What words are their own antonym?

In his 1989 book _Crazy English_ (Pocket Books, ISBN 0-671-68907-X),
Richard Lederer calls such words and phrases "contronyms" and lists
41.  This phenomenon has been a curiosity to users of language for
as long as there has been language and has many names:

  addad (Arabic)
  antilogy
  antiphrasis
  auto-antonymy
  didh (Arabic)
  enantiodromia (Greek)
  enantiosemy (Greek)
  enantiosis (Greek)
  gegensinn (German)
  Janus words
  l'shon hefech (Hebrew)
  mirror words
  oysterisms
  polarity
  self-antonymy
  turncoat words

Such words can be divided into homographs (same spelling) and
homophones (same pronunciation).

A very short list of homophones:
aural, oral = heard, spoken
enumerable, innumerable = countable, uncountable
erupt, irrupt = burst out, burst in
eradicate, irradicate = pull up by the roots, root deeply
fiance, fiancee = female betrothed, male betrothed
raise, raze = erect, tear down
reckless, wreckless = careless, careful
succor, sucker = aid, hoodwink

A partial list of homographs:
aboard = alongside, inside
against = in the direction of and in contact with, in an opposite direction
all downhill from here = things are going to get better, things are going to get worse 
aloha = hello, goodbye
anabasis = military advance, military retreat
anathema = something cursed, [rare] something consecrated to divine use
anon  = immediately [archaic] or soon, later 
anxious = full of mental distress because of apprehension of danger or misfortune [in effect, seeking to avoid] (We were anxious about the nearby gunshots.), eager or looking forward to (until you returned, I was anxious to see you.) 
apparent = not clear or certain (for now, he is the apparent winner of the contest.), obvious (The solution to the problem was apparent to all.) 
apparent = seeming, clear ("heir apparent")
argue = to try to prove by argument, [disputed] to argue against
arsis = the unaccented or shorter part of a foot of verse; the accented or longer part of a foot of verse
assume = to actually have (to assume office), to hope to have ("he assumed he would be elected.") 
at the expense of = by sacrificing ("at the expense of accuracy"), [disputed] by tolerating or introducing ("at the expense of inaccuracy")
aught = all, nothing
ave = hail, farewell
avocation = a hobby, a regular occupation [and one could say it's a triple antagonym if you agree that the archaic meaning of "a distraction" is the opposite of working (even at a hobby) and if you agree that the obsolete meaning of "a calling away" takes you away from (the opposite of participating in) your hobbies, work, and even your distractions!] 
awful = extremely unpleasant, ugly, awe-inspiring [typically, a feeling of admiration] 
bad = of poor quality, [U.S. slang] good
barrack = root or cheer, [Australian] jeer or heckle
below par = good (in golf), bad (in health)
bill = money, statement of money owed
bimonthly/weekly = twice a month/week, once every two months/weeks
bolt = to secure in place, to dart away
bomb = [U.S. slang] a failure, [U.K. slang] a success
bound = moving ("I was bound for Chicago"), unable to move ("I was bound to a post", or less literally, "I was bound to my desk") 
buckle = to hold together (e.g. buckle your belt), to fall apart (e.g., buckle under pressure) 
bull = a solemn edict or mandate, nonsense or worthless information 
by = spoken representation of multiplication sign ("3-by-3 matrix"), spoken representation of division sign ("d y by d x")
cakewalk = easy task, intricate walk contest
cannot praise too highly = no praise is too high, cannot praise very highly
certain = definite, hard to specify ("I have a certain feeling.")
charter = grant for pay, use for pay
cheerio = hello, goodbye
chine = ridge, [British dialect] ravine
chuffed = [slang] pleased, [slang] annoyed
cipher = zero, any number
cite, citation = for doing good (such as military gallantry), for doing bad (such as from a traffic policeman) 
cleave = to separate, to join
clip = cut apart, fasten together
cognomen = first name, last name
commencement = beginning, [disputed] conclusion ("high school commencement")
comprise = to contain entirely ("the United States comprises 50 states"), to be included in ("The 50 states comprise the United States")
consult = to ask the advice of, to give professional advice
contingent = unpredictable, dependent on a known condition
continue = proceed with, [US & Scottish legal usage] postpone
cool = positive sense (cool web-sites), negative sense (cool reception)
copemate = antagonist, partner
could care less = (used as if it were synonymous with "could not care less"), one has no interest at all 
counterfeit = [archaic] a legitimate copy, a copy meant to deceive
critical = opposed to ("critical of"), essential to ("critical to")
custom = [noun] usual, [adjective] special
cut = to get in ("cut line"), to get out ("cut class")
deceptively <any adjective> = more <any adjective> than it looks, less ...
dike = wall, ditch
discursive = moving from topic to topic without order, proceeding coherently from topic to topic
