Shades of meaning...

[alexpgp]

I recently ran across a marvelously grandiloquent verb—quomodocunquize, which apparently means "to make money by whatever means possible." A blog entry at The Huffington Post suggests this sesquipedalian word is

almost the same as the modern word "hustling," except without any of the gangster-ish overtones.

Hmmm, I wonder.

The same blog notes that there is only one recorded use of the word in the OED, by a Scotsman, who as it turns out wrote:

[...] churlish and tenacious humor hath made many that were not acquainted with any else of that country, to imagine all their compatriots infected with the same leprosie of a wretched peevishness, whereof those quomodocunquizing clusterfists and rapacious varlets have given of late such cannibal-like proofs. (source)

Maybe it's me, I don't know—but it just seems to me that a word associated with people whose humor is churlish and whose compatriots are leprous with peevishness, and which is used to describe "clusterfists" (tightwads) and "rapacious varlets," while it may not have overtly "gangster-ish overtones" is nevertheless solidly pejorative.

The search goes on for a word that compactly describes what in recent years has been called "developing multiple streams of income."

Cheers...

Comments

[kehlen-crow.livejournal.com]

Did you mean "gRandiloquEnt"? :-)

I need to remember "rapacious varlets" and maybe use it to cuss at someone, lol.

Also, congratulations, you have made me look up 7 words in the dictionary with one entry.


Why does 'multitasking' not fit?

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did mean 'grandiloquent'. My keyboard apparently could not keep up with my thoughts (or I was plain careless... take your pick). The error has been corrected. Thank you.

'Rapacious varlet' is something I'd expect to hear someone say at a RenFest or a meeting of the SCA. But you're right, it does have a certain ring to it!

'Multitaking' doesn't cut the mustard because it merely describes 'doing more than one thing at the same time.' I'm looking for a word that describes someone who is trying to earn money from several sources at the same time.

Cheers...

[furzicle.livejournal.com]

Hi Alex, Somehow, lately, I've not been checking in to LJ much. But I did a little visit this morning to catch up on you and a few others. Your search for a word for aggressive, acquisitive multi-tasking brings to my mind the word 'scrabbling.' I think it imparts the picture of one scrambling like some kind of hyper-active crab to get somewhere or something important.

But you're right. A suitable verb is in order.