SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I don't remember ever seeing this word until a couple of years ago and now I'm seeing it all the time.

any other words/phrases that are similar for you? With all due respect became extremely popular in moves and TV shows for a while is another one I can remember.

CBRetriever wrote: "I don't remember ever seeing this word until a couple of years ago and now I'm seeing it all the time.

any other words/phrases that are similar for you? With all due respect became extremely popul..."

I've seen it quite a bit, but not for a long time.

Another word I remember is 'actinic.' I don't think I'd ever heard it, until Janny Wurts used it repeatedly in several of her books.

Leonie wrote: "CBRetriever wrote: "I don't remember ever seeing this word until a couple of years ago and now I'm seeing it all the time.

any other words/phrases that are similar for you? With all due respect be..."

Actinic - I recall that one from my youth, and my youth is so far back that I recall when dirt was clean and sparkly, instead of this cheap mess kids play in today.

But I have no idea what it is to "judder".

My experience with "juddering" is the opposite. I saw it in regular use up until cars started incorporating more sophisticated braking and traction control systems. This is the first time I've seen it in at least a couple of decades.

Same with actinic - at least in fiction. I used to regularly see it in space opera books from a certain era. I don't remember if it was E.E. "Doc" Smith or one of his contemporaries, but I do remember many "actinic explosions." Then it disappeared from my reading.

These days I only see actinic in connection with the medical condition actinic keratosis (which might be a more accurate use of it anyway). That's probably not going to appear in fiction outside of dermatology dramas.

https://theconversation.com/conspirac...

🤣🤣🤣

https://www.mdedge.com/dermatology/ar...

Looks like there's potential out there - at least one willing watcher/reader.

I never heard it.

Juddering was used quite frequently in Great North Road and in a lot of mysteries. I just did a search for judder on my Kindle using the text in books filter and it's also in

Harrow the Ninth
The World Raven
Gideon the Ninth
4 fantasy novels by J.V. Jones
5 fantasy novels by Anthony Ryan
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking
and a few other books for a total of 38 books

judder

To judder is to shake rapidly, almost vibrating. If your car's engine needs a tune-up, it may judder a bit when you first start it up or stop at a traffic light.

The verb judder first appeared in the 1930s. Experts guess that its origin was imitative, approximating the sound and motion it describes, and influenced by jolt and shudder. Engines, steering wheels, and other vehicle parts are commonly said to judder. Once televisions became common, judder was also used to describe a specific choppy quality to a show being displayed in a different format than the one in which it was filmed.

Leonie wrote: "... Looks like there's potential out there - at least one willing watcher/reader. ..."

"This might sting a little." Hmm... Sorry - not seeing it. 🙄

I'm surprised so many people don't seem to know the word 'judder'. It has been common all through my life (and I'm REALLY old!). Perhaps it's a Brit vs US thing?
But I've never come across actinic. Ever. I've no idea of its meaning. Going to look it up now.

Tamsyn Muir is from new Zealand
Peter Hamilton is British
so is Adrian Tchaikovsky
and J.V. Jones is also British
and Anthony Ryan is Scottish

and I read a lot of UK published mysteries, so you may have something there. The first time I saw it, I had to look it up and I've yet to see actinic, but it seems to be in books by Mercedes Lackey, Django Wexler, Mercedes Lackey and other US authors

I grew up in Minnesota quite a few decades ago and remember juddering being used then to describe part of the experience of driving, braking, and skidding on some kinds of icy roads (especially on gravel).

Juddering seems like an ordinary word to me. " The car pulled to a juddering halt" for example.
But I had never come across actinic. Isn't it great to get to rather an advanced age and still be meeting new words!

I'm British, been around a long time and like Phrynne and V.M. have always known juddering but never heard of actinic till now

we Americans might use shuddered instead

Like Raucous, I'm from the upper Midwest US, and I too know the word juddering... quite likely from my childhood lo these many decades ago....

Dunno how I grew up in Maryland, Texas, California, Germany, Montana, Ohio, Arizona and a few other states and never read it before.

E.D. wrote: "I'm British, been around a long time and like Phrynne and V.M. have always known juddering but never heard of actinic till now"

I am glad to have introduced so many to 'actinic.' 😊

any other words that have leapt out at you recently?

CBRetriever wrote: "any other words that have leapt out at you recently?"