dispense with = distribute with, do without (We dispense with accuracy.)
dispose of = to place in an orderly way, to get rid of
divide by a half = to double, [disputed] to halve
dollop = a large amount, [U.S.] a small amount
down = hill, valley
downhill = easy, progressively worse
dress = put covering (usu. clothes) on, take covering (usu. skin) off
dust = to remove dust, to apply dust (as in fingerprinting) 
edited = remaining after omissions have been made, [disputed] omitted
effectively = in effect (doing the equivalent of the action but not the real thing), with effect (doing the action and doing it well) [Contrast "he is effectively lying" (colloquial?) with "he is lying effectively"] 
egregious = outstandingly bad, [archaic] distinguished
enervate = to deplete the energy of, [disputed] to invigorate
enjoin = to order someone to do something, to stop someone from doing something [such as in law by an injunction] 
factoid = speculation reported as fact, [disputed] unimportant fact
fast = moving rapidly, unable to move ("I was held fast to my bed.") 
fearful = causing fear, being afraid 
finish = kill, perfect (at a finishing school)
fireman = firefighter, fire-stoker (on train or ship)
first-degree = most severe ("first-degree murder"), least severe ("first-degree burns")
fix = to restore to function (fixing the refrigerator), to make non-functional (fixing the dog) 
flesh = add body matter, remove body matter
flog = to criticize harshly, to promote aggressively
for sure = certainly, [slang] certainly not 
fought with = fought on the same or opposite sides (The Finns fought with the Germans in WW II.) 
gale = a very strong wind, [archaic] a gentle breeze
garble = to mix up, [archaic] to sort out
garnish = to add to food, to subtract from wages
gaum = to understand, to act stupid
give out = to produce, to stop being produced
go off = to become active, to become inactive
good deal = [disputed] very much (expensive), very little (bargain)
goods = [slang] good things, bad things ("I have the goods from the warehouse robbery, but I'm worried the police have the goods on me.") 
grade = an incline, level ("grade crossing")
handicap = advantage (in golf), disadvantage
help = to assist, to prevent ("I cannot help it if...")
hoi polloi = the common people, [disputed] the elite
hold up = to support, to delay
homely = [US] ugly, [UK] pleasant
hysterical = being overwhelmed with fear [in some cases], being funny 
impregnable = invulnerable, [disputed] impregnatable
impugnable = able to be impugned, [obsolete] impregnable
incorporate = when a village is incorporated, it is formed, but when it is incorporated into a city, the village is destroyed 
inexistent = inherent, [obsolete] nonexistent
infer = to take a hint, [disputed] to hint
inside lane = [US] lane nearest center, [UK] lane nearest edge
into = as a divisor of, [in India] multiplied by
jake = [disputed] uncouth (person), fine
keep up = to continue to fall (rain), [disputed] to remain up
kick off = begin, die
last = just prior, final (my last book will be my last publication) 
lease = become lessor, become lessee
left = departed from ("He left."), remaining ("He was left.")
let = to permit, [archaic] to hinder
license = liberty or permission to do something, undue or excessive freedom or liberty 
like never before = totally amateurish, with great skill (she's dancing like she's never danced before.) 
literally = actually, [disputed] figuratively (used before a metaphor)
livid = discolored by bruising, pale
look out for = be afraid of, anticipate
lurch = run away, walk aimlessly
mad = carried away by enthusiasm or desire, carried away by hatred or anger 
mark = write, read ("mark my words")
mean = lowly ("rose from mean beginnings"), excellent ("plays a mean trombone")
model = archetype, copy
moot = debatable, [disputed] not worthy of debate
mortal = receiver of death, giver of death ("He dealt a mortal blow.")
mortar = glue together, blow apart
mosey = run away, walk aimlessly
nauseous = nauseating, [disputed] nauseated
near miss = a hit close enough to achieve the effect, narrowly falling short of the objective 
nervy = showing calm courage, excitable
note = promise to pay, money
out = invisible (Turn the lights out.), visible (The moon is out.)
out of = outside, inside ("work out of one's home")
overlook = inspect, ignore
oversight = care, error
peep = to look quietly, to beep
peer = noble, person of equal rank
peruse = examine in detail, look over casually
pitch = erect and fix firmly in place, throw away
poke your head = make head poker, make head pokee
policy = required activity without exception (university policy), an optional course of action (our government's policy regarding the economy) 
populate = to decimate the population (obsolete use), to increase the population 
practiced = [adjective] expert, [verb] inexpertly attempted
prescribe = to lay down a rule, to become unenforceable 
presently = in a little while, [archaic] immediately
priceless = have a very high value, having no market value
public school = [US] tax-supported school, [UK] endowed school
