my perception of American English has both "crafty" and "cunning" as something that is intentionally deceptive
When my step-son was born, my wife's Scottish then mother-in-law took a look at him and said "What a cunning child!".
One of the most interesting things to me in language is that way that words in languages that are more or less imposed on people - English on the Scots, in this case - get re-purposed to suit local meanings.
See also "overstand" in Jamaican patois, which re-tools "understand" to have a richer meaning, one that is not completely captured by any standard English word (except perhaps "grok").
2025-08-14 21:45:28
In computer programming, it usually means things like really obscure code that exploits some odd aspect of the programming language
I used to refer to that as "stunt programming". And, have been guilty of it, more times than I like to admit.
I blame C++, which offers more opportunities for general pointless wise-guy trickiness than another language I've bumped into. the difference between "smart" and "clever"
I always think of "smart" as being innate intelligence, while "clever" is more about what you do with it. In particular, clever seems more about finding creative solutions to problems.
So, a kid who aces his college boards is probably pretty smart, but might not be able to figure out how to change a tire without a user's manual. Smart, but not clever.
The exemplar of clever is the crow.
2025-08-13 17:07:37
I couldn't shake the feeling that sneering at someone's ignorance, particularly in the matter of taste, immediately marks one out as a member of the kind of "elites" that have understandably caused such vitriolic resentment.
I hear you. And, as someone who can be a snob about a number of things, I try not to make fun of or look down on other people's taste. Whatever it is. With, you know, varying degrees of success. But I do try to avoid it, mostly because it's rude, but also because it feeds the dynamic you describe here.
All of that said, we're not talking about somebody's personal taste and how that is expressed in their own home or appearance.
It's the freaking White House, home of one of the three branches of the US government and residence of it's chief executive.
Trump is a vulgar clown, and his residence in Trump Tower reflects that. I don't care. Whatever floats his boat.
But that kind of garish, ostentatious display doesn't belong in one of the the physical seats of our national government.
2025-08-12 12:00:17
At the risk of trafficking in stereotypes, IMO DJT's taste in decor (and many other things as well) can be attributed to "he's a not very bright, rich old white guy from Queens".
Shiny and loud == "klassy"
2025-08-11 16:14:12
Whenever I read anything by Yarvin, I feel like I'm back in college listening to some zero-social-skill rando who overdosed on Ayn Rand in high school holding forth at 2 in the morning after doing enough bong hits to anaesthetize an elephant.
my perception of American English has both "crafty" and "cunning" as something that is intentionally deceptive
When my step-son was born, my wife's Scottish then mother-in-law took a look at him and said "What a cunning child!".
One of the most interesting things to me in language is that way that words in languages that are more or less imposed on people - English on the Scots, in this case - get re-purposed to suit local meanings.
See also "overstand" in Jamaican patois, which re-tools "understand" to have a richer meaning, one that is not completely captured by any standard English word (except perhaps "grok").
In computer programming, it usually means things like really obscure code that exploits some odd aspect of the programming language
I used to refer to that as "stunt programming". And, have been guilty of it, more times than I like to admit.
I blame C++, which offers more opportunities for general pointless wise-guy trickiness than another language I've bumped into.
the difference between "smart" and "clever"
I always think of "smart" as being innate intelligence, while "clever" is more about what you do with it. In particular, clever seems more about finding creative solutions to problems.
So, a kid who aces his college boards is probably pretty smart, but might not be able to figure out how to change a tire without a user's manual. Smart, but not clever.
The exemplar of clever is the crow.
I couldn't shake the feeling that sneering at someone's ignorance, particularly in the matter of taste, immediately marks one out as a member of the kind of "elites" that have understandably caused such vitriolic resentment.
I hear you. And, as someone who can be a snob about a number of things, I try not to make fun of or look down on other people's taste. Whatever it is. With, you know, varying degrees of success. But I do try to avoid it, mostly because it's rude, but also because it feeds the dynamic you describe here.
All of that said, we're not talking about somebody's personal taste and how that is expressed in their own home or appearance.
It's the freaking White House, home of one of the three branches of the US government and residence of it's chief executive.
Trump is a vulgar clown, and his residence in Trump Tower reflects that. I don't care. Whatever floats his boat.
But that kind of garish, ostentatious display doesn't belong in one of the the physical seats of our national government.
At the risk of trafficking in stereotypes, IMO DJT's taste in decor (and many other things as well) can be attributed to "he's a not very bright, rich old white guy from Queens".
Shiny and loud == "klassy"
Whenever I read anything by Yarvin, I feel like I'm back in college listening to some zero-social-skill rando who overdosed on Ayn Rand in high school holding forth at 2 in the morning after doing enough bong hits to anaesthetize an elephant.