Not off the top of my head, but I shall try and keep an eye out 😊

I feel like I need to link these two topics! :)


What new words have you learned from books lately?

Now You're Speakin' My Language (or Dialect)

I've seen "big ask" used more or less unironically in SF couple times now. A fairly recent standardization I gather.

fwiw, I've never heard of 'big ask.'

I just now read "judder" in The Fifth Season.

Not noticed 'judder' in the 5th Season yet (might have missed it).

I've read/heard 'big ask' quite often in recent years

wonder if "big ask" is related to "big if" which I use quite frequently.

I've not heard 'big if' either. What does it mean? And what does 'big ask' mean?

Definition of that's a big if

—used to say that something is not likely

They could win if everyone plays his best, but that's a big if.

Cheryl wrote: I've not heard 'big if' either. What does it mean? And what does 'big ask' mean?

I understand 'big ask' as meaning a very difficult task and/or asking a big favour of someone.

Thanks!

Just read it in Gideon the Ninth:

She was Harrow, walking into no-man’s-land; she was Gideon, skull juddering behind the line.

I saw a word new to me in a thread around here last night... Like snarf but snivel? Snivvel? I went to look it up wondering if it was a new word (like Snarf was new to me when I heard it at a tech firm, Snarf the data) it wasn't though, I think it was Australian. To steal, pickpocket.

Anna wrote: "I feel like I need to link these two topics! :)


What new words have you learned from books lately?

Now You're Speakin' My Language (or Dialect)"

Bonnie wrote: "I saw a word new to me in a thread around here last night... Like snarf but snivel? Snivvel? ..."

Snivel is a fairly common British word meaning :

to weep or cry with sniffling.
to affect a tearful state; whine.
to run at the nose; have a runny nose: She sniveled from the cold.
to draw up mucus audibly through the nose: Stop sniveling and use your handkerchief.
— verb (used with object), sniv·eled, sniv·el·ing or ( especially British ) sniv·elled, sniv·el·ling.

to utter with sniveling or sniffling.
— noun

weak, whining, or pretended weeping.
a light sniffle, as in weeping.
a hypocritical show of feeling: a sentimental snivel.
mucus running from the nose.
snivels, a sniveling condition; a slight cold; sniffles (usually preceded by the ).

Bonnie wrote: ". I think it was Australian. To steal, pickpocket..."

This could be snaffle, another British word. Not sure how official it is but I did find a dictionary entry for it:

snaffle
— verb (used with object), snaf·fled, snaf·fling. British Informal.

to appropriate for one's own use, especially by devious means; purloin; filch.

I’ve always felt it was a light hearted rather harmless form of taking. Less harsh than “ nick” or “pinch” or “thieve”.

Anna wrote: "Anna wrote: "I feel like I need to link these two topics! :)


What new words have you learned from books lately?

Now You're Speakin' My Language (or Dialect)""

Sorry Anna, should we take this conversation over to one of the other threads?

Yes please, if it's more to do with those topics than "new in words" :)

by "in word" I meant a word that you're suddenly seeing everywhere

Yes, I got that! It just looked weird as "more than new in words" XD

Snivel and snaffle are both used in Australia. We often talk bout snaffling stuff. 🤷‍♀️ Snivel might be used as 'You snivelling wretch.'

With all the crazy stupidness for which is going on here in the states, nothing would surprise me. Seems every time I turn round there is a new word. Now we have "Juddering" Not sure what it means or not sure if I want to know what it means.

Definition of judder

(Entry 1 of 2)
judder verb

chiefly British <<<------- aha this definition clarifies it
: to vibrate with intensity the engine stalled and kept juddering—

judder noun

Definition of judder (Entry 2 of 2)
chiefly British
: the action or sound of juddering

CBRetriever wrote: "Definition of judder

(Entry 1 of 2)
judder verb

chiefly British <<<------- aha this definition clarifies it
: to vibrate with intensity the engine stalled and kept juddering—

judder noun

Defi..."

Thank you for that there as the first time I heard the word was in the group here. Seems like the British have some interesting words like we do here in the states

The only context I've ever really heard or used the word "juddering" is to describe a video game with a bad framerate.

I'm currently reading Gideon the Ninth and have run across two instances of juddering:

there was a juddering in her ears that she recognised as the beating of her own heart
and
...she was Gideon, skull juddering behind the line.

the heart bit makes sense, but the skull juddering doesn't make much sense