What word has this author mistaken?

HareBrain

HareBrain

Ziggy Wigwag
Staff member
Supporter
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
13,951
Location
West Sussex, UK
Here's a line from a book that is driving me nuts.

The conversation was endemic of what Ed Bicknell calls "the constant fear" that plagues all managers.

I guess he might have meant that the "constant fear" was endemic to managers, but I think he's used endemic by mistake to mean a synonym of "typical". I believe the word he meant to use is similar and also begins with "e", but I can't bring it to my mind, and searches for synonyms haven't found it. Any ideas?
 
Does he mean "symptomatic"? That's got a similar level of "heaviness" and a medical derivation. Or perhaps "emblematic"? I think I prefer "typical".
 
The word I first thought beginning with "e" is "epitome" followed by "epitomises" but both require a change in the sentence structure, but I see there are adjectives "epitomic" and "epitomical" though I can't say I've ever seen them before.

Otherwise "embodiment" and "embodies" but again requiring a change in structure and there's no adjective there.

Or there's apparently "endemical" though it's another one I've never seen used.

(I'd have gone for "characteristic" save that it clashes with "conversation" but the sentence is so ungainly anyway, it wouldn't have harmed it!)
 
endemic
adjective

en·dem·ic | \ en-ˈde-mik

, in- \

Definition of endemic
(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : belonging or native to a particular people or country
b : characteristic of or prevalent in a particular field, area, or environment problems endemic to translation the self-indulgence endemic in the film industry

2 : restricted or peculiar to a locality or region endemic diseases an endemic species

Seems like a reasonable metaphor to me. What's your problem with it?
 
Ashley R said:
What's your problem with it?
Click to expand...

I don't think something can be "endemic of" something else, only "endemic to" (or just "endemic"). Even if he meant "endemic to", in the sentence I gave, it's the "constant fear" that's endemic, not the conversation, so that doesn't work. Whatever word he meant, he's using in the sense of "typical".
 
I agree with Toby: the author probably meant -- or, at least, shold have used, "symptomatic".

After all, symptoms are (specifically) what allows one to spot (no pun intended, but what the hell), or perhaps even identify, infections, biological or otherwise. One can't just look at someone and say they have some sort of infection without the presence of at least some of the relevant symptoms (unless one also has seen documentary evidence based on non-visual tests).


In any case, the sentence makes no sense as written, and so needs to be... er... panned.
 
I agree "symptomatic" would have been one of the best words to use there.

Having looked up synonyms of "symptomatic", I wonder if the word I was trying to remember was "indicative", because the first syllable is almost the same as "endemic" (and both contain "ic"). But it seems there isn't one clear answer.
 
HareBrain said:
Phyrebrat said:
as I read the extract I had the exact same thoughts.
Click to expand...
I'm sure TJ will be able to tell us why that is. ;)
Click to expand...
Well, if it were Chris P and I thinking the exact same thoughts it would be because wise people agree. But in your cases it's probably because fools seldom differ... :p
 
I think this is a case where they may have thought:
Constant fear is endemic to management. or something like that.
Then attempted to spin it a bit and created one of those puzzling passive looking convolutions.

Yet they could have thought that one particular conversation was endemic to management fears.

So it could Possibly be:
The constant fear is endemic to management's conversation.
Right now it is:
The conversation was endemic of (the constant fear that plagues all managers)

Which might work considering that it pinpoint possibly one specific conversation.
Whereas:

Conversation was endemic of (the constant fear that plagues all managers).
Would suggest they fear all conversation.

The bottom line is, that although he means well by this sentence.
Look at all the wasted reader thought and time trying to unscrew the inscrutable.

The conversation was endemic to all manager's constant fear.
Might have cleared things up some.

I suppose they could still have been confusing endemic with emblematic.
 
Last edited:
HareBrain said:
I don't think something can be "endemic of" something else, only "endemic to" (or just "endemic"). Even if he meant "endemic to", in the sentence I gave, it's the "constant fear" that's endemic, not the conversation, so that doesn't work. Whatever word he meant, he's using in the sense of "typical".
Click to expand...
Ah, I see. But don't agree. Grammar evolves and while from one perspective "of" is wrong, it sounds to me how it would be spoken, when one's writer-grammar -head is not active. YMMV.
 
It depends on context. I can't tell whether it's trying to say the conversation is triggered by the fear (as in: this is the kind of conversation the fear regularly leads to) , or is suffused with the fear (as in, the fear is detectable, distorting a conversation that would have happened in some form regardless).
 
'A typical example of' would be a better , or (to cut it short)

The conversation epitomised what Ed Bicknell calls "the constant fear" that plagues all managers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
The Judge 300 Worder Image Poll and Discussion Thread #7 Writing Challenges 20
elvet November / December 100 Word Anonymous Challenge 2024 Poll Workshop 0
Phyrebrat Synopsis - The Pegge and the Pendrel (716 words) Critiques 13
Luiglin 138 tales of 138 words from 138 authors Writing Discussion 7
GOLLUM Forgotten Sword and Sorcery authors. Book Discussion 94

Similar threads


Back
Top