#AtoZChallenge: P is for PEDANTIC

36 Comments#AtoZChallenge 2015, Language, Writing/Blogging
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#AtoZChallenge, Day 16: P is for PEDANTIC, The Doglady's Den
Day 16, April 18

#AtoZChallenge 2015: P is for PEDANTIC #dogladysden Click To Tweet

pe·dan·tic

pəˈdan(t)ik
adjective

of or like a pedant.
“many of the essays are long, dense, and too pedantic to hold great appeal”

synonyms: overscrupulous, scrupulous, precise,
exact, perfectionist, punctilious, meticulous,

fussy, fastidious, finicky; dogmatic, purist, literalist, literalistic, formalist; casuistic,
casuistical, sophistic, sophistical; captious, hair-splitting, quibbling, finicky, persnickety

 

Unfortunately, this has been a life-long curse, passed down from my mother (who was even worse!) and probably her mother and beyond. 😛 If left unchecked, I can drive myself and everyone around me, (hubby in particular), bonkers.

Fortunately, some of this silliness has relaxed with age, but certain things still drive me nuts. Items must be perfectly centred, pictures must hang perfectly straight, clothes must be perfectly matched, etc. When it comes to writing, that must be perfect too, which is why it takes me forever to finish anything.

Some of this is absurd, but, I’ve actually done a couple! Can you relate?

FUN FACT:
PEDANTIC derives from pedant – Middle French pédantesque, from Italian pedante

Any perfectionists out there? Do tell!

Looking forward to your comments!

Debbie

P.S. I just saw this, from the Urban Dictionary and yeah; I guess it really is that bad!
(Note that I also used “mellifluous”) LMAO!

Ostentatious regarding one’s intelligence. Using this word also makes you this word.
Bob: I find the professor’s voice mellifluous and her logic trenchant, even if a bit pedantic.
Jim: I find YOU a bit pedantic.
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AtoZChallenge 2015
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36 thoughts on “#AtoZChallenge: P is for PEDANTIC

    1. Yes, it’s good to let go of such rigid standards, but I’ll always be bothered if something isn’t centred properly. 😀 I can imagine having children would be incentive to relax.

  1. That was a funny video. No, I am not so pedantic. We have a friend who is a perfectionist. Everything has to be at it’s proper place, everything has to be clean and in perfect shape and form. His wife is just the opposite and is truly fed up of his habits 😀

  2. My best friend is a true pedant, he is so perfect in what he does, a true virgo. He is also what I term a grammar nazi, but this comes in handy when he helps me edit.

  3. In my younger days I was pedantic about many things – correct grammar, tidiness, error free work etc etc but as I grow older, I find that a little imperfection is actually okay.

    1. I’m still very pedantic about writing and a few other quirks, like things being centred, straight, etc. but have otherwise mellowed with age. 🙂

  4. I like and prefer the word persnickety actually. 😉 However, though I can be at times primarily in my writing, I think it’s a lot of hassle and not enough for what it’s worth. <3

    1. Some of us have this fetish and just can’t help ourselves, Elly. 🙂 On the other had, it used to be a lot worse. These silly standards tend to relax with age.

  5. Life is too short to try so hard to make things perfect, no one is perfect, no one can be perfect. I like order, but I do not try to make things perfect. About the only thing that needs to be perfect in life really is math. One’s bank accounts are either balanced or not, there really isn’t an inbetween. Houses, work, weather, people etc. nothing I can of is perfect. I had never heard that word before, it’s always nice to learn new things.

    1. Good points, Sandy! 🙂 I don’t disagree, but some of us are beyond help when it comes to certain things. Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

  6. Ah, I know perfectionism well! My father is a die-hard perfectionist and I used to be. I say used to be because I’ve totally relaxed over the years. Everything had to be in its proper place and if something was slightly askew, I would notice it right away. I remember one night I had two friends over. I went to the bathroom and apparently one of my guests accidentally moved the coffee table/tree stump with her foot and it literally moved less than an inch. When I came back in the room, I noticed right away and straightened it. They both cracked up laughing and Kathie was yelling, “I told you! I told you she would notice!” I said “What??” and she explained that when the coffee table had moved, Kathie bet the other girl that I would notice that slight little change. She knows me well! I’m not near as perfectionist as I used to be…and my life is so much less stressful because of it! I think when I got dogs is when I started relaxing. Before dogs, my house was always in perfect order, I cleaned top to bottom, it was absolutely spotless, always. Now it’s just not that important that I dust every single nook and cranny. Girl, we are definitely sisters from different mothers! We absolutely have to meet one of these days… 🙂 XOXO

    1. Hilarious, Michele! 😀 I would have definitely noticed the table out of place (made from a tree stump? That’s so cool!), and put it back too. My standards have also relaxed over time and I figure if it looks okay on the surface, then it’s good enough (like the Knick-Knacks and the feather duster). That said, things still have to be centered, straight, etc. LOL And I will clean for service people. For instance, if the stove needs fixing, you can bet I’ll be pulling that sucker away from the wall and cleaning behind it before they arrive! 😛 Yes, the more I get to know you, the more I realize how much alike we are. Awesome! 😀

  7. Yes, well… Pedantic I am not, except perhaps in my writing. If perchance I should discover – after posting a comment or article – that my fingers have typed out something different from what my brain has told them to type, I click on edit and fix it up. If I can’t edit, I immediately type a new comment with the correction. I’ve been trying to teach Word that its grammar isn’t always right, but Word is VERY pedantic and won’t listen to logical reasoning. But, strangely enough, it does accept fuggheddaboudit as a real word…

    1. I’m laughing Mary, because I do the exact same thing! 😀 Hilarious that Word considers fuggheddaboudit to be a real word. My laptop has it underlined in red; a real fugazzi. LOL

  8. Hahaha – what a funny picture – cutting grass with the scissor – oh yeah- definitely pedantic, I am not though. Fun read Debbie:-)

    1. I check my hair incessantly, have re-parked the car and always measure things in equal amounts. 😛 Glad you’re not afflicted wtih this, Parul. 🙂

  9. For me, it is a strain to be pedantic. I used to be more or less like that but after a husband and a kid, I find it easier to change me than driving them nuts which in turn drives me nutter (they never do the way I would like) :). BTW, didn’t know the meaning of th word. Good one, Debbie. Enjoyed the video too. 🙂

    1. Good idea to change yourself, rather than driving others nuts. I’ve gotten better over the years, but some things will always bother me. 😛

  10. I’ve always loved that word pedantic. Good one, Debbie. I always thought it meant more of being a know it all and trying to impress others with your great knowledge. Interesting to find out its real meaning. You have enlightened me. No pedantic genes in my body. Quite the opposite.

    1. LOL Well, I’ve been accused of that as well, although it’s not something I would consciously do. 😉 Glad you’re not cursed with this, Cathy. It’s a burden, for sure.

  11. I feel very lucky not to be as pedantic as I am stubborn, or I would have a big problem 🙂
    Tasha
    Tasha’s Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)