Grizzly/Grisly
The word “grisly” (from the Old English “grisan,” to shudder) first appeared in English in the 12th century meaning “causing great fear or terror or dread, as of death,” but in modern use “grisly” has been diluted a bit, and generally means simply “scary” or, most often, “grim, frightening and shocking.” In journalism, “grisly” has become a euphemism for “brutal” or “bloody” (“Investigation continues into grisly elevator death,” ABC News headline, 12/11). In our house, at least, “grisly” is a code word for “change the channel.”
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Richard Tibbitts:
June 17th, 2018 at 7:45 pm
Dear Word Detective:
Although this is a highly entertaining column, and, generally speaking, very well written, I must remonstrate with the use of a hyphen between an adverb and the adjective it modifies, to wit: “to differentiate it from the closely-related brown bear.”
According to the editors of the Chicago Manual of Style, the -ly ending of an adverb makes it “virtually impossible” to confuse it with any other part of speech, rendering the hyphen unnecessary. Just thought I’d mention it.
By the way, I’m sorry to hear that you’re ill. My best wishes for your recovery.