Barack Obama defense ???

[propel]

OK, so I got a Barack Obama screensaver and I work with a few wing nuts.

I thought I'd heard it all and a wingnut I work with says that the word "left"
means "sinister". Obama is definitely sinister He says...Hey good people, I looked up the word
left and was disappointed to see sinister in the dictionary for the word left, of course there's
more definitions.

Anyway, I think it's still illegal to kill Republicans....darnit. I can't stand the fact that
some people are intent on stepping on any happiness you may have.

[propel]

1. Screensaver

Anyone else use Obama as screensaver ??

[monmouth]

36. Sorrry, only Al Pacino for me....n/t

[Drunken Irishman]

2. I read this post like four times and I still don't have a clue what you're talking about.

[propel]

3. Work

I have picture of Obama on computer (screensaver), a guy I work with goes off on how bad Obama is
and how the word "left" means sinister.

I was wondering if anyone else had Obama as a screensaver ???

[Drunken Irishman]

4. Oh, no.

I didn't know there was one.

[SoonerPride]

5. Tell the McCain means "stupid."

And then show them this definition McCain

[propel]

6. Lobotomy

Sometimes I think those on the right need a lobotomy to get all the nonsense out of their head. This guy actually thinnks those on the left are sinister. Which is hysterical considering the Party He's gonna vote for.

[SoonerPride]

7. Welcome to DU btw!

[propel]

8. thanks

[propel]

9. here is what I found.....kind of weak if you ask me

Main Entry: sinister
Part of Speech: adjective
Synonyms: apocalyptic, baleful, corrupt, dark, despicable, devilish, diabolical, dire, disastrous, dishonest, evil, frightening, grim, left, malicious, malign, menacing, ominous, portentous, underhand, wicked

[Gabi Hayes]

24. weak, as in your reading skills? no offense

you did see that one of the synonyms you LIST for sinister is, uh, 'left?'

what more do you want?

check the rest of this thread for why left and sinister are so closely related

JHC

[Tim4319]

10. When did Dick Cheney jump to the "Left"?

I thought Cheney meant sinister!

[propel]

11. lol

EGGS ACTLY

[Beetwasher]

12. Bullshit, Post A Link

Not in any dictionary that I own does "left" mean "sinister".

Synonyms for sinister in "Laurel's" Synonyms does not list "left".

[propel]

13. WELL

I wasn't lookin' for it but I found it in my dictionary.

I mean I wasn't hopefully lookin' for it.

[propel]

14. bummer....but it is weak

http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/sinister

[Beetwasher]

16. Weak Is An Understatement

Downright idiotic is more like it. Who cares anyway? Tell the guy he's a fucking moron and be done with it.

[Beetwasher]

15. What Dictionary?

Post a link.

[Gabi Hayes]

17. from the latin, into the french

Sinister is originally a Latin term for left or to the left (and by extension, left-handedness), and is used in heraldry to refer to the left of the bearer of the arms, and to the right by the viewer's eyes. It is often used to mean evil.

From Latin sinister (“‘left hand’”) via Old French Sinistra (“‘left’”), Middle English Sinistre (“‘unlucky’”)

you have some REALLY cheesy dictionaries. do NONE of them have any derivations at all?

[Puzzler]

19. Yep...

In Latin, sinister means left and dexter means right.

[Beetwasher]

22. Nope

"I thought I'd heard it all and a wingnut I work with says that the word "left"
means "sinister"."

That's total fucking bullshit. "left" doesn't mean "sinister". "sinister" means "towards the left hand side". Big, big difference.

[Beetwasher]

20. Read What He Wrote

Sinister can mean "on or toward the left hand", as derived from the Latin, that doesn't mean that the word "left" means sinister (which is what the OP wrote). It does not work the other way. There's a significant difference.

[Gabi Hayes]

26. the list you included had "left" as one of the synonyms

spin away

[Beetwasher]

27. Uhh, What List?

I didn't post any list. Spin away.

[Gabi Hayes]

31. got you confused with propel.

apologies

your thesaurus doesn't list "left" as a synonym, but thesaurus.com does

that said 'left' is clearly and definitively derived from the latin for sinister, and connotes very bad things, for the most part

there are exceptions, as used in the medical lexicon:

AS stands for Auris Sinister, which is Latin for Ear Left

sinister MEANS left in Latin

what more do you want?

well, here's some more:

1. Etymology of "Sinister", sexuality and the Left Hand Path

"SINISTER:

ADJECTIVE: 1. Suggesting or threatening evil: a sinister smile. 2. Presaging trouble; ominous: sinister storm clouds. 3. Attended by or causing disaster or inauspicious circumstances. 4. On the left side; left. 5. Heraldry Situated on or being the side of a shield on the wearer's left and the observer's right.

