Is it possible to be suave but not debonair and vice versa?
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I have always (with the exception of a certain brand of hair products) heard the word "suave" combined with "debonair" - never standalone (and vice versa). In the past it has been applied to men like Cary Grant ("Cary Grant is suave and debonair"); in modern times, two obvious candidates for such a description are Pierce Brosnan and, say, Ndamukong Suh. But I wonder: is it possible to be "suave" but not debonair? Debonair but not suave? If so, please give some examples. e.g., is Ted Nugent suave but not debonair? Is Barack Obama debonair but not suave? Would it, in fact -- since these two adjectives seem inseparably linked -- actually be a "backhanded compliment" to call someone "suave" OR "debonair" (not both)? IOW, would calling someone suave be tantamount to saying they are decidedly NOT debonair? Similarly, would calling someone debonair be tantamount to saying they are decidedly NOT suave?
They're not synonyms. i.e. I'm happy to drink soave, but dubonnet is for girls.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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I tend to agree with your assessment of Nugent, although I really like some of his music (especially his eponymous offering from the 70s). I can separate the [mad]man from the music.
Yeah, there has to be a separation from the music, I agree.
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I am unable to answer these questions for fear of losing my man card. Sorry. By the way, O is a communist and Nugent is a psycho retard.
As for Obama, I see him as George Bush with a better tan.
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I am unable to answer these questions for fear of losing my man card. Sorry. By the way, O is a communist and Nugent is a psycho retard.
I liked Nugent in his Damn Yankees[^] phase. He certainly knows how to write a hook.
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I have always (with the exception of a certain brand of hair products) heard the word "suave" combined with "debonair" - never standalone (and vice versa). In the past it has been applied to men like Cary Grant ("Cary Grant is suave and debonair"); in modern times, two obvious candidates for such a description are Pierce Brosnan and, say, Ndamukong Suh. But I wonder: is it possible to be "suave" but not debonair? Debonair but not suave? If so, please give some examples. e.g., is Ted Nugent suave but not debonair? Is Barack Obama debonair but not suave? Would it, in fact -- since these two adjectives seem inseparably linked -- actually be a "backhanded compliment" to call someone "suave" OR "debonair" (not both)? IOW, would calling someone suave be tantamount to saying they are decidedly NOT debonair? Similarly, would calling someone debonair be tantamount to saying they are decidedly NOT suave?
Serious question...the answer is, of course, "Yes" because a "No" would be an exercise in absolutism, putting upon me the onus of proving impossibility. OK...Enough with the mealy-mouthing that happens on political fora. With all due consideration given to my brethren and cistern (ooops) forum-mates who did the etymological thing, here's my take from the idiomatic. I can see if someone is debonair. It's a matter of dress and carriage. OTOH, it isn't until I interact with someone that I know if they are suave. Just my thoughts
cat fud heer
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As for Obama, I see him as George Bush with a better tan.
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These are really challenging questions. What a time to be alive !
~RaGE();
I think words like 'destiny' are a way of trying to find order where none exists. - Christian Graus Entropy isn't what it used to.
Rage wrote:
These are really challenging questions.
Yes, yes. They move The Discussion forward and make you think about the important issues in the world. My, oh my. Suave or debonair. :zzz:
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As for Obama, I see him as George Bush with a better tan.
B. Clay Shannon wrote:
As for Obama, I see him as George Bush with a better tan.
Yes, that's true. That's why he was re-elected in 2008, because there were so many people, like yourself, who loved W and wanted more of him in 2008. So since there was no difference they went ahead and re-elected him in 2008 but with a different name. They are both Presidents. They are both male. They both wear suits. They both live in America. They both eat food for their meals. So many similarities and no one would've noticed without your astute political savvy calling attention to this sameness. Oh, now there is a word: Savvy!
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Serious question...the answer is, of course, "Yes" because a "No" would be an exercise in absolutism, putting upon me the onus of proving impossibility. OK...Enough with the mealy-mouthing that happens on political fora. With all due consideration given to my brethren and cistern (ooops) forum-mates who did the etymological thing, here's my take from the idiomatic. I can see if someone is debonair. It's a matter of dress and carriage. OTOH, it isn't until I interact with someone that I know if they are suave. Just my thoughts
cat fud heer
BiggerDon wrote:
I can see if someone is debonair. It's a matter of dress and carriage.
So James Bond is debonair, but not suave? (I mean come on! Shaken?!)
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B. Clay Shannon wrote:
As for Obama, I see him as George Bush with a better tan.
Yes, that's true. That's why he was re-elected in 2008, because there were so many people, like yourself, who loved W and wanted more of him in 2008. So since there was no difference they went ahead and re-elected him in 2008 but with a different name. They are both Presidents. They are both male. They both wear suits. They both live in America. They both eat food for their meals. So many similarities and no one would've noticed without your astute political savvy calling attention to this sameness. Oh, now there is a word: Savvy!
Why would you assume I was a fan of "W"? I am not; I am apolitical. The "red" and "blue" they are described as is, to me, more like gray and silver.
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BiggerDon wrote:
I can see if someone is debonair. It's a matter of dress and carriage.
So James Bond is debonair, but not suave? (I mean come on! Shaken?!)
Au contraire! One can be both, and James Bond is the classic example of that. I've known people who are debonair and not suave. They dress well, carry themselves with confidence and aplomb, but when they open their yaps they're immediately irritating someone. There's a seven letter word that starts with "a" and looks like an asterisk that describes them. Then there are the people who are suave without being debonair. They really don't care about what other people think of them but are great at getting other people to like them. "Charming and disarming" comes to mind. They can also be those asterisk-types but you don't hate them for it.
cat fud heer
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PhilLenoir wrote:
Isn't it rare for the Welsh to be shorter than the English?
