Date:  Thu, 9 Nov 1995 08:59:18 -0800

From:  Dan Moonhawk Alford <dalford[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]S1.CSUHAYWARD.EDU>

Subject: Re: Knarly?



I know I'm the one who started this thread one way, but now I MUST

suggest another direction, my wife's intuition that the word as meaning

'cool' is really 'narly' and is merely homophonous with 'gnarly'.



On Thu, 9 Nov 1995, Jenny Becker wrote:



> "Gnarly" comes from "gnarled," which, according to Webster's Third, means

> "warped or twisted with or as if with gnarls." While "gnarly" may be used

> in popular speech to mean both "disgusting" and "cool" (I think), there is

> certainly a standard spelling for it.

>

> Jenny Becker

> beckerj[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]omri.cz

>

>

> >This word is difficult in that it is normally restricted to oral use.

> >Although a preceived spelling may be present with its usage, I cannot

> >say for certain whether the spelling has truly been standardized.

> >

> >Tom

> >

> >> I know it's too soon for prescriptivism here, but isn't it usually spelt

> >> "gnarly"? Funny what a history of silent letters can do!

> >>

> >> On Wed, 8 Nov 1995, SETH SKLAREY wrote:

> >>

> >> > In Golden Beach, Florida they used to have them on the median strip, and

> >> > trimmed them down all the time. It is a very hard, knarly plant when

> >>treate

> >d

> >>

> >

> >Tom Uharriet

> >utom[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]admn.712.nebo.edu

>