JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post
"He is too picked, to spruce, too affected, to od as it were."--Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost (1598) v. i. 13
I just threw this together, pulling in some of the red-based pamphlet cover designs from different odd areas here--there are many many more, but this again is a selection of odd and red: OddRed, RedOdd. Or if not odd, the at least red and even, EvenRed, RedEven.
“OddRed” isn't a color, it just designates that red is being used in relation to something odd, which is very different from nouns or adjectives that get thrown in front of “red”, as in “blood-”, “brick-”, “flame-”, and so on, which are actual colors. OddRed is just an idea. As is EvenRed.
The OED finds “red” to be as old as OE, and defines it so: “Designating the colour of blood, a ruby, a ripe tomato, etc., and appearing in various shades at the longer-wavelength end of the visible spectrum, next to orange and opposite to violet; of or having this colour.”
This I didn't know=>”In early use also designating shades of purple, pink, and orange, which are now distinguished by these distinct colour terms. The term is now applied to shades that vary from bright scarlet or crimson to reddish yellow or brown (the latter esp. of the hair of certain animals:...Red light has a wavelength in the approx. range 625 to 740 nm. (cf. infra-red adj.)
“Odd” is another very old word, and strangely odd, its history and regional manners seeming to be at war with itself, at least so far as divergent meanings of the word goes. We don't get to the meaning of “odd” the way I meant it in the blog--which refers to something unusual and out of the mainstream-ordinary—for several paragraphs of definitions. The OED spends a lot of time on the mathematical qualities of “odd”, which was to be expected and which was in turns poetic and lovely (1570 H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. vii. f. 185 A number euenly odde..is that which an euen number measureth by an odde number”.) Then comes a fair amount of space devoted to uses of the word “odd” that are now obsolete or rare. For example:
- “Singular in valour, worth, merit, or eminence; unique, remarkable, significant; distinguished, famous, renowned; rare, choice. Obsolete.”
- “That exists or stands alone; single, sole, solitary, singular. by odd: separately, by itself, alone. all and odd: see all adj., pron., n., adv., and conj. Phrases 5g. Obsolete (in later use regional).”
- “Extraneous or additional to what is reckoned or taken into account; that is not, or cannot be, reckoned, included, or coordinated with other things; not belonging to any particular total, set, or group; not forming part of a regular series; unconnected; irregular, casual; occurring randomly or haphazardly. odd ends n.odds and ends (see odds n. 7a). odd things n. = odd ends n.
- “A small point of land. Chiefly in place names.”
- “Singular in valour, worth, merit, or eminence; unique, remarkable, significant; distinguished, famous, renowned; rare, choice. Obsolete.”
- "Denoting an indefinite number and qualifying a noun of lower denomination in an otherwise definite expression of quantity or amount; ‘and some’; ‘and a few’. Also without and. Obsolete.”
After which we get to the marrow of the definition question, though slowly:
- “Not even, aligned, or accordant; uneven, unequal, discrepant, diverse, different. Obsolete.”
- “That exists or stands alone; single, sole, solitary, singular. by odd: separately, by itself, alone. all and odd: see all adj., pron., n., adv., and conj. Phrases 5g. Obsolete (in later use regional).”
- “Of persons, their actions, etc.: strange in behaviour or appearance; peculiar; eccentric; unexpected.”
- “Of things: differing in character from what is ordinary, usual, normal, or expected; out of the ordinary; extraordinary, strange, peculiar; unexpected, surprising.”
- “Of a material thing: fantastic, grotesque; peculiar or strange in appearance, etc.”
- “To make odd or irregular.”
There you have it. I think that I've pummeled this one into the Earth long enough.
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