Word for something which isn't what it seems to be
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I recently started learning French and am confused by its pronunciations. The main problem being that the words never seem to sound the way they're written - isn't what it seems to be! (I know English isn't any better, but criticisms of my observations are safely off-topic here!) I need a word which indicates this deceptiveness/inconsistency while not sounding too negative. Because I still am fascinated by French.
For example, here's something I'd like to say: Oh french, you ____________ beauty!
So it really cant be too negative, unless you think the following word "beauty" makes for an amusing/endearing oxymoron. Then if the overall sentence doesn't sound too negative, I'm willing to accept any word.
single-word-requests
asked Sep 19 '16 at 11:58
insanity
4171617
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
I recently started learning French and am confused by its pronunciations. The main problem being that the words never seem to sound the way they're written - isn't what it seems to be! (I know English isn't any better, but criticisms of my observations are safely off-topic here!) I need a word which indicates this deceptiveness/inconsistency while not sounding too negative. Because I still am fascinated by French.
For example, here's something I'd like to say: Oh french, you ____________ beauty!
So it really cant be too negative, unless you think the following word "beauty" makes for an amusing/endearing oxymoron. Then if the overall sentence doesn't sound too negative, I'm willing to accept any word.
single-word-requests
asked Sep 19 '16 at 11:58
insanity
4171617
1
"Devious" seems to fit.
– Snow
Sep 19 '16 at 12:02
@Pete Definition of devious seems to fit the bill.. But with no context, if I just say "French, you devious beauty" will the reader understand that I'm saying so because French words aren't what they seem to be? Given that they at least know I'm talking of the French language.
– insanity
Sep 19 '16 at 12:08
@insanity IMHO, it is highly probable that readers might understand that you are appreciating a feature that is attractive in French language which in turn is misleading that only people who are good in the language would be able to understand the differences, when devious beauty is used.
– Nagarajan Shanmuganathan
Sep 19 '16 at 12:15
have you considered maybe using the word "rascal" instead of "beauty"? I think it would be an easier word to modify to show deceptiveness and still has the connotation you're going for
– gstats
Sep 19 '16 at 14:21
That would be something very like deceptive if the whole idea wasn't drivel…
– Robbie Goodwin
Sep 23 '17 at 2:09
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
I recently started learning French and am confused by its pronunciations. The main problem being that the words never seem to sound the way they're written - isn't what it seems to be! (I know English isn't any better, but criticisms of my observations are safely off-topic here!) I need a word which indicates this deceptiveness/inconsistency while not sounding too negative. Because I still am fascinated by French.
For example, here's something I'd like to say: Oh french, you ____________ beauty!
So it really cant be too negative, unless you think the following word "beauty" makes for an amusing/endearing oxymoron. Then if the overall sentence doesn't sound too negative, I'm willing to accept any word.
single-word-requests
asked Sep 19 '16 at 11:58
insanity
4171617
I recently started learning French and am confused by its pronunciations. The main problem being that the words never seem to sound the way they're written - isn't what it seems to be! (I know English isn't any better, but criticisms of my observations are safely off-topic here!) I need a word which indicates this deceptiveness/inconsistency while not sounding too negative. Because I still am fascinated by French.
For example, here's something I'd like to say: Oh french, you ____________ beauty!
So it really cant be too negative, unless you think the following word "beauty" makes for an amusing/endearing oxymoron. Then if the overall sentence doesn't sound too negative, I'm willing to accept any word.
single-word-requests
single-word-requests
asked Sep 19 '16 at 11:58
insanity
4171617
asked Sep 19 '16 at 11:58
insanity
4171617
asked Sep 19 '16 at 11:58
insanity
4171617
asked Sep 19 '16 at 11:58
insanity
4171617
asked Sep 19 '16 at 11:58
insanity
4171617
4171617
1
"Devious" seems to fit.
– Snow
Sep 19 '16 at 12:02
@Pete Definition of devious seems to fit the bill.. But with no context, if I just say "French, you devious beauty" will the reader understand that I'm saying so because French words aren't what they seem to be? Given that they at least know I'm talking of the French language.
– insanity
Sep 19 '16 at 12:08
@insanity IMHO, it is highly probable that readers might understand that you are appreciating a feature that is attractive in French language which in turn is misleading that only people who are good in the language would be able to understand the differences, when devious beauty is used.
