition #2.

BG> FM> In its original context you meant to use the word
"prose", not
BG> FM> "prosaic".

BG> Let's just say that I mean "prose" (and still do) in its
adjectival form.
BG> As in "prose-like", for example.  Not my fault if the
Macquarie and COD are
BG> wrong.  Indeed, I'd be interested to know what your COD has to say about
BG> that.

OK, the precise definition from the COD is...

    "Like prose, lacking poetic beauty; unromantic, commonplace, dull,
    (a prosaic life, person, view of things)"

However, I was looking in the 2-volume Shorter Oxford yesterday and
noticed...

    1. Of, pertaining to, or written in prose; (of an author) writing in
       prose. Now rare or Obs.
              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    2. Having the character, style, or diction of prose as opp. to
       poetry; lacking poetic beauty, feeling, or imagination; plain,
       matter of fact.

BG> So you're saying that I can't describe the works of the likes of Wells,
BG> Verne, Dickens etc as "prosaic",

Certainly they're not prosaic.

BG> although "prose-like" is OK?

No, I'd just call them prose.

BG> If so, I shall do a Rod, thumb my nose at convention, and do it
BG> anyway.  :)

Whatever you feel gets your meaning across *precisely*. :-) After all,
you're writing for your reader(s), not for yourself.

Regards, FIM.

 * * I'm only going to dread one day at a time.
@EOT:

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