mastrocastro
> turfastro
>
> At 04:33 PM 2/8/2006, you wrote:
>> poetastro
>> riccastro
>> giovinastro
>> maritastro
>> cretinastro
>> stupidastro
>>
>> and I am sure there are plenty more, but at this point I do not know
>> if the above are all right or if I am just inventing,
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Halvard Johnson" <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2006 9:19 PM
>> Subject: Re: etymological query
>>
>>
>>> Also, e.g., "I aster a question that she refused to answer." (dial.)
>>>
>>> Hal
>>>
>>> On Feb 7, 2006, at 6:54 AM, Michael Peverett wrote:
>>>
>>>> for -aster/-astro etc see
>>>>
>>>> http://www.languagehat.com/archives/000869.php
>>>>
>>>> (a great site, btw)
>>>>
>>>> -astro is often pejorative (meaning sham)
>>>>
>>>> medicastro = a quack
>>>> politicastro = a so-called politician
>>>>
>>>> but it can neutrally express near but incomplete resemblance, as in step-
>>>> relation.
>>>>
>>>> - it turns up quite often in botanical names, eg.
>>>>
>>>> "pinaster" - like a pine
>>>> "siliquastrum" - like a pod
>>>>
>>>> Michael
>>>>
>>>> http://michaelpeverett.blogspot.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> In Spanish -astro is often pejorative but not necessarily (as in the step-
>>>> child case).
>>>>
>>>> More or less as in Italian (according to Google):
>>>>
>>>> In italian astro means a sham form of something else:
>>>> medico + astro = medicastro = quack doctor
>>>> poeta + astro = poetastro = poetaster
>>>>
>>>> in spanish I've seen "politicastro" meaning - dismissively - , a useless,
>>>> feeble would-be politician.
>>>
>>> "I don't necessarily agree with everything I say."
>>> --Marshall McLuhan
>>>
>>> Halvard Johnson
>>> ================
>>> [log in to unmask]
>>> http://home.earthlink.net/~halvard
>>> http://entropyandme.blogspot.com
>>> http://imageswithoutwords.blogspot.com
>>> http://www.hamiltonstone.org
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