this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2024
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted, clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts: 1

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It's bullshit that the opposite of "impeachable" is "unimpeachable" instead of "peachable"

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[–] Prking 42 points 10 months ago (3 children)

It’s because the im isn’t a prefix but part of the word. (It was originally spelt empeche)

[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Ackshully:

Looking at the etymology, impeach is from old-french "empecher", and "em" was an alternative form of the old-french prefix "en".

And "empecher" is itself is derived from the late latin "impedicare", which uses the Latin prefix "im" from which the French prefix comes. And is prefixed to "predica".

So it it is a prefix.

Of course, the latin (and French) prefixes aren't used to indicate opposite meaning, like "in" often is. But that's just yet more bullshit.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

It’s basically from back in the day when there were still dinosaur peaches large enough to contain a badly-behaving consul.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

To be fair it was a prefix in the Latin word that it's ultimately derived from. We still treat it a little like a prefix when we use the im- part of the related "import" like a prefix, as we also have "export" and "transport"

[–] drislands 40 points 10 months ago (2 children)

It's bullshit that the opposite of "important" is "unimportant" instead of "portant"

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Should be exportant, obviously

[–] homesweethomeMrL 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

disportn't've

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

And "portant" to me sounds very similar to urgent which would make important a better negative / opposite.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Also, "gruntled" should be the opposite of "disgruntled".

[–] Prking 27 points 10 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Well I'll be damned. I've used it as a word regardless, lol, but my spell check still hasn't gotten the memo apparently.

[–] OlinOfTheHillPeople 23 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I find this whole conversation whelming.

[–] raynethackery 8 points 10 months ago

Stay whelmed.

[–] homesweethomeMrL 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

So, would you say you’re more gruntled now?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

You’re not fully gruntled till you’re zestfully gruntled.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago

And something that has not been debunked is still bunk.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Randelung 22 points 10 months ago

Inflammable means flammable? What a country!

[–] BradleyUffner 22 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Ehh, at least we don't randomly assign every noun one of three genders, and have to memorize them all in order to use the correct form of "the" when speaking about it.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Just wait until you hear about declension

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Did that just happen?

[–] the_stat_man 20 points 10 months ago (4 children)

These are called orphaned negatives and English has loads of them. A great article about them is here: https://stephenliddell.co.uk/2021/03/17/a-gruntled-look-at-orphan-negatives/

As a slight tangent, a similar peculiarity in English (which I don't know of a name for) is where you can use the opposite words for similar actions, e.g. you can chop a tree down and then chop it up.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

Reminds me of folding cardboard boxes. If you are taking a flat piece and make a box of it, are you folding a box or unfolding the cardboard. Or both. And when you do the reverse, you do the same, do you not?

[–] kurtrude 6 points 10 months ago

Not exactly the same, but that also reminds me of autoantonyms or Janus words. The word dust can be used to describe adding dust or removing dust, for example.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Great link! I love the little story in there.

I actually use "shevelled" alongside many other words which to my mind "should logically exist" - for example, at the weekend I dismantled and then remantled a wall in my garden.

[–] the_stat_man 3 points 10 months ago

Good one, and you now have a mantled wall!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Contronyms is another great one. English is so tuitive.

[–] daddyjones 17 points 10 months ago

The most consistent thing about English is how inconsistent it is!

Which is to be expected when you have a Germanic language that is so heavily influenced by Latin languages.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Well you guys can peach me any day you'd like. 👄

[–] Cinnamon3431 7 points 10 months ago
[–] Cinnamon3431 4 points 10 months ago

u gotsed peached

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I don't hate it. Pretty gusting if you ask me.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I am demused. I can't express my unappointment

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The existence of "amused" implies the existence of "bimused", "homomused", "panmused" and possibly even more

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

I'm metromused

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Reminds me of that Doofenschmirtz line: "Ah, Perry the Platypus... As always, your timing is impeckable. And by that I mean COMPLETELY PECKABLE!"

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

expeachable

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago
[–] slazer2au 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Because im is not a typo of un

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Speculater 9 points 10 months ago

Not to be rude but you meant to write: unpossible

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago
[–] DeadNinja 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Don't be surprised. Such quirks are unimpossible in English... /s

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It's bullshit that "colonel" is pronounced with an R sound, but "kernel" isn't pronounced with an "olo" sound.