put = lay, throw
put out = to generate ("candle puts out light"), to extinguish
put up = set up, take down ("Put up your toys.")
puzzle = to pose a problem, to solve a problem
quaint = beautiful, odd
qualified = competent, limited ("The dance was a qualified success.")
quantum = very small ("quantum level"), [disputed] very large ("quantum leap")
quiddity = an inessential feature, the essence
quite = rather, completely
ravel = to disentangle, [archaic] to tangle
recover = hide away (cover again), bring out [hyphenated as re-cover]
referent = something referred to, [disputed] something referring to
refrain = [music] repeat a certain part, stop
release = let go, hold on [hyphenated as re-lease] 
rent = to buy temporary use of, to sell temporary use of
replace = take away (replace the worn carpet), put back (replace the papers in the file) 
repress = hold back, put forth (press again) [hyphenated as re-press] 
reprove = rebuke (reprove a colleague's work), support [hyphenated as re-prove] 
reservation = what you make when you know where you want to go, what you have when you're not sure if you want to go 
reside = to stay put, [slang] to change places (change teams) [hyphenated as re-side]
resign = to quit a contract, to sign the contract again [hyphenated as re-sign]
restive = refusing to move ("a restive horse"), restless
reword = to repeat in different words, [archaic] to repeat in the same words
riot = violent disorder, revelry ("It was a riot!") 
rival = an opponent, [archaic] a companion or associate 
rocky = firm, steadfast, tending to sway (e.g., a rocky shelf) 
root = to establish (The seed took root.), to remove entirely (Root out dissenters)
rummage = thoroughly search, haphazardly search
sanction = to approve of, [disputed] to punish
sanguine = hopeful, [obsolete for "sanguinary"] murderous
scan = to examine closely, to look over hastily 
scary = causing fright, easily scared
screen = to show, to hide from view
screwed = [slang] to be taken advantage of, to fool around and have fun
secrete/d = to extrude, to hide
seed = remove the seeds, distribute the seeds
seeded = with seeds, without seeds
set = bend, make unyielding; become established, come to an end (the era sets)
shalom = hello, farewell
shank of the evening = end of the evening, early part of the evening
shop = to search with the intent to buy, to search with the intent to sell ("I shopped my manuscript to several publishers.") 
sick = unpleasant (a sick joke), [slang] wonderful
siren = seductive sound, harsh sound
skin = to cover with a skin, to remove outer covering or skin 
speak = express verbally, [disputed] express nonverbally
stain = color, discolor
stamp out = eliminate, produce in great quantities
stipulate = request explicitly, agree to
straight = not using drugs, [obsolete] under the influence of drugs
strand = shore, [Scots] sea
strike = to miss (baseball), to hit
strike out = an ending ("The batter struck out."), a beginning ("I struck out on my own.")
substitute = to put (something) in something else's place, [disputed] to replace (something) with something else
tabby = a silk fabric, a rough kind of concrete
table = [UK] to propose, [US] to set aside
take = obtain, offer ("Models take good pictures.")
take care of = look out for and nurture, [slang] get rid of or kill
take fire = withstand fire, be ignited
tell me about it = I want to know more, I already know
temper = calmness, passion; harden (steel), soften (justice)
terrific = extraordinarily good, causing terror 
thesis = [poetics] accented part, unaccented part
think better of = to admire more, to be suspicious of
through = [US] finished, [UK] connected (telephone)
tilt = to incline toward, to charge against
to a degree = [archaic] exceedingly, [disputed] to a certain extent
to my knowledge = to my certain knowledge, as far as I know
toast = popular ("the toast of the town"), [US slang] doomed
transparent = obvious, invisible
trim = to put things on ("trim a Christmas tree"), to take things off
trip = to stumble, to move gracefully ("trip the light fantastic")
tropics = area near equator, limits of this area
turn it up = [US] increase volume, [UK] cease
unbending = rigid, relaxing ("Learn to unbend.")
undersexed = having a lower-than-normal sex drive, [disputed] sexually deprived
unqualified = not qualified, very qualified ("He was an unqualified success.")
vernacular = nonstandard speech, standard speech
vital = lively, deadly
watch out for = be afraid of, anticipate
watershed = the divide between regions drained by different rivers, [disputed] the region drained by one river
wear = to retain vitality, to deteriorate
weather = to withstand (a storm), to wear away
widdershins = counterclockwise, [in the southern hemisphere] clockwise
wind up = to start (a watch), to stop (a speech)
with = alongside, against (as in fighting)
wraith = ghost of a dead person, apparition of a living person
x = select (mark with an x), deselect (cross out)
yuk = to express pleasant surprise (yak), to express unpleasant surprise (yuck)
zing = to improve (by adding zest, interest or life to), to criticize