– Nagarajan Shanmuganathan
Sep 19 '16 at 12:15
have you considered maybe using the word "rascal" instead of "beauty"? I think it would be an easier word to modify to show deceptiveness and still has the connotation you're going for
– gstats
Sep 19 '16 at 14:21
That would be something very like deceptive if the whole idea wasn't drivel…
– Robbie Goodwin
Sep 23 '17 at 2:09
add a comment |
1
"Devious" seems to fit.
– Snow
Sep 19 '16 at 12:02
@Pete Definition of devious seems to fit the bill.. But with no context, if I just say "French, you devious beauty" will the reader understand that I'm saying so because French words aren't what they seem to be? Given that they at least know I'm talking of the French language.
– insanity
Sep 19 '16 at 12:08
@insanity IMHO, it is highly probable that readers might understand that you are appreciating a feature that is attractive in French language which in turn is misleading that only people who are good in the language would be able to understand the differences, when devious beauty is used.
– Nagarajan Shanmuganathan
Sep 19 '16 at 12:15
have you considered maybe using the word "rascal" instead of "beauty"? I think it would be an easier word to modify to show deceptiveness and still has the connotation you're going for
– gstats
Sep 19 '16 at 14:21
That would be something very like deceptive if the whole idea wasn't drivel…
– Robbie Goodwin
Sep 23 '17 at 2:09
1
1
"Devious" seems to fit.
– Snow
Sep 19 '16 at 12:02
"Devious" seems to fit.
– Snow
Sep 19 '16 at 12:02
@Pete Definition of devious seems to fit the bill.. But with no context, if I just say "French, you devious beauty" will the reader understand that I'm saying so because French words aren't what they seem to be? Given that they at least know I'm talking of the French language.
– insanity
Sep 19 '16 at 12:08
@Pete Definition of devious seems to fit the bill.. But with no context, if I just say "French, you devious beauty" will the reader understand that I'm saying so because French words aren't what they seem to be? Given that they at least know I'm talking of the French language.
– insanity
Sep 19 '16 at 12:08
@insanity IMHO, it is highly probable that readers might understand that you are appreciating a feature that is attractive in French language which in turn is misleading that only people who are good in the language would be able to understand the differences, when devious beauty is used.
– Nagarajan Shanmuganathan
Sep 19 '16 at 12:15
@insanity IMHO, it is highly probable that readers might understand that you are appreciating a feature that is attractive in French language which in turn is misleading that only people who are good in the language would be able to understand the differences, when devious beauty is used.
– Nagarajan Shanmuganathan
Sep 19 '16 at 12:15
have you considered maybe using the word "rascal" instead of "beauty"? I think it would be an easier word to modify to show deceptiveness and still has the connotation you're going for
– gstats
Sep 19 '16 at 14:21
have you considered maybe using the word "rascal" instead of "beauty"? I think it would be an easier word to modify to show deceptiveness and still has the connotation you're going for
– gstats
Sep 19 '16 at 14:21
That would be something very like deceptive if the whole idea wasn't drivel…
– Robbie Goodwin
Sep 23 '17 at 2:09
That would be something very like deceptive if the whole idea wasn't drivel…
– Robbie Goodwin
Sep 23 '17 at 2:09
add a comment |
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
The Oxford Dictionaries site offers as a definition of "inconstant" the following: "Frequently changing; variable or irregular". Synonyms suggested include fickle, wayward, capricious, volatile, flighty, erratic, mutable, mercurial, and irregular. Any one of these could fill the blank in your sentence.
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
If you want to emphasize that you are frequently tricked into using the wrong pronunciation, perhaps cozening. It's a fairly rare, old-fashioned word that sounds friendly and cozy, but to cozen actually means
a. trans. To cheat, defraud by deceit.
a. To deceive, dupe, beguile, impose upon.
To beguile or cheat into, up, etc.; †to induce by deception to do a thing.
("cozen, v." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2016. Attestations and some additional sub-definitions omitted.)
