Maybe slightly, but not by much, in general.When you call something "drivel" or "twaddle" is it considered more derogatory than saying "nonsense"?
I don't know if those words actually count as Britticisms. In the song "Trouble in Tahiti" by Leonard Bernstein (American), the singer describes the "terrible awful movie" she's just seen as "What drivel! What nonsense! What escapist technicolor twaddle!"When you call something "drivel" or "twaddle" is it considered more derogatory than saying "nonsense"?
Why do I feel more insulted when something I write is called drivel or twaddle instead of nonsense? The only ones that have called my posts drivel are Brits...so far.I don't know if those words actually count as Britticisms. In the song "Trouble in Tahiti" by Leonard Bernstein (American), the singer describes the "terrible awful movie" she's just seen as "What drivel! What nonsense! What escapist technicolor twaddle!"
I actually edited my post to add a sentence after you had responded, In addition to what I said, I think the general idea is that even an intelligent person will sometimes talk or write "nonsense" (e.g., just didn't get the logic right) but to talk or write "twaddle" or "drivel" requires a deeper kind of silliness or incompetence, maybe?Why do I feel more insulted when something I write is called drivel or twaddle instead of nonsense?
Can you link to a post of yours that's been called drivel? I'm surprised to hear that .Why do I feel more insulted when something I write is called drivel or twaddle instead of nonsense? The only ones that have called my posts drivel are Brits...so far.
Can you link to a post of yours that's been called drivel? I'm surprised to hear that .
To echo @Komodo , I would describe something as nonsense, which I thought was nonsensical, but that the writer could or would normally write good sense. Drivel implies that the writer is capable of no better, while twaddle has an element of childishness. The biggest factor though is simply word choice in the general construction of the sentence and paragraph. Some words just read better in different contexts. We are lucky that English is so rich in synonyms and metaphor.
Balderdash with a sprinkle of poppycock!I'm surprised to hear that...
Nah, he knows who he is.Can you link to a post of yours that's been called drivel? I'm surprised to hear that .
Thanks, I thought there might be other connotations/nuances.To echo @Komodo , I would describe something as nonsense, which I thought was nonsensical, but that the writer could or would normally write good sense. Drivel implies that the writer is capable of no better, while twaddle has an element of childishness. The biggest factor though is simply word choice in the general construction of the sentence and paragraph. Some words just read better in different contexts. We are lucky that English is so rich in synonyms and metaphor.
Not a brit, but although twaddle I like, if I'm trying to be harsh I use "dribble": etymologically similar but a bit more evocative of the infantile, rather than the merely foolish.When you call something "drivel" or "twaddle" is it considered more derogatory than saying "nonsense"?
Not a brit, but although twaddle I like, if I'm trying to be harsh I use "dribble": etymologically similar but a bit more evocative of the infantile, rather than the merely foolish.
"Dribble" creates a picture in the mind.Not a brit, but although twaddle I like, if I'm trying to be harsh I use "dribble": etymologically similar but a bit more evocative of the infantile, rather than the merely foolish.
That is definitely twaddle. I can tell because your roommates in your ward understand you perfectly.I would suggest twaddle is a bunch of wards that seem to have meaning but really do not...
You might actually be broadening the vocabulary of your fellow Americans with this thread.Why do I feel more insulted when something I write is called drivel or twaddle instead of nonsense? The only ones that have called my posts drivel are Brits...so far.
My vocabulary has broadened daily since being here on CARM and more so in my interactions with atheists. I'm thankful for online dictionaries.You might actually be broadening the vocabulary of your fellow Americans with this thread.
I pegged you as a Canadian working in the US. But you're not a Brit.Not a brit, but although twaddle I like, if I'm trying to be harsh I use "dribble": etymologically similar but a bit more evocative of the infantile, rather than the merely foolish.
I'm sorry but this whole thread is total drivel.Why do I feel more insulted when something I write is called drivel or twaddle instead of nonsense? The only ones that have called my posts drivel are Brits...so far.
I took "twaddle" to be a polite way of calling BS. "drivel" is pointless nonsense.When you call something "drivel" or "twaddle" is it considered more derogatory than saying "nonsense"?
Now I can add aussies to my list.I'm sorry but this whole thread is total drivel.