A very very short list of contranyms from other languages:

Chinese:
louan = to govern well, to cause a disturbance

Dutch:
ettelijk = many or much, little or few
kooper = buyer, seller

French:
La symetrie (symmetry), L'asymetrie (asymmetry) (homophones)
defendre = to defend, to prohibit
se marrer = to be bored, to enjoy one's self

German:
versehen = to examine, to ignore
Kontrahent = opponent, contractor

Greek:
skhole = leisure, work due to leisure

Hebrew:
hara = to create, to destroy
nigash = approach, draw back

Russian:
slovo = word, secret word or password [archaic]

Sahidic dialect of Coptic:
ehrai = upwards, downwards

Swedish:
maximera = set an upper limit to, make as large as possible

[ Editor: from the 1996 thread "A word that almost means its opposite,
or is it the other way around?"; it drifted into related wordplay
jokes. ]

bubba@iamerica.net (Michael Chapman) writes:

> In article <4unnh6$ho6@pluto.er.usgs.gov> Robert Kelly writes:
>
> How about "left"?
>
> After everyone left, I was the only one left.

What's left is what's right, when you've done everything wrong.

-- Scott Seligman <seligman@Eng.Sun.COM>

> Why do we call it a shipment when it goes by car, and cargo when it
> goes by ship?
>
> Why do we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway?
>
> -- Mike

...or how about-Why do they call them "apart-ments" when they're all
together?
...or how about-Why do they call them "buildings" when they're already
built?

-- ChristopherC <Christopher_Conley@email.sps.mot.com>

[ Editor: items not already in this entry, from the Web page
"Antagonyms" (revised January 1, 1999) by C. Ellis <cellis@umich.edu>,
who coined the word "antagonym" (from "antagonize" + "-onym") for a
word whose meanings contradict each other.  The letters in braces name
the contributors credited on the page. ]

Restrict access to: ("To restrict access to adult movies, please
contact the front desk.") To allow access only to vs. to disallow
access to -- Marnie Holmes, West Pennant Hills, NSW, Australia
<marnieh@au1.ibm.com>