No, you have to remember that Welsh is just English spelled by a six year old, possibly with a bad cold:
Hospital: Ysboty (Pronounced eh-spotty)
School: Ysgol (Pronounced eh-scool)
Taxi: Tacsi
Microwave oven: Popty Ping
Carrots: Moron (We aren't big on veg.)
Nothing: Dim
Dough: Toes:laugh:
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
I like Popty Ping - almost onomatopoeic. My Welsh is severely limited, I can't think of much more than Croeso Y Cymru and iechyd da Maybe it's just place names: Llanthony - one of my favourite spots (with Double Dragon on draught) in it's full Welsh splendour is Llan-dewi-nant-honddu. If you've never been and you're in the region of the Brecon Beacons I commend it to you, good food and beer and a lovely setting.
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
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I like Popty Ping - almost onomatopoeic. My Welsh is severely limited, I can't think of much more than Croeso Y Cymru and iechyd da Maybe it's just place names: Llanthony - one of my favourite spots (with Double Dragon on draught) in it's full Welsh splendour is Llan-dewi-nant-honddu. If you've never been and you're in the region of the Brecon Beacons I commend it to you, good food and beer and a lovely setting.
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
I've been there a few times - it's at the other end of the Brecons from me, and I used to pass nearby on my way to Hay on Wye to swap my mother with my elder brother. It's a beautiful area - if a little close to England for my taste! :laugh:
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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I've been there a few times - it's at the other end of the Brecons from me, and I used to pass nearby on my way to Hay on Wye to swap my mother with my elder brother. It's a beautiful area - if a little close to England for my taste! :laugh:
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
Quote:
a little close to England
One of its many benefits!:) When we had shops in Bristol, we could go there for a day trip (possibly including dropping in to Hay for some books.) The walk up to Offa's Dyke is spectacular, especially when the Hawthorn's in bloom. We stayed one night in the Priory a few years back on a visiting our old haunts trip back to the UK. We did clock up a few miles on that trip!
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
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Why would you assume I was a fan of "W"? I am not; I am apolitical. The "red" and "blue" they are described as is, to me, more like gray and silver.
B. Clay Shannon wrote:
Why would you assume I was a fan of "W"
Oh, I didn't know you voted for Obama. That's fine. But I don't think that voting is apolitical. But, if it is, then that is okay too. Voting and not voting, they are the same in an asymmetrical world where not-equal is equal to equal. It's only in the symmetrical world where things which are different, but seem the same.
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B. Clay Shannon wrote:
Why would you assume I was a fan of "W"
Oh, I didn't know you voted for Obama. That's fine. But I don't think that voting is apolitical. But, if it is, then that is okay too. Voting and not voting, they are the same in an asymmetrical world where not-equal is equal to equal. It's only in the symmetrical world where things which are different, but seem the same.
I didn't vote for Obama! The word "apolitical" means "without politics" - I do not vote!
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I have always (with the exception of a certain brand of hair products) heard the word "suave" combined with "debonair" - never standalone (and vice versa). In the past it has been applied to men like Cary Grant ("Cary Grant is suave and debonair"); in modern times, two obvious candidates for such a description are Pierce Brosnan and, say, Ndamukong Suh. But I wonder: is it possible to be "suave" but not debonair? Debonair but not suave? If so, please give some examples. e.g., is Ted Nugent suave but not debonair? Is Barack Obama debonair but not suave? Would it, in fact -- since these two adjectives seem inseparably linked -- actually be a "backhanded compliment" to call someone "suave" OR "debonair" (not both)? IOW, would calling someone suave be tantamount to saying they are decidedly NOT debonair? Similarly, would calling someone debonair be tantamount to saying they are decidedly NOT suave?
suave: (especially of a man) charming, confident, and elegant. debonair: (of a man) confident, stylish, and charming So, in-a-word: no
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.-John Q. Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering.-Wernher von Braun
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.-Albert Einstein -
suave: (especially of a man) charming, confident, and elegant. debonair: (of a man) confident, stylish, and charming So, in-a-word: no
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.-John Q. Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering.-Wernher von Braun
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.-Albert EinsteinActually, based on those definitions, if you were charming, confident, and elegant but NOT stylish, you would be suave (only); and if you were confident, stylish, and charming but NOT elegant, you would be debonair only. It's an exercise left to the reader how you can be stylish but not elegant, or elegant but not stylish. My take on it: Daniel Boone was stylish but not elegant (he was debonair, perhaps), whereas Abraham Lincoln was elegant but not stylish (he was suave, I reckon). So who is/was suave AND debonair (both stylish AND elegant)? Edgar Allan Poe, Bret Harte (the writer, not the pugilist), et al.
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Actually, based on those definitions, if you were charming, confident, and elegant but NOT stylish, you would be suave (only); and if you were confident, stylish, and charming but NOT elegant, you would be debonair only. It's an exercise left to the reader how you can be stylish but not elegant, or elegant but not stylish. My take on it: Daniel Boone was stylish but not elegant (he was debonair, perhaps), whereas Abraham Lincoln was elegant but not stylish (he was suave, I reckon). So who is/was suave AND debonair (both stylish AND elegant)? Edgar Allan Poe, Bret Harte (the writer, not the pugilist), et al.
:-O :~ :rolleyes:
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.-John Q. Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering.-Wernher von Braun
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.-Albert Einstein -
I didn't vote for Obama! The word "apolitical" means "without politics" - I do not vote!
B. Clay Shannon wrote:
I do not vote!
In my books, this equates to "I do not have the right to complain about things that politicians do!".
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