Re: Conundrum

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Jeffrey G. Purvis wrote:

> Robert Holmgren wrote:

≪ Here's one home-brew way that I've used to de-nun your CONUNDRUM (a
  meaningless word, BTW). ≫

> If your aside was directed at the common use of the referenced word,
> please deign to enlighten [much snipping]: why meaningless?

Surely he means, not that it lacks "common" sense (nor even among your
fancy usages), but that it has no pedigree, no legitimate etymology;
that it was artificially contrived, a long time ago, from fake Latin as a
jest. (Why else would he invent the apposition "de-nun"?) Variously spelt
conimbrum, quonundrum, conuncrum, quadundrum, connunder, and suchlike nonsense,
it is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as inter alia a "crochet-monger",
one who espouses a "peculiar notion on some point (usually considered
unimportant) held by an individual in opposition to common opinion."
He is playing with you, Mr. Bullwhacker -- errr, Purvis.