Steep learning curve: To most, this means "difficult to learn" or
"taking a long time to learn," but can also mean "easy to learn, taking
a short time." (I think some workers mean the former when they refer to
a process that has a steep learning curve, and to the latter when
referring to a person who masters the process with a steep learning
curve. This antagonym may be controversial.) -- Todd C Ames, Minnesota
<ames0009@tc.umn.edu>

Here's an interesting phrasing: Football coach Lloyd Carr of the
#1-ranked University of Michigan Wolverines, after finishing undefeated
(11-0) with a victory over Ohio State, explaining his preseason view of
the team's schedule: "There wasn't one game that we knew we couldn't
win, but we also realized there wasn't one we couldn't lose." [The Ann
Arbor News, November 23, 1997, p. D1.] [In the Detroit Free Press the
next day (p. D4), the last phrase is quoted as "...there wasn't one we
could lose."] Coach, don't think we don't know what you mean (!), and
your multiple double-negatives rate a place on our webpage!

Opposonyms? Pseudopposites? Pairs of phrases, usually informal -- how
can they mean the same?

Burned up, Burned down: (Both mean destroyed.) -- Clifton Osbon,
  Brandon, MS <bcoj@bellsouth.net>
Fat chance; slim chance: (Both mean "not too likely") -- Antonio
  Vigario <avigario@mail.telepac.pt>
Cool; hot: (Both mean wonderful [Slang], e.g., when applied to a car)

Confusing words (should we call them "confusonyms"?)

Daily: 5 days a week vs. 6 days a week vs. 7 days a week (for example,
  the "daily" newspaper) -- John Rothchild <jroth@cpcug.org>
Every day: As in "daily" above, one often hears on the radio "Listen to
  our morning show every day" to mean Monday through Friday

To have or to have not: these terms are confusing and have opposite
meanings depending on usage.

Shelled: Having the shell removed (shelled pecans) vs. Enclosed in a
  shell (tiny, shelled marine animals) -- Mark Zelcer
  <mrmeir@ix.netcom.com>
Seeded: if one removes the seeds from cherries they are pitted but if
  one sows grass seed in the yard, the yard is seeded. -- Maurice
  Anders <fpomca@skyler.fpo.iapa.jccbi.gov>
Pitted? Pitted olives are olives with the pits taken out, but pitted
  skin is skin with pits in it! -- Andrew Riddles
  <andrew@ariddles.freeserve.co.uk>

-- C. Ellis <cellis@umich.edu>

[ Editor: items and comments not already in this entry, from mail sent
to Chris Cole in 1993-1995, mostly forwarded by Mark Brader from
alt.usage.english.  The alt.usage.english FAQ list of contronyms that
Brader also forwarded (July 1995) is omitted: every word on it is
already in the list above. ]

Another autantonym is "while."

In Yorkshire (UK) it often means "until."

(Smile when you see at a level crossing: "Wait While the Lights
Flash.")

I presume "whilst" makes all clear within and without (outwith?)
Yorkshire.

How "while" happened to obtain that meaning escapes me.

-- roy

> Contranymicity.  Lovely word.

Thanks.  I'm not sure who came up with "contranym", but *that* word is
mine.

> Sounds like something that should be applied to Oliver North.
> "Prone to making enemies of Contras."

And its antonym would apply to Oliver South, "Upright from destroying
Pros of friends"?

-- Mark Brader <msb@sq.com>

In article <2990025817.0.p01353@psilink.com>, "Mary Ellen Curtin"
<p01353@psilink.com> wrote:
> My 2nd edition of the Random House Dictionary defines "factoid" as
> "something fictitious or unsubstantiated that is presented as fact,
> devised esp. to gain publicity and accepted because of constant
> repetition."  I believe that the word and definition are due to Tom
> Wolfe, though I do not know in what book.
>
> However, in practice I have mostly heard "factoid" used to mean "a
> very small piece of factual, interesting or unusual information, esp.
> the kind used to win at Trivial Pursuit."

Factoid was first coined by Norman Mailer in his biography of Marilyn
Monroe (1974, I think) and referred to noninformation.  CNN is the
leader in using it to mean small bit of factual information.  Since
there is no word like factlet, facticle, factette, to mean small fact,
factoid got co-opted.  It is now one of the class of words that means
both itself and its opposite.  Welcome to the club, factoid.

