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

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

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

  Frank is wrong. "Prosaic" has two distinct meanings: #1 dull, and #2
prose-like. You were not aware of the first, more common, meaning -
and now you are.

  I can speak of a prosaic performance of music or drama, that has
nothing at all to do with writing prose, or poetry either. This is a
pretty prosaic argument.

 BG> Let's just say that I mean "prose" (and still do) in its
 BG> adjectival form. As in "prose-like", for example.

  "Prosaic" is an adjective... both of them. Your usage was ambiguous,
and rather funny, actually.

 BG> So you're saying that I can't describe the works of the likes
 BG> of Wells, Verne, Dickens etc as "prosaic", although
 BG> "prose-like" is OK? If so, I shall do a Rod, thumb my nose at
 BG> convention, and do it anyway. :) 

  English is a bastard, but if you are aware of the other meaning, you
can work around it. "Brilliant" is another example. It has four distinct 
meanings and you can only know which one by context.

  If you say that Dicken's writing is proaic, then I agree with you;
it bores my arse off. That's what it means, stated like that: dull. I
will also agree that his writing is elegantly prosaic. To key-in the
other meaning of prosaic you have to make it clear which you mean, or
avoid it altogether and say he writes elegant prose. Your original use
of "wonderfully" left it open either way. It could mean it was bloody
awful .

Regards,
Bob
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