« Left Loses Big in Citizenship-Verification Supreme Court Case | Main | The only solid finding in social science is denied by social scientists »

June 18, 2013

Shrift

We might not know what a shrift is anymore, but we know we don't want to get a short one. "Shrift" was a word for a confession, something it seems we might want to keep short, or a penance imposed by a priest, something we would definitely want to keep short. But the phrase "short shrift" came from the practice of allowing a little time for the condemned to make a confession before being executed. So in that context, shorter was not better. 12 old words that survived

Posted by gerardvanderleun at June 18, 2013 5:33 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

This is a wonderful little book about those bygone words from bygone days gone by.

The Endangered English Dictionary: Bodacious Words Your Dictionary Forgot

http://amzn.to/13QCIya

Posted by: Jewel at June 18, 2013 9:49 AM

Post a comment




Remember Me?

(you may use HTML tags for style)