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Jewish World Review May 6, 2004 / 15 Iyar, 5764
Editors of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate
'Historic' v. 'historical'; 'prestigious' = 'trickery'?; 'can of corn' as sports phrase
Is there a rule about when to use ``historic'' and when to use ``historical''? I'm never sure if I'm using the right one. G.R., Portland, Maine Dear G.R.: ``Historic'' and ``historical'' are simply variants, although over the course of two or three hundred years of use they have developed some differences in usage. ``Historical'' is the usual choice for the broad and general uses relating to history, such as ``a historical survey of the United States military'' or ``a historical novel.'' ``Historic'' is most commonly used for something famous or important in history, as in ``a historic event'' or ``a historic home.'' But the differentiation between the two words is not complete. ``Historic'' still crops up in the general sense, as in ``objects of little historic significance.'' And ``historical'' can mean ``important in history,'' although this sense does not appear to be very widely used any more. Dear Editor: I was looking at the entry for the word ``prestigious'' in my copy of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, and I noticed that the first sense, labeled ``archaic,'' is defined as ``of, relating to, or marked by illusion, conjuring, or trickery.'' I've never heard of that meaning of the word. Is it related to the one I'm familiar with: ``having prestige; honored''? A.K., Portland, Ore. Dear A.K.: The archaic sense of ``prestigious'' has been rarely seen since the late 19th century, so it's no surprise that is sounds unfamiliar to modern English speakers like you. As a glance at the development of the root word ``prestige'' shows, however, the archaic sense is in fact related to the modern sense of the word.
The Latin verb ``praestringere,'' meaning ``to bind fast'' and later ``to blind,'' gave rise to the noun ``praestigiae,'' meaning ``illusions, juggler's tricks, feats of legerdemain,'' from the notion that these blind the eyes to reality. In Late Latin this noun became ``praestigium,'' which was taken into 16th-century French as ``prestige.'' The word's first appearance in English was in a 1656 glossary of ``hard words'' compiled by Thomas Blount, who defined ``prestiges'' as ``deceits, impostures, delusions, cousening (cozening) tricks.'' It is this sense, of course, that gave rise to the archaic sense of ``prestigious.'' While the ``deceit'' sense of ``prestige'' has itself become archaic, an extended sense of ``influence, esteem, or honor'' arose in the early 19th century to become the predominant use of ``prestige'' today, and the source of the current sense of ``prestigious.'' The link between the senses may lie in the presumed power of prestige to blind people to the real merits and faults of those who possess it. Dear Editor: I've heard several sports commentators use the phrase ``can of corn.'' I believe it has a positive connotation, but I'm not sure what it means. Does it just apply to sports (in particular, baseball)? L.T., Lyndhurst, N.J. Dear L.T.: ``Can of corn'' is a phrase out of baseball's past, still occasionally used by sportscasters who like its appealingly old-fashioned quality. A batter will hit a high fly ball, and as an outfielder settles into position under it, waiting to make an easy catch, the announcer will say something like ``That's a can of corn for (the fielder).'' The phrase ``can of corn'' simply denotes a high fly that's easily caught. (If the catch is a piece of cake, the fly ball is a can of corn.) Several explanations have been offered for the origin of ``can of corn.'' The most popular theory traces it back to old-style grocery stores, where canned goods kept on high shelves were retrieved by being tipped over with a long pole and caught in the grocer's hands or apron. Other theories suggest a possible connection with popcorn or with the phrase ``as easy as taking corn out of a can.'' Although ``can of corn'' has been used in baseball for many years, it shows no evidence of acquiring more widespread use outside of the sports world.
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