As suggested by the third definition, cozen and cozening often have connotations of seductiveness, which seems especially apropos for something that is fascinating and beautiful but leads you into error. For example:
No courtesan! Hast thou deceived me then? Tell me, thou wicked-honest
cozening beauty! Why didst thou draw me in with such a fair pretence, why such a tempting preface to invite, and the whole piece
so useless and unedifying? (Aphra Behn, The Feigned Courtesans,
originally staged 1679)
I never did believe in your false face,/I knew you well in every other
thing,/But your fine eyes shone with so bright a grace,/Your features
were so sweet and cozening,/That to your promises my hopes would
cling;/My soul believed in them; and for this I die. (Alistair
Moffat, Tuscany: A History, 2011; translating from Italian)
He was in a manner tricked, coney-caught, a court-dor to a
cozening cotquean. (Anthony Burgess, Nothing Like the Sun, 2013)
So, in your phrase:
Oh French, you cozening beauty!
Note that this is a fairly archaic term; although it is still in use, it definitely has an old-fashioned feel, and some of the recent usages which I've seen don't appear to understand the connection to deception. For your purposes, these facts may be somewhat in the term's favor, as they may somewhat mitigate the negative connotations.
For a more alliterative phrase, beguiling beauty has a nice ring, though I think the connotations of deceptiveness are less clear there.
answered Sep 19 '16 at 15:34
1006a
19.8k33585
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
How about:
Freakish-->Oh French, you Freakish beauty!
very unusual, strange, or unexpected. (Source)
or
Eccentric-->Oh French, you Eccentric beauty!
unconventional and slightly strange. (Source)
or
Egregious-->Oh French, you Egregious beauty!
outstandingly bad; shocking.
Remarkably good (archaic) (Source)
answered Sep 19 '16 at 12:35
Karan Desai
234112
1
Eccentric, yes, I like it. I'm considering "deviously eccentric beauty" now!
– insanity
Sep 19 '16 at 14:12
Please upvote @insanity if you really like the answer. Thanks :)
– Karan Desai
Feb 17 '17 at 5:32
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I came across "specious" when I was studying for the GRE. It seems to fit quite nicely.
As per definition on dictionary.com
answered Sep 19 '16 at 17:11
user196037
323
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
Perhaps "deceptive"? It seems to supply the meaning that you're searching for
answered 52 mins ago
user326610
1
New contributor
user326610 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
5 Answers
5
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
The Oxford Dictionaries site offers as a definition of "inconstant" the following: "Frequently changing; variable or irregular". Synonyms suggested include fickle, wayward, capricious, volatile, flighty, erratic, mutable, mercurial, and irregular. Any one of these could fill the blank in your sentence.
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
The Oxford Dictionaries site offers as a definition of "inconstant" the following: "Frequently changing; variable or irregular". Synonyms suggested include fickle, wayward, capricious, volatile, flighty, erratic, mutable, mercurial, and irregular. Any one of these could fill the blank in your sentence.
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
up vote
2
down vote
accepted
The Oxford Dictionaries site offers as a definition of "inconstant" the following: "Frequently changing; variable or irregular". Synonyms suggested include fickle, wayward, capricious, volatile, flighty, erratic, mutable, mercurial, and irregular. Any one of these could fill the blank in your sentence.
The Oxford Dictionaries site offers as a definition of "inconstant" the following: "Frequently changing; variable or irregular". Synonyms suggested include fickle, wayward, capricious, volatile, flighty, erratic, mutable, mercurial, and irregular. Any one of these could fill the blank in your sentence.
answered Sep 19 '16 at 15:30
user193445
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
If you want to emphasize that you are frequently tricked into using the wrong pronunciation, perhaps cozening. It's a fairly rare, old-fashioned word that sounds friendly and cozy, but to cozen actually means
a. trans. To cheat, defraud by deceit.
a. To deceive, dupe, beguile, impose upon.
To beguile or cheat into, up, etc.; †to induce by deception to do a thing.
("cozen, v." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2016. Attestations and some additional sub-definitions omitted.)
