Submit Response is a weblog by Jack Mottram, a One Who Suffles
Sometimes, after a few drinks, I am known to use archaic terms for humorous effect. Humorous to me, anyway.
Last night, I called my friend Hannah a tergiversator, which means someone who changes sides, or who obfuscates through use of deliberately vague language, or who is a turncoat. This morning, I went looking for the word on the interweb, to see if I could work out where I might have picked it up. The Free Dictionary defines it thus:
Terôgi`ver`sa`torn.
1. One who tergiversates; one who suffles, or practices evasion
One who suffles? It’s a typo, I assume, but that’s not going to stop me using it. Or maybe not, I’m in a suffling mood today, you see.
oh that’s what you two were wittering on about last night, i see. i hope you’ve stopped with those pictures now…
Posted by Donna at 12am on 01.12.03
They’ll be on the Photographs page later today for you to enjoy!
Posted by Jack Mottram at 12pm on 01.12.03
http://tergiversator.word.sytes.org/
Posted by Andy at 4pm on 01.12.03
Andy - I think a lot of online dictionaries use the same source. The mystery begins when you try to define suffle:
http://suffles.word.sytes.org/
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/suffles
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=suffle
Posted by Jack Mottram at 4pm on 01.12.03
Clearly, the word suffle is suffling - practising evasion. It’s a self-defining word.
Posted by The Tergivesator at 4pm on 02.12.03
Hee - so it is, Terg.
Posted by Jack Mottram at 4pm on 02.12.03
It should read… “One who shuffles”
See the last line on http://tergiversate.word.sytes.org/
Thank you for using my dictionary site.
Jonathan Hunt
Word Sytes admin
Posted by Jonathan Hunt at 11am on 18.03.04
I say to you - thanks and thanks and ever thanks : )
I had to google ‘suffle’ in order to find your site and it’s definition. I refer you to Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’, act III:
My kind Antonio,
I can no other answer make but thanks,
And thanks, and ever thanks, and oft good turns
Are suffled off with such uncurrent pay;
But, were my worth as is my conscious firm,
You should find better dealing.
Linda Smith
Posted by LKT Smith at 5pm on 20.08.05