![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sobriqueYou may have heard the word 'infernal'. It's especially popular in a fantasy setting.
Infernal power, infernal script. Essentially the dictionary has infernal down as:
Of or relating to a lower world of the dead.
Of or relating to hell: infernal punishments; infernal powers.
Fiendish; diabolical: infernal instruments of war.
Abominable; awful: the infernal racket of the jackhammers.
The question is though. In much the same way as one has 'inappropriate' and 'appropriate', is there such a thing as "fernal". You know, as in, not especially demonic.
Or is it comparable to flammable and inflammable. Meaning approximately the same thing?
Thus it would be an adjective. "fernal power". "fernal imagery".
Or does the word 'fernal' mean something else entirely. Is it a noun perhaps?
That guy the other day looked like a bit of a fernal.
Are you a fernal?
Did you see that fernal, that was in the tree?
What size, dimension or nature is 'fernal'?
Or is it perhaps a verb. To fernal.
I fernaled him the other day.
I fernaled my car.
The question is a puzzling one. The rough conclusion was though, that fernal sounded remarkbly like a word that one could consider _amazingly_ offensive.
"That was a really fernal thing to do".
I propose a new word day. I think we need to consider our choices of the meaning of fernal. If it's the opposite of infernal, I suppose one could make a meaning of 'not especially infernal'. As in, not really good, not really evil. A bit bland.
Or perhaps you could use it as an amusing linkage to dilbert - and call catbert a fernal fiend. Not evil in an overwhelming evil sense, but more evil in a randomly annoying managerial sense.
This will puzzle me for some time. I feel it is a potential beer conversation.
Speaking of which: Pub. Friday. Nursery. Beer.
Infernal power, infernal script. Essentially the dictionary has infernal down as:
Of or relating to a lower world of the dead.
Of or relating to hell: infernal punishments; infernal powers.
Fiendish; diabolical: infernal instruments of war.
Abominable; awful: the infernal racket of the jackhammers.
The question is though. In much the same way as one has 'inappropriate' and 'appropriate', is there such a thing as "fernal". You know, as in, not especially demonic.
Or is it comparable to flammable and inflammable. Meaning approximately the same thing?
Thus it would be an adjective. "fernal power". "fernal imagery".
Or does the word 'fernal' mean something else entirely. Is it a noun perhaps?
That guy the other day looked like a bit of a fernal.
Are you a fernal?
Did you see that fernal, that was in the tree?
What size, dimension or nature is 'fernal'?
Or is it perhaps a verb. To fernal.
I fernaled him the other day.
I fernaled my car.
The question is a puzzling one. The rough conclusion was though, that fernal sounded remarkbly like a word that one could consider _amazingly_ offensive.
"That was a really fernal thing to do".
I propose a new word day. I think we need to consider our choices of the meaning of fernal. If it's the opposite of infernal, I suppose one could make a meaning of 'not especially infernal'. As in, not really good, not really evil. A bit bland.
Or perhaps you could use it as an amusing linkage to dilbert - and call catbert a fernal fiend. Not evil in an overwhelming evil sense, but more evil in a randomly annoying managerial sense.
This will puzzle me for some time. I feel it is a potential beer conversation.
Speaking of which: Pub. Friday. Nursery. Beer.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-03-03 04:06 pm (UTC)'Fernal' could be 'ordinary; not impressive; couldn't fart at a gnat'.
no subject
Date: 2004-03-03 04:53 pm (UTC)The antonym of infernal would be 'heavenly', I suppose, or some synonym of that.
As most things aren't especially demonic, I'd imagine that the word for such objects is 'normal'.
To me, 'fernal' sounds like something to do with Fern Britten. So that would fit admirably with your definition of fernal as something to which 'normal' could be applied as a derogation.