-- Dennis Baron <debaron@uiuc.edu>, alt.usage.english, September 1994

> Source: _Floodgate_ (Alistair MacLean), unchecked
>
> niactophobia (sp?)
>   (1) inability to see except in extremely bright light
>   (2) inability to see except in extremely dim light

-- Clive D.W. Feather <clive@x.co.uk>

Not in the RHU or the OED1+Supplement.  I also tried what seemed like
the most likely spelling error correction, nicto-.

-- Mark Brader <msb@sq.com>

> nyctalopia (sic)

*Confirmed* in the RHU.  What's even better, "hemeralopia" is
synonymous with it in *both* meanings.

Actually, the RHU organizes the definitions this way.

        Hemeralopia:        1. (#2 above)
                        2. Nyctalopia (def. 1)

        Nyctalopia:        1. (#1 above)
                        2. Hemeralopia (def. 1)

This appears to suggest that there are two communities of users of
these terms, and the meanings in one community are interchanged as
compared to those in the other -- exactly like trapezoid and trapezium.

I'm not going to trouble to look in the OED and see if it sheds more
light on this subject.  After all, depending on whether one has
nyctalopia or nyctalopia, more light might be exactly the wrong thing
anyway. :-)

This time I *will* look in the OED.  ...Well, it notes that the
etymological meaning, and the only meaning of the classical Greek words
from which these derive, is that given as def. 1 in the RHU.  In other
words, nyctalopia was originally night-blindness.  But, they say, it
was long ago also used in the reverse sense of day-blindness, and the
confusion then extended to the converse term hemeralopia.  They then
cite authorities for each use.

-- Mark Brader <msb@sq.com>

[ Editor: Brader sent the nyctalopia exchange three times (1993 and
1994), noting each time that it "still isn't in there"; it is given
once here. ]

In <CCDwA1.Cs5@dartvax.dartmouth.edu> zed@Dartmouth.EDU writes:
> > A pair of French words which can be very confusing:
> > La symetrie (symmetry) and L'asymetrie (asymmetry).

> The Russian verb "ostavit'" can mean either 'to keep or reserve', or
> 'to abandon, leave behind'.

The German noun `Untiefe' can mean either `a place where the water is
not deep (and therefore dangerous for ships)' or `a place where the
water is very deep (and therefore dangerous for people who can't
swim)'.

Generally, the German prefix `Un-' means either the opposite of a word,
or its enhancement.

-- tobias benjamin koehler <S_KOEHLER@IRAV19.ira.uka.de>,
   alt.usage.english, September 1993

>>I'm looking for words that have opposing meanings.

This isn't quite an opposite, but I noticed it because of reading this
thread.  "I long for the day when..." refers to the future, but "I long
for the days when..." refers to the past; just because of a plural!

-- John Hart <hartj@columbia.dsu.edu>, alt.usage.english, September
   1993  [ Editor: forwarded by Brader under the subject "Interesting
   near miss!" ]

trailer : short film (at beginning), short film (at end)

[ Editor: an unattributed line in the collected mail. ]

"back up":
   Real world:  return to a previous state
   Computing:   save a copy of the present state

-- Mark Brader <msb@sq.com>, "somewhat contranymic phrase", May 1994

I'd be pleased if 'check' could be added.  I ate at a restaurant.  The
waiter gave me the check.  I gave the owner a check to pay the tab.

-- G. Thomas Rush <ThomasR@BanGate.Compaq.Com>, October 1994

Evidently Gabe Wiener deals more with the recording end of the "early
music recording" business, or else he is so familiar with the
(unambiguous) musical meaning of "arsis" (the upbeat of a measure) that
he's never had occasion to look the word up in the dictionary, where he
would have found something like this for its meaning in prosody:

        arsis = the unaccented or shorter part of a foot of verse;
        arsis = the accented or longer part of a foot of verse.

(Actual dictionaries tend to spoil the fun by explaining how this
happened.)

-- Lee Rudolph <lrudolph@panix.com>, alt.usage.english, July 1995

On an ad for a special sale:

"Low price: Compare our prices with the competition, we're miles
ahead."

