Make Your Point > Archived Issues > CAVALIER

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connect today's word to others: Why does cavalier mean both "snooty" and "carefree or careless"? And why does Dashboard Confessional seem to use cavalier to mean "gallant" in these lyrics? "I'll be true, I'll be useful, I'll be cavalier, I'll be yours my dear, I'll belong to you." Well, the meanings "gallant," "carefree," "careless," and "snooty" all arose from cavalier's original meaning: a horseman, or a knight. You can imagine how a knight would exude gallantry and confidence--exaggerate those qualities a bit and you get the less complimentary meanings ("snooty" and "careless"). Knowing that a cavalier was originally a horseman helps us see why the word looks so much like cavalcade. Could you explain the connection? make your point with... "CAVALIER" Cavalier people and things are either   stuck-up and snobby,   OR laid-back and easygoing,   OR so easygoing that they're careless or even reckless. This third meaning is the most common. Cavalier once also meant "gallant, like a chivalrous gentleman," but that meaning is pretty much obsolete now. Pronunciation: kav uh LEER (Aptly rhymes with "have a beer.") Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a cavalier thing" or "a cavalier person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was cavalier" or "He was cavalier.") Other common forms: The noun is also "cavalier," meaning "horseman or knight." The adverb is "cavalierly." An alternate adjective is "cavaliering," which always means "snobby and overbearing." How to use it: Is it troublesome that this word has such conflicting meanings? Not really, for two reasons. The first is that context helps. The Cleveland Cavaliers are knightly, not snooty; the Chevrolet Cavalier is supposed to make you feel laid-back and easygoing when you drive it, not haughty or disdainful (it's pretty affordable) or reckless (let's hope). And the second reason is that, at least 90% of the time, when you hear or read "cavalier" it means "careless, reckless, overly chill about something that deserves to be taken more seriously." So, talk about a cavalier person, a cavalier personality, some cavalier behavior, a cavalier attitude or tone, a cavalier comment or response, a cavalier approach, a cavalier way of doing things, a cavalier manner in which things are done, a cavalier disregard of something important, or a cavalier way of treating or talking about something. A person can be cavalier about something ("They were cavalier about safety") or be cavalier with something ("We accused the administration of being cavalier with our tax dollars"). examples: People are surprisingly honest, even cavalier, about their own legal entanglements when they're interviewed on that radio segment called "Whatcha' Doin' at the Courthouse?". In my college days in Florida, I learned not to be so cavalier with my hurricane preparations: the storm itself is often less of a problem than the long aftermath of electric outages and impassable roads. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "cavalier" means when you can explain it without saying "flippant" or "hubristic." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(A person or people) object(s) to the cavalier (use of, approach to, treatment of, or disregard of) _____." Example: "In his stand-up routine, Eddie Izzard objects to the cavalier use of the word 'awesome' to describe, say, hot dogs." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Our game last month was Banishing Bland Adjectives. In each issue, we strengthened our word-finding skills as we took aim at a vague little adjective and thought up three ways to make it more specific.  From the previous issue: EASY. 1. When something is EASY because it involves no complexity and no sudden twisting or turning, then instead of EASY, call it _____. 2. When something is EASY because it happens practically on its own, with very little thought or work required, then instead of EASY, call it _____. 3. When something is EASY because it results in lots of rewards in exchange for very little work, then instead of EASY, call it _____. Suggested answers: 1, straightforward; 2, effortless; 3, cushy. (Your answers might be different but just as precise.) Now, a new game for August: A Vocabulary of Movie Quotes. Jean Picker Firstenberg at the American Film Institute (AFI) says, "Great movie quotes become part of our cultural vocabulary." I believe it! I bet you can recall, verbatim, any of the AFI's "100 Greatest Movie Quotes of All Time" if all I give you is a single word from the quote. For example, if I give you the word KANSAS, I bet you can recite this: "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore," from The Wizard of Oz (1939). I'll share each answer in the following issue. And we’ll work our way forward in time, starting with the oldest movies. Let’s play! Try this today: From a 1939 film, what's the famous quote that includes the word ELEMENTARY? review today's word: 1. One opposite of CAVALIER is A. CAUTIOUS B. VIRTUOUS C. EXPEDIENT 2. The cavalier declaration on Twitter was as _____ as it was _____. A. mysterious .. wordy B. abrupt .. ill-considered C. bewildering .. overdue Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B