As suggested by the third definition, cozen and cozening often have connotations of seductiveness, which seems especially apropos for something that is fascinating and beautiful but leads you into error. For example:
No courtesan! Hast thou deceived me then? Tell me, thou wicked-honest
cozening beauty! Why didst thou draw me in with such a fair pretence, why such a tempting preface to invite, and the whole piece
so useless and unedifying? (Aphra Behn, The Feigned Courtesans,
originally staged 1679)
I never did believe in your false face,/I knew you well in every other
thing,/But your fine eyes shone with so bright a grace,/Your features
were so sweet and cozening,/That to your promises my hopes would
cling;/My soul believed in them; and for this I die. (Alistair
Moffat, Tuscany: A History, 2011; translating from Italian)
He was in a manner tricked, coney-caught, a court-dor to a
cozening cotquean. (Anthony Burgess, Nothing Like the Sun, 2013)
So, in your phrase:
Oh French, you cozening beauty!
Note that this is a fairly archaic term; although it is still in use, it definitely has an old-fashioned feel, and some of the recent usages which I've seen don't appear to understand the connection to deception. For your purposes, these facts may be somewhat in the term's favor, as they may somewhat mitigate the negative connotations.
For a more alliterative phrase, beguiling beauty has a nice ring, though I think the connotations of deceptiveness are less clear there.
answered Sep 19 '16 at 15:34
1006a
19.8k33585
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
If you want to emphasize that you are frequently tricked into using the wrong pronunciation, perhaps cozening. It's a fairly rare, old-fashioned word that sounds friendly and cozy, but to cozen actually means
a. trans. To cheat, defraud by deceit.
a. To deceive, dupe, beguile, impose upon.
To beguile or cheat into, up, etc.; †to induce by deception to do a thing.
("cozen, v." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2016. Attestations and some additional sub-definitions omitted.)
As suggested by the third definition, cozen and cozening often have connotations of seductiveness, which seems especially apropos for something that is fascinating and beautiful but leads you into error. For example:
No courtesan! Hast thou deceived me then? Tell me, thou wicked-honest
cozening beauty! Why didst thou draw me in with such a fair pretence, why such a tempting preface to invite, and the whole piece
so useless and unedifying? (Aphra Behn, The Feigned Courtesans,
originally staged 1679)
I never did believe in your false face,/I knew you well in every other
thing,/But your fine eyes shone with so bright a grace,/Your features
were so sweet and cozening,/That to your promises my hopes would
cling;/My soul believed in them; and for this I die. (Alistair
Moffat, Tuscany: A History, 2011; translating from Italian)
He was in a manner tricked, coney-caught, a court-dor to a
cozening cotquean. (Anthony Burgess, Nothing Like the Sun, 2013)
So, in your phrase:
Oh French, you cozening beauty!
Note that this is a fairly archaic term; although it is still in use, it definitely has an old-fashioned feel, and some of the recent usages which I've seen don't appear to understand the connection to deception. For your purposes, these facts may be somewhat in the term's favor, as they may somewhat mitigate the negative connotations.
For a more alliterative phrase, beguiling beauty has a nice ring, though I think the connotations of deceptiveness are less clear there.
answered Sep 19 '16 at 15:34
1006a
19.8k33585
add a comment |
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
If you want to emphasize that you are frequently tricked into using the wrong pronunciation, perhaps cozening. It's a fairly rare, old-fashioned word that sounds friendly and cozy, but to cozen actually means
a. trans. To cheat, defraud by deceit.
a. To deceive, dupe, beguile, impose upon.
To beguile or cheat into, up, etc.; †to induce by deception to do a thing.
("cozen, v." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2016. Attestations and some additional sub-definitions omitted.)
As suggested by the third definition, cozen and cozening often have connotations of seductiveness, which seems especially apropos for something that is fascinating and beautiful but leads you into error. For example:
No courtesan! Hast thou deceived me then? Tell me, thou wicked-honest
cozening beauty! Why didst thou draw me in with such a fair pretence, why such a tempting preface to invite, and the whole piece
so useless and unedifying? (Aphra Behn, The Feigned Courtesans,
originally staged 1679)
I never did believe in your false face,/I knew you well in every other
thing,/But your fine eyes shone with so bright a grace,/Your features
were so sweet and cozening,/That to your promises my hopes would
cling;/My soul believed in them; and for this I die. (Alistair
Moffat, Tuscany: A History, 2011; translating from Italian)
He was in a manner tricked, coney-caught, a court-dor to a
cozening cotquean. (Anthony Burgess, Nothing Like the Sun, 2013)
So, in your phrase:
Oh French, you cozening beauty!
