Conservative Word For the Day: Founder, or Flounder?
The challenge of finding exactly the right word to describe the state of the Conservative campaign has given rise to an interesting linguistic conundrum. Would one describe Stephen The Arrogant as “foundering”, or as “floundering”?
A fascinating question. The verb “to flounder” means is to thrash about in the water (like a flounder), struggling to stay alive. This desperate flailing suggests the verb’s metaphorical application, describing one who is engaged in the last stages of a life and death struggle.
“To founder”, on the other hand, means “to fill with water and sink.” It is also suggestive of catastrophic failure in a marine environment, but at a later stage of disaster.
Put simply, if you’re sunk, you’ve foundered. If you’re still struggling, you’re floundering.
To help you remember this distinction, we’ve prepared the following visual aid.
Have a great day, my fellow prisoners…
Well it should be founder, as in the “The ship’s captain was asleep when the ship came upon the storm and hit the reef and his ship foundered and was never seen again,… In his hold were tonnes of salted flounder that Canadian had worked hard on catching for the last year and their labours were wasted due to the incompetence of the Captain.”
See you could both as metaphors
Thats good, too bad its good cause it sows how dismal some of our leaders are!
*Giggles* *Giggles* *Giggles*
I vote Founder, for the same reasons brought up by Zorpheous.
Meanwhile, I have been actively pushing for TNT (”Tank Next Tuesday!!”) as the new CPC campaign slogan.
I’m not as shy as Kandee.
*Guffaw* *Guffaw* *Guffaw*
Hubris doesn’t become you guys. We still have five days left, and the Conservatives could still surprise us all, unfortunately.
James, James, James. It was too good a joke to waste. Lighten up, guy.
And a funny joke it was. I personally think the Tories made a huge, huge mistake not publishing an economic plan earlier.
You were making a joke about the Conservatives losing the election?
(shoves Bal out the door)
Go! Go now! Turn around three times, hop on one leg, and _spit_!! Lest you anger the voting gods!
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth!
Uh oh, James flounders while balb founders.
Hey balb, this is probably as good a time as any to congratulate you and SL for co-winning (along with Praire Wrangler) the “keep your sense of humour” award during the election. Great stuff. Others like Damien and Dawg get kudos for at least trying to discuss issues honestly without personal invective. But have you noticed how most of the rest have so succumbed to frothing and splenetic zeal that they are now saying pretty much the same things, thus reinforcing my conviction that the real glue that keeps this country together is a passionate love for the North and a sea-to-sea addiction to small-minded bickering. Seriously, how many times have you seen the following from all sides:
“This used to be a great country, but now it’s going down the tubes and nobody cares.”
“ Canadian Super-Patriot is reporting that (name of enemy leader) had a booger in his nose during his speech to-day. Do you think the MSM will report that? No way, they’ve been backing him from the start.”
“This just proves that the (left, right, greens, abstainers, the religious, PR and direct democracy types, flat-earthers, etc.) are the real anti-Semites.”
(After twenty straight posts with record numbers of comments on sweaters, hockey clips, jewellry, plaigerized speeches, gaffes caught on video or candidates forced to resign) “Dammit, when will people start discussing the issues?”
And my personal favourite:
“What a bunch of *&#$%^ douchebags!”
Peter, that’s too good a thought to languish here in the comments. I hope you don’t mind a promotion.
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