Ask a silly question...
In an e-mail I sent out about Kriston's CP piece I idly wondered why he'd chosen to spell "yuck" without the "c":
My friends and colleagues rushed to give me the answer: I'm an idiot!
Another answer--guesstimative, but correct:
The universe is suddenly a little less mysterious.
In an e-mail I sent out about Kriston's CP piece I idly wondered why he'd chosen to spell "yuck" without the "c":
An aside: What does it mean to be "yuk-yuk funny"? Doesn't "yuck" have a c in it? Is "yuk" equally acceptable? Does it have different connotations, or is it just a simplified variant, like "nite"? I am forever plagued with questions.
My friends and colleagues rushed to give me the answer: I'm an idiot!
Yuk is a colloquial noun or verb (sometimes adjective) specific to laughs and gags (http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/y/y0032450.html);it's imitative in the way that "ha ha" is. Yuk is also sometimes a variant spelling of yuck, yuck itself now almost always referring to a reaction of digust. However, I bet they share the same etymological lineage.This has been your memorial day word korner!--Rebecca
Another answer--guesstimative, but correct:
i think a "yuk" is a noun (can also be a verb) describing a sound somewherebetween a chortle and a guffaw. snorting may be involved. ("get your yuks,""yukked it up")while "yuck" is an exclamation indicating disgust. this is just my personal belief and not based on the dictionary, which isoverrated in my humble opinion and is no substitute for the imagination.--Doug
The universe is suddenly a little less mysterious.
posted by jhcudlin at 10:40 AM
3 Comments:
I make up words all the time. Life is more fun that way. When editors bitch about it I reply: "Well, it should be a word." And that is how etymology happens.
It never occurred to me that "yuk" wasn't the way to spell the word in this context. Huh.
Well, it didn't need to occur to you--because, as it turns out, you were correct.
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