Lecture 15: Words for the Way We Talk
Pithy (adjective)Language that is short and terse but meaningful.z Both pithy and laconic refer to language that is brief and succinct,
but pithy implies the added meaning of language that is meaningful
and powerful. For example: “In direct contrast to the bombastic,
long-winded arguments of the prosecuting attorney, the defense
attorney’s pithy arguments won the case.”z Pithy comes from pith, which is the soft, spongy center of the
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of a plant. PithFDQDOVREHXVHGLQD¿JXUDWLYHVHQVHWRUHIHUWR
the essential or central part of anything, such as an argument. The
pith of something is its heart or essence, its substance. For example:
“The losing debate team seemed to dance around the central issues,
while the winning team’s arguments struck right at the pith of the
matter.” Pith, in turn, is related to pit, as in a peach pit.Obloquy (noun)- Harshly critical speech or verbal abuse.
- The disgrace that results from such abuse.
z Obloquy shares the Latin root loq with a number of other words
in English related to speech and speaking, such as ventriloquist,
soliloquy, and loquacious. It refers to harshly critical speech, in
particular, criticism made by the public or a group of people toward
an individual. For example: “Having cast an unpopular deciding
vote, the congressman was subjected to obloquy from nearly all the
members of the opposition party.”z ObloquyLVDFRPELQDWLRQRIWKH/DWLQSUH¿[ob- and the root loq.
7KHSUH¿[ob- has a number of different meanings, but in obloquy,
it means “against, in opposition to.” Thus, obloquy is “speech made
against others.”