A.Word.A.Day		About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us

Home Today's Word Yesterday's Word Archives FAQ

Discuss Email this Feedback RSS/XML Permalink A.Word.A.Day--gaslight gaslight (GAS-lyt) verb tr. To manipulate psychologically. [From the title of the classic movie Gaslight (1940 and its 1944 remake), based on author Patrick Hamilton's play. The title refers to a man's use of seemingly unexplained dimming of gaslights (among other tricks) in the house in an attempt to manipulate his wife into thinking she is going insane.] Today's word in Visual Thesaurus. "Cutting off another couple hours with a zoomy Concorde look-alike would be nice, if such a plane could be delivered at an affordable cost. Here, though, anyone might wonder if the media are being gaslighted along with Airbus." Holman W. Jenkins Jr.; Haven't Shareholders Had Enough Chicken? The Wall Street Journal (New York); Apr 4, 2001. The word gaslight is an excellent example of how a language grows. It shows how a word's meaning can take unexpected paths in its evolution. The noun gaslight has not only turned into a verb but also taken a sense entirely unrelated to its inherent meaning. It's a sign of cinema's hold on popular culture that this word from a movie title has entered the English lexicon in a new incarnation. This week we've collected five words from movie titles that have taken similar turns in the English language. -Anu Garg X-Bonus Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life. -John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (1838-1914)

Subscribe: Sign up to receive A.Word.A.Day in your mailbox every day. The Book: A Word A Day is now a book. Find it in your local bookstore or at Amazon.com. "A delightful, quirky collection." -The New York Times Give the Gift of Words Share the magic of words. Send a gift subscription of A.Word.A.Day. Anu on Words: Writer Magazine SF Gate SF Gate Globe & Mail  Interact: Bulletin board AWADtalk Moderated Chat AWADchat Readers' Voice AWADmail