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NL888 Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Failed to understand "not to be bandied about"
Does "not to be bandied about" mean "not to be tossed about"? If so, what to be tossed about?
Context:
The word 'delusion' in my title has disquieted some psychiatrists
who regard it as a technical term, not to be bandied about. Three
of them wrote to me to propose a special technical term for
2
religious delusion: 'relusion'. Maybe it'll catch on. But for now I
am going to stick with 'delusion', and I need to justify my use of it.
The Penguin English Dictionary defines a delusion as 'a false belief
or impression'. Surprisingly, the illustrative quotation the diction-
ary gives is from Phillip E. Johnson: 'Darwinism is the story of
humanity's liberation from the delusion that its destiny is controlled
by a power higher than itself.' Can that be the same Phillip E.
Context:
The word 'delusion' in my title has disquieted some psychiatrists
who regard it as a technical term, not to be bandied about. Three
of them wrote to me to propose a special technical term for
2
religious delusion: 'relusion'. Maybe it'll catch on. But for now I
am going to stick with 'delusion', and I need to justify my use of it.
The Penguin English Dictionary defines a delusion as 'a false belief
or impression'. Surprisingly, the illustrative quotation the diction-
ary gives is from Phillip E. Johnson: 'Darwinism is the story of
humanity's liberation from the delusion that its destiny is controlled
by a power higher than itself.' Can that be the same Phillip E.
Top answer
The word 'delusion' is not to be used casually and thoughtlessly .
- The word 'delusion' is not to be used casually and thoughtlessly .
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5 Answers
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What does 'relusion' mean?
It's not yet a real word. Three people wrote to the writer, proposing it as a new technical term for religious delusion.
It's not yet a real word. Three people wrote to the writer, proposing it as a new technical term for religious delusion.
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What do you mean?
The writer is not seriously advocating that it should be a new word.It's a somewhat humorous idea.
Clive
The writer is not seriously advocating that it should be a new word.It's a somewhat humorous idea.
Clive
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