Talk:chary
Latest comment: 9 years ago by Dan Polansky in topic RFV discussion: March–June 2014
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"Sparing; not lavish; not disposed to give freely; frugal; ungenerous." This sense is not in Chambers. Also, the given usex, "I am chary of giving him too many compliments and favours", does not appear to match the sense; here, the word means "cautious", which is a different (extant) sense. Equinox ◑ 22:38, 10 March 2014 (UTC)
- MW Online has: "b: slow to grant, accept, or expend <a person very chary of compliments>", the "expend" element of which is close to the sense challenged. Presumably a search for "chary of gifts|compliments|favors|loans|handouts" would provide support for at least the broader MW sense. DCDuring TALK 23:19, 10 March 2014 (UTC)
- I found sufficient support for it, but I'm skeptical about the breadth of usage in the challenged sense. DCDuring TALK 00:06, 11 March 2014 (UTC)
- The OED has seven senses, most of them obsolete. It doesn't mark this "sparing" sense as obsolete, but I'd be inclined to believe that it is at least dated. Dbfirs 20:11, 11 March 2014 (UTC)
- The OED's cheese-paring, nip-farthing opinions regarding currency will get it, and us, into trouble. I believe the term is in rather common use in contemporary 'Regency Romance' literature, in the cited sense and others. - Amgine/ t·e 22:25, 26 March 2014 (UTC)
- It was my opinion that the sense was "dated". The OED doesn't make that claim. Which other senses are used in contemporary 'Regency Romance' literature? Dbfirs 08:55, 29 March 2014 (UTC)
- The OED's cheese-paring, nip-farthing opinions regarding currency will get it, and us, into trouble. I believe the term is in rather common use in contemporary 'Regency Romance' literature, in the cited sense and others. - Amgine/ t·e 22:25, 26 March 2014 (UTC)
- The OED has seven senses, most of them obsolete. It doesn't mark this "sparing" sense as obsolete, but I'd be inclined to believe that it is at least dated. Dbfirs 20:11, 11 March 2014 (UTC)
- I found sufficient support for it, but I'm skeptical about the breadth of usage in the challenged sense. DCDuring TALK 00:06, 11 March 2014 (UTC)
- RFV passed: some quotations are in the entry. Whether the quotations currently placed for "sparing" should be placed to "Cautious; wary; shy." is not entirely clear from the quotations, IMHO. Dictionaries with a similar separate sense: AHD sense 2[1], Collins sense 4[2]. Curiously enough, Webster 1913 mixes things up in one sense: "Careful; wary; cautious; not rash, reckless, or spendthrift; saving; frugal." --Dan Polansky (talk) 08:00, 28 June 2014 (UTC)