"Wiseacre" is one of those words I have only seen written, and never
heard pronounced.
I have understood it to mean a person given to making witty but not
always helpful remarks.
My question: is it in your active spoken vocabulary?
If so, how do you pronounce it?
"Wiseacre" is one of those words I have only seen written, and never
heard pronounced.
I have understood it to mean a person given to making witty but not
always helpful remarks.
My question: is it in your active spoken vocabulary?
If so, how do you pronounce it?
Le 22/07/2026 |a 08:36, Steve Hayes a |-crit :
"Wiseacre" is one of those words I have only seen written, and never
heard pronounced.
I have understood it to mean a person given to making witty but not
always helpful remarks.
Well, I see the word comes to us from the Dutch.
My question: is it in your active spoken vocabulary?
No, passive.
If so, how do you pronounce it?
If I did say it, wise-acre.
"Wiseacre" is one of those words I have only seen written, and never
heard pronounced.
I have understood it to mean a person given to making witty but not
always helpful remarks.
My question: is it in your active spoken vocabulary?
If so, how do you pronounce it?
Le 22/07/2026 |a 08:36, Steve Hayes a |-crit :
"Wiseacre" is one of those words I have only seen written, and never
heard pronounced.
I have understood it to mean a person given to making witty but not
always helpful remarks.
Well, I see the word comes to us from the Dutch.
My question: is it in your active spoken vocabulary?
No, passive.
If so, how do you pronounce it?
If I did say it, wise-acre.
On Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:56:21 +0100, Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:
Le 22/07/2026 |a 08:36, Steve Hayes a |-crit :
"Wiseacre" is one of those words I have only seen written, and never
heard pronounced.
I have understood it to mean a person given to making witty but not
always helpful remarks.
Well, I see the word comes to us from the Dutch.
My question: is it in your active spoken vocabulary?
No, passive.
If so, how do you pronounce it?
If I did say it, wise-acre.
Seems that we three are agreed.
Is the hurlyburly done?
Le 22/07/2026 a 08:36, Steve Hayes a ocrit :
"Wiseacre" is one of those words I have only seen written, and never
heard pronounced.
I have understood it to mean a person given to making witty but not
always helpful remarks.
Well, I see the word comes to us from the Dutch.
Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:
Le 22/07/2026 |a 08:36, Steve Hayes a |-crit :
"Wiseacre" is one of those words I have only seen written, and never
heard pronounced.
I have understood it to mean a person given to making witty but not
always helpful remarks.
Well, I see the word comes to us from the Dutch.
If so, it hasn't survived into modern Dutch.
Still there: 'waarzegger' (E. soothsayer, fortune teller)
More like it is 'wijsneus', (E. 'know-it-all' 'smart-ass' wiseass)
Typically someone who repeats book learning or admonitions from
authority, often on a preaching tone or with a raised finger.
So not quite equivalent, because the 'wijsneus' usually lacks the wit.
Typical example, with a very bad translation again: 'Brainy Smurf'.
In the originals he is 'Brilsmurf' and 'Schtroumpf |a lunettes'.
'Glassy Smurf' obviously doesn't work,
but the translators should have found something better.
I remembered because this has come up before in this forum,
Jan
Hibou wrote:
Well, I see the word comes to us from the Dutch.
If so, it hasn't survived into modern Dutch.
Still there: 'waarzegger' (E. soothsayer, fortune teller) [...]
Le 22/07/2026 a 22:12, J. J. Lodder a ocrit :
Hibou wrote:
Well, I see the word comes to us from the Dutch.
If so, it hasn't survived into modern Dutch.
Still there: 'waarzegger' (E. soothsayer, fortune teller) [...]
Collins: "C16: from Middle Dutch wijsseggher soothsayer; related to Old
High German w?ssaga, German Weissager."
On Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:36:48 +0200, Steve Hayes
<hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:
"Wiseacre" is one of those words I have only seen written, and neverYes, and the person who is called a "wiseacre" is usually called that
heard pronounced.
I have understood it to mean a person given to making witty but not
always helpful remarks.
because the remark in made at an inappropriate time or setting.
My question: is it in your active spoken vocabulary?
If so, how do you pronounce it?
Wize Acher as if it's two words.
("acher" as in "one who aches".)
Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:
Le 22/07/2026 a 22:12, J. J. Lodder a ocrit :
Hibou wrote:
Well, I see the word comes to us from the Dutch.
If so, it hasn't survived into modern Dutch.
Still there: 'waarzegger' (E. soothsayer, fortune teller) [...]
Collins: "C16: from Middle Dutch wijsseggher soothsayer; related to Old
High German w?ssaga, German Weissager."
Yes of course. 'wijsseggher' is in the WNT.
(the huge dictionary of historical Dutch)
As I said, the word hasn't survived.
As for historical English, I find
===
Wiseacre (1595), one who thinks himself, or wishes to be thought, wise:
a pretender to wisdom, a foolish person with an air or affectation of
wisdom; ad. (with unexplained assimilation to acre) M.Du. wijsseggher, soothsayer.
===
As said, this looks more like Brainy Smurf than like
the smart-alec hard-boiled wisecracking private detective,
like Philip Marlowe.
Which of the two should the wiseacre be?
Or perhaps both?
Jan
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