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ImageSMART TALK
by Dr. Will S. Sert

ENORMITY:  Some staff at the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired, myself among them, argue that enormity does not mean great size; it only means monstrous evil.  We warn that referring to the enormity of the President's job may sound politically hostile, or at least confusing.

Yes, it may, says the staff majority, but enormity has also meant enormousness for over 200 years, so I suppose we have to live with it.

Enormousness sounds as uncomfortably bloated as uncomfortableness, so why not speak and write clearly and use immensity or magnitude, if that's what we mean?

Those of us in this linguistically conservative position like to point out that it proves that the majority isn't always right.

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