Canadian Tire flyer!

-- Reda Ezzat Fayek <reda@watnow.uwaterloo.ca>, alt.quotations, October
   1993  [ Editor: forwarded by Brader under the subject "Contranym
   :-)". ]

Some while ago there was a thread about words that can stand for
opposite meanings in different situations.  Recently I read an essay
by Richard Lederer about contronyms like this.  For instance:

He poked my head to show I had a hole in my hat.
I poked my head through the hole to get a closer look.

Here "poke the head" takes on two almost opposite meanings.

Try to find pairs of sentences that give opposite meanings to these
words:

out, with, clip, fast, bolt, trim, dust, weather, handicap,
commencement, hold up, keep up, left, dress, temper, cleave, strike,
give out, sanction, screen, oversight, qualified, moot, certain,
mortal, buckle, trip, put out, unbending, wear, scan, fix, seeded,
critical, think better, take, impregnable, wind up

(Yes, some of these definitions might get a bit contrived.)

-- Wei-Hwa Huang <whuang@cco.caltech.edu>, "Janus words", June 1994

Nyctalopia and hemeralopia

[ Editor: from mail sent to Chris Cole by Mark Brader in October 1993,
quoting an earlier exchange; the singly quoted part is Brader's
earlier posting. ]

> > >> Source: _Floodgate_ (Alistair MacLean), unchecked
> > >> niactophobia (sp?)
> > >>   (1) inability to see except in extremely bright light
> > >>   (2) inability to see except in extremely dim light

> > > Not in the RHU or the OED1+Supplement.  I also tried what seemed
> > > like the most likely spelling error correction, nicto-.

> > nyctalopia (sic)

> *Confirmed* in the RHU.  What's even better, "hemeralopia" is
> synonymous with it in *both* meanings.

> Actually, the RHU organizes the definitions this way.

>         Hemeralopia:        1. (#2 above)
>                         2. Nyctalopia (def. 1)

>         Nyctalopia:        1. (#1 above)
>                         2. Hemeralopia (def. 1)

> This appears to suggest that there are two communities of users of
> these terms, and the meanings in one community are interchanged as
> compared to those in the other -- exactly like trapezoid and
> trapezium.

> I'm not going to trouble to look in the OED and see if it sheds more
> light on this subject.  After all, depending on whether one has
> nyctalopia or nyctalopia, more light might be exactly the wrong thing
> anyway. :-)

This time I *will* look in the OED.  ...Well, it notes that the
etymological meaning, and the only meaning of the classical Greek words
from which these derive, is that given as def. 1 in the RHU.  In other
words, nyctalopia was originally night-blindness.  But, they say, it
was long ago also used in the reverse sense of day-blindness, and the
confusion then extended to the converse term hemeralopia.  They then
cite authorities for each use.

-- Mark Brader <msb@sq.com>, October 1993

"Miles ahead"

[ Editor: forwarded by Mark Brader from alt.quotations, October 1993,
under the subject "Contranym :-)". ]

On an ad for a special sale:

"Low price: Compare our prices with the competition, we're miles
ahead."

Canadian Tire flyer!

-- Reda Ezzat Fayek <reda@watnow.uwaterloo.ca>

Janus words: a challenge

Some while ago there was a thread about words that can stand for
opposite meanings in different situations.  REcently I read an essay by
Richard Lederer about contronyms like this.  For instance:

He poked my head to show I had a hole in my hat.
I poked my head through the hole to get a closer look.

 Here "poke the head" takes on two almost opposite meanings.

Try to find pairs of sentences that give opposite meanings to these
words:

out
with
clip
fast
bolt
trim
dust
weather
handicap
commencement
hold up
keep up
left
dress
temper
cleave
strike
give out
sanction
screen
oversight
qualified
moot
certain
mortal
buckle
trip
put out
unbending
wear
scan
fix
seeded
critical
think better
take
impregnable
wind up

(Yes, some of these definitions might get a bit contrived.)

-- Wei-Hwa Huang <whuang@cco.caltech.edu>, June 1994