Sadly, this is the kind of headline that no one who even glances at a newspaper can be unfamiliar with, and this is not just an example, unfortunately this one was real. But I found myself wondering when I saw it just exactly what disgruntled could possibly mean in this context. Aggrieved? Resentful? Full of primal rage? Or just peeved? The more I thought about it, the less I knew about the meaning of this word, its origins or its proper use.
Of course it means at its most basic level "not gruntled". Has anyone ever heard of someone being gruntled, though? If gruntled is good, it can not possibly have a connection to "grunt", which is the only association I can make. Without further ado, then, let's see what it means...
Well, originally I was a bit disgruntled with the results, but I think that I've finally got some kind of a handle on this. "Disgruntled" is one of several words that have a missing opposite root word--not necessarily never there, but vanished from our vocabulary if so. (Interestingly, P.G. Wodehouse managed to let Jeeves bring it almost singlehandedly back into the language, which would be well nigh impossible if it were anyone but Jeeves. You can read an interesting piece on this here.)
A new piece of information for me in a general sense was that dis-, though usually signifying "a lack of" something--disgrace, disgust, distaste-- can occasionally act as an intensifier of something bad already. So "disgruntled" doesn't mean "not gruntled", but extremely gruntled. Hence the "disgruntled employee kills" trope.
But originally (sorry, P.G.) "gruntled" just indicated the repeated action of grunting. And on second thoughts, grunting doesn't always necessarily signify complaint. But perhaps I'm taking this too far afield...
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"But perhaps I'm taking this too far afield..."
ReplyDeleteThat's all right; I won't dismiss your display.
Oh, dear. And here was me thinking I was all caught up...
ReplyDeleteSorry about your dismay.
ReplyDeleteI promise: No more.
That's interesting, I've never thought about being "gruntled" before. I have been thinking about checking out the "Jeeves" series though since I seem to see it everywhere lately. Is it worth looking in to?
ReplyDeleteIs Jeeves (and the stories about the Drones Club, the Oldest Member, golf and Mr. Mulliner) worth looking into?
ReplyDeleteP.G. Wodehouse's best stuff is beyond praise.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
It may dismay Peter for me to say that the television series is excellent as well. But say it I will. If you've ever watched the series House, you may or actually may not recognize a certain actor who appears regularly there.
ReplyDeleteI rented one episode of the Jeeves and Wooster series. It was all right, but Wodehouse is so superlatively good that any adaptation would have to fall short.
ReplyDeleteThe cast had a couple of recognizable names.
In that case, I will add it to my list next time I hit the bookstore, and I'll add the series to my Netflix list. I usually really enjoy Hugh Laurie.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying it's strictly necessary, but the television series might give some context to a 21st century reader stepping into that world for the first time. And in any case, it certainly keeps the spirit of Wodehouse, which was sublime.
ReplyDeleteThe thing for me is that having seen Hugh Laurie do comedy, I find it very sad that he decided he wanted to turn to drama. And people love House, so no one ever tells him he was wrong. The show does sometimes have some funny moments, from what I've seen, but sheer zany brilliance, no.
Or you could read “Jeeves and the Impending Doom,” “Uncle Freddie Flits By,” “Mulliner’s Buck-U-Uppo”, “The Great Sermon Handicap,” “The Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace,” Meet Mr. Mulliner, Mulliner Nights…
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Thanks Peter. I looked up the author and came away wondering where to start. That helps.
ReplyDeleteGlenna, you might start with a collection called "The Most of P.G. Wodehouse" that selects a few stories from among the many series he wrote.
ReplyDeleteWodehouse wrote so much and for so many years, and his oeuvre is scattered across so many different books, that a volume like that could serve any reader well.
One of the delights in reading Wodehouse is that after you've read a bit, you'll start recognizing other authors' tributes to him in their own work. Ruth Dudley Edwards and John Lawton are among the writers who done this in novels I've read in the last few years.
I meant that that collection collectes a few stories EACH from some of his many series. You'll get a few Bertie and Jeeves stories, a few abotu the Drones club, a few golf stories, a few Mulliners, and so on.
ReplyDeletePeter, I do remember seeing that book when I looked on Amazon, I wondered if that was a good place to start with him. I look for it.
ReplyDeleteAs for noticing other author's tributes in other books...that would stack things up even more for me since I would then have to go hunt down the tributes and re-read them. I suppose that's what happens when you work backwards.
Here’s one of those P.G. Wodehouse tributes.
ReplyDelete=====================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
On the off chance anyone is still reading these replies, I picked up P.G Wodehouse's Very Good Jeeves when I came across it the other day. I have to say, I really like Jeeves and these funny short stories are great to read in between dark and gritty crime novels.
ReplyDeleteVery good! That collection contains some of the very best Jeeves stories.
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Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
I'm still reading too, and though I have to admit that I haven't read any of the short stories, I'm glad you're finding old P.G. agreeable.
ReplyDeletev word=haugova, which is that very worst of states, a hangover on top of a bad cold.