Note that this is a fairly archaic term; although it is still in use, it definitely has an old-fashioned feel, and some of the recent usages which I've seen don't appear to understand the connection to deception. For your purposes, these facts may be somewhat in the term's favor, as they may somewhat mitigate the negative connotations.
For a more alliterative phrase, beguiling beauty has a nice ring, though I think the connotations of deceptiveness are less clear there.
answered Sep 19 '16 at 15:34
1006a
19.8k33585
If you want to emphasize that you are frequently tricked into using the wrong pronunciation, perhaps cozening. It's a fairly rare, old-fashioned word that sounds friendly and cozy, but to cozen actually means
a. trans. To cheat, defraud by deceit.
a. To deceive, dupe, beguile, impose upon.
To beguile or cheat into, up, etc.; †to induce by deception to do a thing.
("cozen, v." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2016. Attestations and some additional sub-definitions omitted.)
As suggested by the third definition, cozen and cozening often have connotations of seductiveness, which seems especially apropos for something that is fascinating and beautiful but leads you into error. For example:
No courtesan! Hast thou deceived me then? Tell me, thou wicked-honest
cozening beauty! Why didst thou draw me in with such a fair pretence, why such a tempting preface to invite, and the whole piece
so useless and unedifying? (Aphra Behn, The Feigned Courtesans,
originally staged 1679)
I never did believe in your false face,/I knew you well in every other
thing,/But your fine eyes shone with so bright a grace,/Your features
were so sweet and cozening,/That to your promises my hopes would
cling;/My soul believed in them; and for this I die. (Alistair
Moffat, Tuscany: A History, 2011; translating from Italian)
He was in a manner tricked, coney-caught, a court-dor to a
cozening cotquean. (Anthony Burgess, Nothing Like the Sun, 2013)
So, in your phrase:
Oh French, you cozening beauty!
Note that this is a fairly archaic term; although it is still in use, it definitely has an old-fashioned feel, and some of the recent usages which I've seen don't appear to understand the connection to deception. For your purposes, these facts may be somewhat in the term's favor, as they may somewhat mitigate the negative connotations.
For a more alliterative phrase, beguiling beauty has a nice ring, though I think the connotations of deceptiveness are less clear there.
answered Sep 19 '16 at 15:34
1006a
19.8k33585
edited Sep 19 '16 at 17:24
answered Sep 19 '16 at 15:34
1006a
19.8k33585
answered Sep 19 '16 at 15:34
1006a
19.8k33585
answered Sep 19 '16 at 15:34
1006a
19.8k33585
19.8k33585
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
How about:
Freakish-->Oh French, you Freakish beauty!
very unusual, strange, or unexpected. (Source)
or
Eccentric-->Oh French, you Eccentric beauty!
unconventional and slightly strange. (Source)
or
Egregious-->Oh French, you Egregious beauty!
outstandingly bad; shocking.
Remarkably good (archaic) (Source)
answered Sep 19 '16 at 12:35
Karan Desai
234112
1
Eccentric, yes, I like it. I'm considering "deviously eccentric beauty" now!
– insanity
Sep 19 '16 at 14:12
Please upvote @insanity if you really like the answer. Thanks :)
– Karan Desai
Feb 17 '17 at 5:32
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
How about:
Freakish-->Oh French, you Freakish beauty!
very unusual, strange, or unexpected. (Source)
or
Eccentric-->Oh French, you Eccentric beauty!
unconventional and slightly strange. (Source)
or
Egregious-->Oh French, you Egregious beauty!
outstandingly bad; shocking.
Remarkably good (archaic) (Source)
answered Sep 19 '16 at 12:35
Karan Desai
234112
1
Eccentric, yes, I like it. I'm considering "deviously eccentric beauty" now!
– insanity
Sep 19 '16 at 14:12
Please upvote @insanity if you really like the answer. Thanks :)
– Karan Desai
Feb 17 '17 at 5:32
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
How about:
Freakish-->Oh French, you Freakish beauty!
very unusual, strange, or unexpected. (Source)
or
Eccentric-->Oh French, you Eccentric beauty!
unconventional and slightly strange. (Source)
or
Egregious-->Oh French, you Egregious beauty!
outstandingly bad; shocking.
