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Thursday, December 16, 2010

An Issue of Semantics -- 8th Grade Science

I did not write this test question:

12)  Which of these best describes how energy spreads from an energy-producing source?
     a. 1 dementionally like dominoes falling in a line
     b. 1 dementionally like a boulder rolling down a hill, going faster and faster
     c. 2 dementionally like rings of water coming from a rock dropped in water
     d. 3 dementionally like layers of an onion from the center going out

(sic, like, really sic)

a yellow onion
Disregarding other potentially discussion-worthy issues of syntax, imagine for a moment that this amazing misspelling ("dementionally") were intentional, and, perhaps, a portmanteaux (think Humpty Dumpty's discussion on "Jabberwocky," or other words like gerrymander, spork, Brangelina), what would it mean?

2 comments:

  1. dementionally

    dih-MEN-shuhn-i-lee
    --adverb
    1. In a demented manner, as it pertains to the time-space continuum: "8th grade science tests dementionally influence the intelligence of the universe."
    2. Referring to a Dementor: see creatures in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series
    3. (Vulgar) DIMENSIONALLY

    ReplyDelete
  2. 2. alt: adj., dementorially

    DEMENTOR: to undo the effects done by a mentor

    ReplyDelete

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