Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SOI-DISANT

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pronounce SOI-DISANT: Say it "SWOD ee ZAW." Say the last syllable, ZAW, through your nose. To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: If you're a soi-disant gentleman, then you're calling yourself a gentleman, but the rest of us are raising our eyebrows. In the word soi-distant, which we took from French, the "soi" part means "self," and the "disant" part means "saying." So, the soi-disant gentleman is a "self-saying" one, or a self-styled, so-called gentleman. You can see how "disant" traces all the way back to the Latin dicere, "to say." So, soi-distant belongs to the family of words including dictate, predict, contradict, dictionary, m__dict___s ("curses, or vulgar things to say"), and mir____ dict_ ("marvelous to say, wonderful to report"). Can you recall those? Getting back to soi-disant: it helps you say, "That's what they're calling themselves, but, you know, perhaps that's not what they really are. Hee hee hee, hon hon hon." You can express a similar idea with the words n_m_n_l (meaning "not real or substantial, even though their names make them sound that way") and _st_ns_bl_ ("seeming true or said to be true, but not necessarily true"). Could you recall both of those? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) definition: "Soi-disant" is French for "self-saying." Soi-disant things or types of people are claimed, pretended, or self-styled. For example, a soi-disant expert is claiming to be an expert but probably isn't. grammatical bits: Part of speech: adjective: "these soi-disant friends," "those soi-disant followers." Other forms: If you prefer, you can italicize it to show that it's foreign: soi-disant. But you don't have to, since it's been around in English plenty long enough: since 1752. how to use it: When the situation calls for it, pick this snarky, sarcastic, snobby-sounding term to talk about names, labels, titles, and categorizations whose truth is questionable. Most often, we talk about soi-disant types of people: soi-disant friends, supporters, or followers; soi-disant liberals or conservatives; soi-disant nice guys or proper young ladies; soi-disant experts, doctors, prophets, etc. Things, too, can be called soi-disant. A soi-disant science isn't truly a science; it just claims to be. The same goes for soi-disant effort, heroism, and farewell tours. examples: Dr. Phil? That soi-disant doctor holds no doctorate degree, no license to practice medicine. "'Almost any story is almost certainly some kind of lie,' says Orson Welles in F for Fake. That goes double for soi-disant documentaries that test the viewer's credulity."    — Anne Billson, The Guardian, 16 December 2010 has this page helped you understand "soi-disant"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "soi-disant" without saying "so-called" or "self-professed." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "There are differences aplenty between a soi-disant _____ and a real one. For starters, _____." Example: "There are differences aplenty between a soi-disant scientific study and a real one. For starters, real ones appear in reputable journals, not YouTube ads." If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. This month, our game is called "Fix the Grand Spell which was Cast by Short Words."  (Or, in monstrously inflated terms, the game is called "Rewrite the Extraordinary Incantation which was Executed by Monosyllabic Vocables.") In each issue, I'll offer a familiar quote that I've heartlessly hypertrophied with polysyllabic transplants. You'll restore the quote to its original version, with each word just one syllable long. That is to say, I'll share a fat, fake draft of a famed quote; you'll say the trim real one. For example, if I say "Exploit an opportunity while the situation allows," then you say, "Make hay while the sun shines." If I say, "Durations remedy every laceration," then you say, "Time heals all wounds." From the previous issue: "May the anima mundi accompany you." --> "May the Force be with you." And a high five to Mike for pointing out to me the similarity between the anima mundi and the Force! Try this today: "If you manufacture it, he will materialize." Say that, but in words of one beat each. Clues:  Where it's from: a movie. The year we first heard it: 1989. review this word: 1. A near opposite of SOI-DISANT is A. SIMILAR. B. LEGITIMATE. C. COMPANIONABLE. 2. Danforth is the soi-disant wise judge in The Crucible,  the one who _____. A. most deeply understands the value of a good reputation B. would rather execute the innocent than admit he'd been fooled C. resists the silly fervor of the witch trials and argues to save the innocent Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my 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.