Make Your Point > Archived Issues > FACETIOUS

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

connect today's word to others: When you're joking, joshing, jesting, punning, kidding around, being j__ose, being j__ular: you're being facetious. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "FACETIOUS" In Latin, facetiae are jokes or witticisms, and that's where we got the word "facetious." Someone or something facetious is joking, often in a light, witty, pleasant way, OR in an edgy or inappropriate way. Pronunciation: fuh SEE shuss Part of speech: Adjective: "he's facetious," "these facetious remarks." Other forms: Facetiously, facetiousness. "Facetiae" (said "fuh SEE she ee") are funny or witty sayings or writings. How to use it: This word is just a bit more formal than synonyms like "waggish," "playful," and "humorous." Some people use it to describe humor that's inappropriate for the situation, but facetiousness is often very welcome. Talk about facetious people and personalities, facetious comments and questions, facetious articles and shows, facetious moods and attitudes, etc. And--fun fact--if you have trouble with the spelling, just remember to include all five vowels in alphabetical order: facetious. examples: "The Onion" is full of facetious news stories, like "Ohio State Begins Scouting For Next Scandal"--and "Ate the Onion" is the subreddit that pokes fun at Internet commenters who mistook facetious news for the real thing. "On Jacob’s first day in the code-enforcement office, the commander, Maj. Cerelyn J. Davis, wandered by and asked if he was her new inspector. 'Yes, ma’am, I am,' he answered, 'and I am so ready to help you with these bad houses.' It made her laugh that he did not sound the least bit facetious."    — Kevin Sack, New York Times Magazine, 4 December 2013 study it: Explain the meaning of "facetious" without saying "droll" or "tongue-in-cheek." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(King or Queen) of the facetious (song, interview, news update, fake commercial, etc.), (someone) _____." Example: "King of the facetious interview, Zach Galifianakis trades awkward insults with celebrities." before you review, play: 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 is "TV Tropes!" This month, we're playing with tropes from TVTropes.org. TV tropes are storytelling devices, which can come from any source of fiction—TV, movies, books, you name it. They're the archetypes, the story patterns, the plot devices, the cheap tricks, the situational clichés that we see over and over throughout fiction.  Examples of TV tropes include "Skyward Scream," "Banister Slide," "Caught on the Jumbotron," "Burp of Finality," "City People Eat Sushi," "Dance Party Ending," "Clean Pretty Childbirth," "Come Back to Bed, Honey," "Even the Subtitler is Stumped," and tens of thousands more. Naming a trope can be a straightforward business, as in the "Skyward Scream." But often it demands precision, inviting the use of humorously sophisticated terms. Enter our Make Your Point words.  In each issue this month, consider the name of a TV trope, and try to define it or even give an example from a TV show or other work of fiction. From the previous issue: In fiction, what is the trope known as Costume Inertia? Answer: It's when some character continues wearing his distinctive costume even though it no longer makes sense for him to do so. For example, in Doctor Who, Tegan wears her flight attendant uniform in episode after episode, despite not actually returning to her work with an airline. Try this today: In fiction, what is the trope known as Cute But Cacophonic? review today's word: 1. The opposite of FACETIOUS is A. STUPID. B. SERIOUS. C. STUPEFIED. 2. The show's fictitious movie studio is the facetiously named _____. A. Studio B. MGM Studios C. Tantamount Studios 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. B 2. C