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facile hokum

English translation: unexamined nonsense posing as scientific explanation

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:facile hokum
Selected answer:unexamined nonsense posing as scientific explanation
Entered by: humbird

21:30 Feb 15, 2004
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Archaeology / Vanished culture in American Southwest -- archaeology
English term or phrase: facile hokum
Hi fellow language professionals. This question is for my own edification and not for translation per se. I quote -- THE ABANDONMENT, IN PARTICULAR, HAS LENT ITSELF TO FACILE HOKUM ABOUT "VANISHED" AND "MYSTERIOUS" TRIBES.
Please remember this -- the source is not a legal document, but I have a hunch (strong one) that this word is Latin. The author is being fascinated by the vanished people. I know also that the author's style is very fanficul about his choice of languages (as many writers would be tempted to). As I am so ignorant about Latin, and my research was in vain, I need to resort to your help. Many thanks for your time in advance.
humbird
unexamined nonsense posing as scientific explanation
Explanation:
Facile is an adjective meaning "arrived at without due care, effort, or examination; superficial" (American Heritage Dictionary)

Hokum means "something apparently impressive or legitimate but actually untrue or insincere; nonsense" (same source).

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2004-02-15 21:42:35 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

These are not Latin words. \"Facile\" came into English by way of Old French, ultimately going back to the Latin word \"facilis\" (American Heritage Dictionary).

The same source theorizes that \"hokum\" may have been made up by combining \"hocus-pocus\" with \"bunkum.\" The latter means \"empty or insincere talk,\" from \"Buncombe,\" a county of western North Carolina, from a remark made around 1820 by its congressman, who felt obligated to give a dull speech “for Buncombe”.
Selected response from:

Fuad Yahya
Grading comment
Thank you, your answer is especially helpful and I appreciate your insight.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +6unexamined nonsense posing as scientific explanation
Fuad Yahya
4 +2easy mystery nonsense
Marian Greenfield
3a badly done hoax / superficial myth
Lars Helbig
3facile - definition and examples; hokum = nonsense; humbug
chica nueva


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
easy mystery nonsense


Explanation:
facile is basically easy or off-hand

hokum is magic, mysterious, contrived nonsense

Marian Greenfield
Local time: 20:48
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  karina koguta
1 hr
agree  Marie Scarano
9 hrs
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +6
unexamined nonsense posing as scientific explanation


Explanation:
Facile is an adjective meaning "arrived at without due care, effort, or examination; superficial" (American Heritage Dictionary)

Hokum means "something apparently impressive or legitimate but actually untrue or insincere; nonsense" (same source).

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2004-02-15 21:42:35 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

These are not Latin words. \"Facile\" came into English by way of Old French, ultimately going back to the Latin word \"facilis\" (American Heritage Dictionary).

The same source theorizes that \"hokum\" may have been made up by combining \"hocus-pocus\" with \"bunkum.\" The latter means \"empty or insincere talk,\" from \"Buncombe,\" a county of western North Carolina, from a remark made around 1820 by its congressman, who felt obligated to give a dull speech “for Buncombe”.

Fuad Yahya
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you, your answer is especially helpful and I appreciate your insight.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  RHELLER: good research :-)
10 mins
  -> Thanks, Rita. It is hard to avoid when all the information is in one handy source.
agree  Paul Weideman
12 mins
agree  Armorel Young
22 mins
agree  pike
35 mins
agree  DGK T-I
59 mins
agree  Jonathan MacKerron: bunkum (yet another great word!)
1 hr
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
a badly done hoax / superficial myth


Explanation:
Not latin both words are english. From the American hertage dictionary:
facile:
...
4.Readily manifested, together with an aura of insincerity and lack of depth: a facile slogan devised by politicians.
...

hokum:
1.Something apparently impressive or legitimate but actually untrue or insincere; nonsense.
...


    Reference: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=facile
    Reference: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=hokum
Lars Helbig
Germany
Local time: 02:48
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
facile - definition and examples; hokum = nonsense; humbug


Explanation:
facile = describes a remark or theory which is too simple and has not been thought about enough eg a facile explanation We must avoid facile recriminations about who was to blame.

hokum (altered hocus-pocus)(slang) = nonsense, humbug




    Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
    Collins Concise English Dictionary
chica nueva
Local time: 12:48
Native speaker of: English
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