Remarkably good (archaic) (Source)
answered Sep 19 '16 at 12:35
Karan Desai
234112
How about:
Freakish-->Oh French, you Freakish beauty!
very unusual, strange, or unexpected. (Source)
or
Eccentric-->Oh French, you Eccentric beauty!
unconventional and slightly strange. (Source)
or
Egregious-->Oh French, you Egregious beauty!
outstandingly bad; shocking.
Remarkably good (archaic) (Source)
answered Sep 19 '16 at 12:35
Karan Desai
234112
answered Sep 19 '16 at 12:35
Karan Desai
234112
answered Sep 19 '16 at 12:35
Karan Desai
234112
answered Sep 19 '16 at 12:35
Karan Desai
234112
234112
1
Eccentric, yes, I like it. I'm considering "deviously eccentric beauty" now!
– insanity
Sep 19 '16 at 14:12
Please upvote @insanity if you really like the answer. Thanks :)
– Karan Desai
Feb 17 '17 at 5:32
add a comment |
1
Eccentric, yes, I like it. I'm considering "deviously eccentric beauty" now!
– insanity
Sep 19 '16 at 14:12
Please upvote @insanity if you really like the answer. Thanks :)
– Karan Desai
Feb 17 '17 at 5:32
1
1
Eccentric, yes, I like it. I'm considering "deviously eccentric beauty" now!
– insanity
Sep 19 '16 at 14:12
Eccentric, yes, I like it. I'm considering "deviously eccentric beauty" now!
– insanity
Sep 19 '16 at 14:12
Please upvote @insanity if you really like the answer. Thanks :)
– Karan Desai
Feb 17 '17 at 5:32
Please upvote @insanity if you really like the answer. Thanks :)
– Karan Desai
Feb 17 '17 at 5:32
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I came across "specious" when I was studying for the GRE. It seems to fit quite nicely.
As per definition on dictionary.com
answered Sep 19 '16 at 17:11
user196037
323
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
I came across "specious" when I was studying for the GRE. It seems to fit quite nicely.
As per definition on dictionary.com
answered Sep 19 '16 at 17:11
user196037
323
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
I came across "specious" when I was studying for the GRE. It seems to fit quite nicely.
As per definition on dictionary.com
answered Sep 19 '16 at 17:11
user196037
323
I came across "specious" when I was studying for the GRE. It seems to fit quite nicely.
As per definition on dictionary.com
answered Sep 19 '16 at 17:11
user196037
323
answered Sep 19 '16 at 17:11
user196037
323
answered Sep 19 '16 at 17:11
user196037
323
answered Sep 19 '16 at 17:11
user196037
323
323
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
Perhaps "deceptive"? It seems to supply the meaning that you're searching for
answered 52 mins ago
user326610
1
New contributor
user326610 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
Perhaps "deceptive"? It seems to supply the meaning that you're searching for
answered 52 mins ago
user326610
1
New contributor
user326610 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
up vote
-1
down vote
Perhaps "deceptive"? It seems to supply the meaning that you're searching for
answered 52 mins ago
user326610
1
New contributor
user326610 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Perhaps "deceptive"? It seems to supply the meaning that you're searching for
answered 52 mins ago
user326610
1
New contributor
user326610 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 52 mins ago
user326610
1
New contributor
user326610 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 52 mins ago
user326610
1
answered 52 mins ago
user326610
1
1
New contributor
user326610 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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1
"Devious" seems to fit.
– Snow
Sep 19 '16 at 12:02
@Pete Definition of devious seems to fit the bill.. But with no context, if I just say "French, you devious beauty" will the reader understand that I'm saying so because French words aren't what they seem to be? Given that they at least know I'm talking of the French language.
– insanity
Sep 19 '16 at 12:08
@insanity IMHO, it is highly probable that readers might understand that you are appreciating a feature that is attractive in French language which in turn is misleading that only people who are good in the language would be able to understand the differences, when devious beauty is used.
– Nagarajan Shanmuganathan
Sep 19 '16 at 12:15
have you considered maybe using the word "rascal" instead of "beauty"? I think it would be an easier word to modify to show deceptiveness and still has the connotation you're going for
– gstats
Sep 19 '16 at 14:21
That would be something very like deceptive if the whole idea wasn't drivel…
– Robbie Goodwin
Sep 23 '17 at 2:09