Used typically in 19th century euphemistic expressions in the US, an example being "Landy me!" meaning "Lord bless me!". In Sarah Orne Jewitt's short story "A Winter Courtship" we read '"Landy me!" exclaimed the affronted driver.' Similarly the word "Land" is commonly found to replace a basphemous "Lord" in expressions such as "Good Land!"
Also used by J.R.Ward in her vampire novels. For example in "Lover Unbound", p 36. "This is your destiny: to become the Primale of the Chosen." It seems to be a combination of "primary" + "male", at least in the way it is used by Ward and the other examples given here on this site. In other words it means a "superior male", mainly, but not only, in terms of sexual attractiveness and prowess. It seems less to have less to do with "primal" in the sense of "primitive" or "primeval", though there is something of the hunky primitiveness in the sexual ideas implied.
"Brutalness" is more or less a synonym of "brutality", it is occasionally found in print, though largely ignored by dictionaries. In Jerome K. Jerome's The Philosopher's Joke, we read: "telling her with frank brutalness that the woman who was not beautiful had missed her vocation in life".
Comments by njross
njross commented on the word landy
Used typically in 19th century euphemistic expressions in the US, an example being "Landy me!" meaning "Lord bless me!". In Sarah Orne Jewitt's short story "A Winter Courtship" we read '"Landy me!" exclaimed the affronted driver.' Similarly the word "Land" is commonly found to replace a basphemous "Lord" in expressions such as "Good Land!"
February 9, 2010
njross commented on the word stayer-at-home
Also used by Sarah Orne Jewett in her short story "A Winter Courtship": Both the Sanscrit Pond and North Kilby people were stayers-at-home ...
February 9, 2010
njross commented on the word primale
Also used by J.R.Ward in her vampire novels. For example in "Lover Unbound", p 36. "This is your destiny: to become the Primale of the Chosen." It seems to be a combination of "primary" + "male", at least in the way it is used by Ward and the other examples given here on this site. In other words it means a "superior male", mainly, but not only, in terms of sexual attractiveness and prowess. It seems less to have less to do with "primal" in the sense of "primitive" or "primeval", though there is something of the hunky primitiveness in the sexual ideas implied.
January 24, 2010
njross commented on the word Billy-Bob
"Brutalness" is more or less a synonym of "brutality", it is occasionally found in print, though largely ignored by dictionaries. In Jerome K. Jerome's The Philosopher's Joke, we read: "telling her with frank brutalness that the woman who was not beautiful had missed her vocation in life".
July 13, 2009