A Dictionary of Cont..

icanism, however, but a survival in America of
an older English usage.
consign to oblivion as a term for putting something
out of one’s mind is a cliche, the worse for
being used solely by the affected educated.
consistence and consistency are interchangeable
in most uses, though consistency is always used
when “being consistent” (constantly adhering to
the same principles) is meant (A foolish consistency
is the hobgoblin of little minds). Consistence
usually refers to the state, the degree of
density or viscosity (The mud had the cotzsisfence
of pitch), and consistency to the quality of
uniformity.
consistently; constantly. Consistently is sometimes
misused for constazztly. One who constantl,y discusses
a certain subject is one who talks about it
incessantly, unremittingly, perpetually. One who
consistently discusses a certain subject is one
who at all times in his discussion of it maintains
the same attitude towards it.
consistently; persistently. To act consistently is to
adhere constantly to the same principles, to hold
the same course, not to contradict oneself (He
was consistently disagreeable). To act persistently
is to be pertinacious, to keep up an unremitting
pressure, to endure in the face of
opposition (Desdemona persistently demanded
Cassio’s reinstatement and thereby worked her
ruin ) .
consist of; consist in. Consist of applies to the
component parts of a whole (A university consists
of teachers, administrators, and students).
Consist in auulies to inherent aualities (The libera1
value of the scientific discipline consists in
its fostering of the questioning spirit).
conspicuous by his absence. When Tacitus in his
Annals (115 A.D.) remarked that the images of
Brutus and Cassius were the more radiant at
Junia’s funeral because they were not seen at all
(magis praefulgebant qrcod non videbantur), he
no doubt felt a glow of satisfaction at the brilliance
of the oxymoron and inclined his head,
one assumes, in acknowledgement of the murmurous
plaudits of his admiring friends. It was
a good thing, well said, and even Lord John
Russell, seventeen hundred years later, deserved
applause when, in addressing the Electors of the
City of London (April 6, 1859), he observed
that a certain provision in Lord Derby’s Reform
Bill was conspicuous by its absence.
But the thing is now a cliche. Its only justification
is the surprise of its seeming contradiction
and the possibility of surprise has long ago bmeen
dissipated by repetition. It remains a cumbrous
jocularity, a brazen piece of verbose dullness.
constantly; continually; continuously; perpetually;
incessantly. To do something constantly is to do
it often (ffe is constantly tearing up what he has
already written and beginning over again). To
do something continually is to do it at short intervals
(He is continually reminding nze of what
I owe him). Continuously means uninterruptedly
(The witzd blew continuously for three days).
Perpetually properly means continuing or enduring
for ever (The perpetual light of the stars.
Graves for a fee will receive perpetual care),
115 consul
but it is also, in the exaggeration with which
irritation relieves itself, used for continually,
especially in expression of minor annoyance
(The children are perpetually demanding to go
to the zoo again. I have had no leisure; the
phone has been ringing perpetually since you
left). Incessantly means without ceasing and
therefore in its strictest sense is a synonym of
continuously (an incessant noise) but it is used
so much for continually as well that this meaning
must be accepted now as standard.
Of these words, continuous and continuously
also apply to space (The property hne was continuous
with the fence). See consistently.
constitute. See comprise.
constrain; restrain. To constrain a man is to compel
him to do something. He may be constrained
to appear in court or to make good on some
contractual obligation. To restrain him is to hold
him back from an action, to keep him in check,
even by imprisonment.
Constrain may be followed by an infinitive,
as in he constrained them to tell the truth and
I am constrained to believe him, but not by the
-ing form of a verb. We do not say I am constrained
to believing him. Restrain may be followed
by from and the -ing form of a verb, but
not by an infinitive.
constructive; implicit; virtual. One of the meanings
of constructive is inferential, so construed,
deduced by construction. There is a constructive
permission to use a private road, for example,
if it is not marked as private and is left open.
Constructive treason is an act that may be construed
as treasonable.
Anything is implicit which is implied without
being stated. It describes a less formal deduction
than that suggested by constructive. There is
often an implicit consent in the lack of an express
denial.
That is virtual which is such in power, force,
or effect, though not actually or expressly such.
Thus dictators are the virtual rulers of their
countries, though many of them ostensibly hold
secondary positions.
constructive criticism. The demand for constructive
rather than destructive criticism (usually
with an exaggerated emphasis on the first syllable
of each adjective) has become one of the
cant phrases of the day. It is true that under the
guise of criticism mockery and hatred often vent
their spite, and what professes to be a fair and
even helpful analysis of a situation or policy is
sometimes a malignant attack. But the proper
answer to that is to expose the malignance and
so point out that it is not criticism at all.
Most whining for constructive rather than destructive
criticism is a demand for unqualified
praise, an insistence that no opinion is to be
expressed or course proposed other than the one
supported by the speaker. It is a dreary phrase,
avoided by fair-minded men.
consul; counsel; council. The government agent
who resides in a foreign state and discharges
certain administrative duties is a consul. To call
him a counsel or council is a mark of sheer
ignorance.