Not only is “blog” the word of the year — the most looked-up word that’s not effect/affect — I’m pleased to see that “defenestration” ranked 10th. I’ve always been fond of defenestration. As a word, not a practice.
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Ah, defenestration. Who can forget the Defenestration of Prague in 1618, when the Czechs through the Hapsburg envoys out of the upstairs windows of Hradcany Palace? The Catholic paintings showed the envoys being gently borne down by angels, while the Protestant paintings showed the odious Catholics landing in wagons of manure. Regrettably, a prelude to the Protestant disaster at the Battle of the White Mountain in 1620, leading to 3 centuries of repression of the Czechs.
of course, defenestration’s rebounding popularity may have more to do with a software company in Redmond
Delightful word! Can’t believe I didn’t know it. I intend to use it today, rather than committing the act. Maybe with my children….
One also has to distinguish between types of defenestration: summary and formal. Summary is throwing the person out the window without opening it. Formal involves opening window first, then brief oration on reasons for, timing, etc.