a moment of recognition
I'm watching all of Criminal Minds on Netflix. In the season 8 opener (2012), Garcia is talking about the new member of the team, Blake. Unbeknownst to Garcia, Blake is standing right behind her when Garcia blurts out, "Is she nice?"
Blake says, "The origin of "nice" is 12th century middle English, meaning foolish or stupid. I hope you're referring to the modern use of the adjective."
Which made me twitch because of a fanfic scene I'd written in 2010 for the Ever Was season. I had wanted to have some fun with the 10th Doctor's gob -- "The Doctor started to say something and then stopped. “You know…” he said slowly, “it’s quite fascinating to watch language bend and twist over time. Look at the word “nice”; did you know that in the thirteenth century, nice was an insult? It meant foolish or stupid. And it kept on changing, right through to the eighteenth century with meanings like wanton, extravagant, elegant, strange, modest, thin, and shy or coy. In the twentieth century, it began to mean good, pleasing, pleasant, or kind."
*grin* It just struck me as funny, is all, that someone would glom on to the same word. And it made me think, too, about what it might be like to have words that have started in your head, that were your words, be quoted by someone else, as if someone had reached over and dipped their brush into your paint and used it on their own canvas.
I highly doubt that someone read my stuff and it popped up in their own writing. But it's cool to think that it might have happened, hey? And it's an interesting feeling.
Blake says, "The origin of "nice" is 12th century middle English, meaning foolish or stupid. I hope you're referring to the modern use of the adjective."
Which made me twitch because of a fanfic scene I'd written in 2010 for the Ever Was season. I had wanted to have some fun with the 10th Doctor's gob -- "The Doctor started to say something and then stopped. “You know…” he said slowly, “it’s quite fascinating to watch language bend and twist over time. Look at the word “nice”; did you know that in the thirteenth century, nice was an insult? It meant foolish or stupid. And it kept on changing, right through to the eighteenth century with meanings like wanton, extravagant, elegant, strange, modest, thin, and shy or coy. In the twentieth century, it began to mean good, pleasing, pleasant, or kind."
*grin* It just struck me as funny, is all, that someone would glom on to the same word. And it made me think, too, about what it might be like to have words that have started in your head, that were your words, be quoted by someone else, as if someone had reached over and dipped their brush into your paint and used it on their own canvas.
I highly doubt that someone read my stuff and it popped up in their own writing. But it's cool to think that it might have happened, hey? And it's an interesting feeling.