Words you just don't get

[WellVersedInEtiquette]

I'm reading a book that describes a place as bucolic. I know what it means. I've read it before I just can't get my head to read it as anything other than bubonic.

Sorry @RaffertyFair.
I get this constantly when people are trying to translate words in my languages.
There is often not a concise translation. Languages grow in different directions (studied psychology of language). It's really odd at times, even for me.
Example: 'Sorry - I have tomatoes in my eyes'.
German direct translation - Sorry, I wasn't paying attention!'
Language is amazing. My DD1 is studying English Language at A-level. She is constantly baffled by bizarre words.
The funniest one for me was a teleconference with some Germans. The phrase 'That's a completely different kettle of fish', was used.
The German guy said 'What is it with these kettles and this fish?!?!?'
I was crying!

Ravenous and ravishing.

I claim to be ravishing so often when I’m hungry it’s become a family joke. Which makes it even more confusing when I can’t remember which is which.

@AndItStillSaidFourOfTwo
'Hallo zusammen'.
Kills everyone using Google translate. :-)
I use it in English, and everyone is baffled!

I think a lot of people make the "several" mistake @flameycakes*

My DH did and I thought it was hilarious and told some of my colleagues and they also thought it meant seven. One even googled it because they were certain it meant seven and I was wrong.*

Who ARE these people? How are they alive?

Dearth. Can never remember if it means loads of or hardly any.

Pretendingtobeapsychokiller I agree language is amazing and endlessly fascinating! Translating idioms from one language to another highlights this perfectly

Septuagenarian; makes me think of sceptic mermaids or mermen.

And octogenarian makes me think of a withering octopus

Hirsute. I presume it comes from Latin but without any knowledge of Latin it seems like a funny word to describe 'hairy'.

Hubris, should be something like debris. Also sensuous and sensual, can never remember which one is sexy!

Flammable and inflammable aren't the same thing.

One means that a thing will burn if you want to set fire to it, for example paper.

The other means that a thing may burst into flames very easily on contact with a spark, for example petrol.

Sadly I can't remember which is which.

Biweekly what does that mean!

If I’m asked to attend a biweekly meeting what am I signing upto?

Just say fortnightly or twice a week so I know what’s going on.

I always have to look leviathan up

I'd assume biweekly meant twice a week as otherwise they'd just say fortnightly. But then again if an American said biweekly I wouldn't be so sure as I know they don't use the word fortnight/ly.

Yes to spendthrift. If thrifty means to save money, why on Earth is spendthrift who is thrifty when it comes to spending money? I just don't get it!

Pretending - in that context it's a kind of German 'y'all', isn't it? I also like 'Hallo/Grüsse in die Runde'.

I also used the word specious in a letter recently and hastily checked it meant what I vaguely thought it did and thankfully I was right.

That would make sense, Freezerbird, in which case inflammable should be the bursting into flames one.
I know it's a phrase, but I can never remember whether shooting yourself in the foot is a good or a bad thing

sproutsandparsnips
'Oriented' and 'orientated' mean the same. And 'disoriented' and 'disorientated' mean the same. As I understand it, it's just that the '-ated' endings are used in British English and the shorter versions are (or were originally) American English.

FreezerBird
Yes, I'm sure I've read that about flammable/inflammable, but, like you, I can't remember which is which!

‘Crepuscular’, which sounds like a skin condition, not twilight.

‘Pulchritude’, which also sounds vaguely like it might be a type of psoriasis, but is anyway too ugly a collection of sounds to mean ‘beautiful’.

And ‘reify’. I know what it means, I use it correctly, but at some level in my head it’s to do with light sabres.

Hyperbole - every time I read it I think hyper-bowl then have to correct myself! Same with melancholy, I always read it as Mel-anch-oly.

And the name Persephone, I read it as Percy-phone.

Gormless... it makes me want to praise an astute person for being "gormful"

When "literally" is being used metaphorically not litterally. What, you literally died? You made a good recovery from the CPR!

"Pissed" used without the "off" Just checking you were merely annoyed and not weeing on them or drunk.

I've heard the word unconscionable lots recently and couldn't work out what it could mean. Why's this suddenly become popular, I've never heard it before.

Also, nonplussed - I always think it means not bothered.

Attenuate - I can never remember if it's to increase or decrease something so I avoid it.

I've only just found out that 'tortuous' means twisty and nothing to do with unbearable pain!! My old mum used to talk about a 'tortuous journey' if it was long and drawn out. I'm not sure if 'torturous' actually exists - but it's what I always heard by mistake

The one that always confuses and disappoints me is 'egregious'. I often put it on annoying words threads because it is often used by irritatingly pretentious people. But it belongs on this thread, because its rather non-specific meaning is 'descriptive of something I really really really don't like at all, you know, don't like it lots and lots, but I want to sound really grown up about it', while I always think of it as meaning unnecessary, or surplus to requirements.

There's an 18th century word: 'unexceptionable' which reminds me too much of 'unexceptional', i.e. dull, middling or ordinary. What it actually means is of unblemished reputation or virtue.

Enervated - is that having energy or not having energy?