Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RELEGATE

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connect today's word to others: To give something a less important role than it had before is to relegate it. Relegate is one of those basic, sturdy, stylish verbs that we should all know. It's a staple in our vocabulary, just like a sharp black blazer is a staple in our wardrobe. But terms like beau monde, cap-à-pie, and fanfaronade are the feather boas, the red platform boots, the pinstripe suits--those bold, loud, rarely-worn items in our word wardrobe. Can you define each of those? make your point with... "RELEGATE" The roots inside "relegate" literally mean "send back," and so "relegate" originally meant to banish someone. Today, to relegate people, or to relegate things, is to move them down to a lower role or a less important role. (Sometimes, people use "relegate" to mean "delegate: to hand something off to someone else to take care of." Because this meaning isn't too common, we won't focus on it in this issue.) Pronunciation: RELL uh gate Part of speech: Transitive verb. (Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object. You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone. Likewise, you relegate something or someone.) Other forms: relegated, relegating, relegation How to use it: Talk about people who relegate things or other people to certain places or roles. Directors might relegate actors and actresses to smaller parts in the performance, laws or states might relegate solo commuters to the more congested lanes, an athletic association might relegate a team to a lower division, a coach might relegate a player to a less prestigious position, and so on. More abstractly, you might talk about people, objects, technologies, systems, and traditions being relegated to history, to the past, to obscurity, to the realm of fantasy, to the fringes of society, etc. So far we've talked about relegation to a role. It's less common, but you can also say that people and things are relegated from somewhere, or both: "he was relegated from the front desk to the mail room." examples: It's sad to see talented actors relegated to commercials on TV. One of Joyce Carol Oates's more disturbing stories centers on a well-educated young mother who, finding herself relegated to a dull domestic life, goes insane. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "relegate" means when you can explain it without saying "to lower something in status" or "to assign someone to a less desirable realm." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) dreads being relegated to _____." Example: "In Billy Joel's 'The Entertainer,' the singer dreads being relegated to the discount rack." 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 this month is Banishing Bland Adjectives. In each issue, we're strengthening our word-finding skills as we take aim at a vague little adjective and think up three ways to make it more specific. Resist the urge to sneak off to the thesaurus! From the previous issue: MEAN. 1. When people seem MEAN because they treat others like enemies, then instead of MEAN, call them _____. 2. When people seem MEAN because everything seems to bother them and they keep responding with mean little comments, then instead of MEAN, call them _____. 3. When people seem MEAN because nothing is ever good enough for them and they constantly complain, then instead of MEAN, call them _____. Suggested answers: 1, hostile; 2, crabby; 3, captious. (Your answers might be different but just as precise.) Today: SWEET. 1. When people seem SWEET because they treat others with care and kindness, then instead of SWEET, call them _____. 2. When people seem SWEET because they do good deeds, display excellent morals, and treat everyone with kindness, then instead of SWEET, call them _____. 3. When things seem SWEET, but too sweet for your own taste, then instead of SWEET, call them _____. review today's word: 1. A close opposite of RELEGATE is A. PROMOTE B. DEVOTE C. EMOTE 2. _____ relegation _____ the Premier League, the coach trained his team harder than ever. A. Hoping for .. to B. Fearing .. to C. Fearing .. from 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. C