ETYMOLOGY: Middle English sinistre, unfavourable, from Old French, from Latin sinister, on the left, unlucky."1

The etymology of the word "sinister" suggests an association between The Left and something indirectly Satanic. This association was clear in Christianity and especially during Medieval Times.

"Left-hand-path religions are concentrated on individualism, freethought, intelligence and oustanding abilities and gifts. The term "left hand path" may have entered the West's vocabulary from the East via either the teachings of Helena Blavatsky and the Theosophists or from the shamanist Tatar invasions. The association of the left with diabolism, devilry, outstanding talent, psychic abilities and the right with goodness is so ancient it defeats investigation. Christianity and Islam and all other major religions and cultures ostracize left-handers. It may result from the sanitary habits of societies and peoples in pre-modern times who used their left hand to clean themselves after defecation because the right-hand is normally the dominant hand, and it may also result from lefties being better represented amongst the freaks, geniuses and gifted people of the world. In either case it seems that the phobia of strange left-handed people lives in our language and culture."
"The Historicity of the term Left Hand Path" by Vexen


http://www.dpjs.co.uk/moon.html

loves me some Madame Blavatsky, btw

[Beetwasher]

33. I'm Actually Aware Of The Etymology

That doesn't make the claim in the OP true.

"I thought I'd heard it all and a wingnut I work with says that the word "left"
means "sinister"."

That's the claim, and it's bullshit, ESPECIALLY, in the context of a political discussion. The relation between "sinister" and "left" is purely in relation to position or dexterity.

Context is everything.

I now see the post you were talking about with the list, and I find it quite funny that you thought you were excoriating ME about reading comprehension, considering it wasn't even my post to which you were responding.

Apology accepted.

[propel]

21. I'm no expert on dictionaries

The guy told me left meant "sinister"...I don't know where to look....so I looked in my dictionary.....physical dictinary and one of the definitions of left and it says.....

left: a (opposite to right)leftward, lefthand, near, sinister, larboard, port, portside.

But I just found that in the physical dictionary, can't find it online.

[Gabi Hayes]

23. sinister doesn't MEAN left anymore, so the co-worker is technically wrong,

but it clearly derives from the latin, which is the point the ahole was trying to make

the 'left' part has nothing to do with politics. it has to do with the connotation of 'evil,' which is just fine with those of his ilk

I'd guess when the wings were assigned that, perhaps, left was given to that portion of the spectrum which was trying to, uh, 'change' the status quo, and was given the sobriquet by those in power, who naturally designated those in favor of ousting them as sinister, dangeous, evil creatures

as somebody above posted, here are the synonyms listed at thesaurus.com, which does NOT provide the derivation, which has something to do with the left hand of god, at whose side someone quite diabolical sat. could it be......SATAN?

''apocalyptic, baleful, corrupt, dark, despicable, devilish, diabolical, dire, disastrous, dishonest, evil, frightening, grim, left, malicious, malign, menacing, ominous, portentous, underhand, wicked''

[propel]

25. YOU'RE FUNNY DUDE

The church lady reminds me.....He said in the bible Jesus says those on his right will be saved and those on his left will be cast into outer darkness. The guy is one of those hopeless types. I'm keepin' my Obama screensaver though.

[tabatha]

18. sinister, a Latin word meaning 'left'

There are many colloquial terms used to refer to a left-handed person. Some are just slang or jargon words, while others may be offensive or demeaning, either in context or in origin. In more technical contexts, 'sinistral' may be used in place of 'left-handed' and 'sinistrality' in place of 'left-handedness'. Both of these technical terms derive from sinister, a Latin word meaning 'left'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-handed

[MadMaddie]

28. Hey isn't this the same crap they labled, "left handed" folks

as evil. There is not much to say for stupidity!!

[propel]

29. Lefthanders

Actually have a big advantage in sports, your mind and play gets grooved for right handers and it's hard to switch up and play a lefty...like tennis and baseball for instance.

[MadMaddie]

32. I agree with you. There was a time in this country if you were

born left handed your were forced to write right handed. I was ambidextrious when I was a child and I was forced by the schools to write right handed.

[Muttocracy]

30. uh, McCain is a lefty also. As have been a large # of our presidents

Clinton, Bush 1 maybe?

[LWolf]

34. Simply remind him that Obama

is not anywhere close to "left," so he should be fine.

[propel]

35. Obama scrrensaver

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Desktop-Enhancements/Scree...