6.18.2006

homely
i just made a change to the wiktionary adding an entry for homely
- very empowering...
in case it gets erased:
Proficient in skills needed to maintain a home (common usage - Indian subcontinent e.g. in matrimonial advertisements)

my cousins were quite surprised to learn of the common dictionary meaning.
i figure a billion english speakers using it that way has to count for something....

5 comments:

Prasun said...

as of now (march 24, 07) - the contribution still stands...in fact someone added "US only" to the ugly definition

Prasun said...

as of now (july 17, 09) entry has been refined (not by me) to
(Indian) Proficient in skills needed to maintain a home.

Prasun said...

Update: I changed the usage region to Southern Asia

Prasun said...

It seems a couple of months after my last change a user totally revamped the entry taking out all previous definitions (including my own). I wonder how the usage can be officially recognized (although it is anecdotally)

Prasun said...

I wrote Merriam Webster to see if they would add something as they already mention "prepone" in Indian English. Wiktionary now has

(India) Conservative and family-oriented.
Wanted beautiful homely educated girl.

Note the juxtaposition of beautiful and homely!