Several weeks ago Tom discussed the supposed word Constultant which supposedly is the title of a person who gives gives out bad advice or bad information. I loved it. I so needed such a word. However I usually double check what I am told, so I tried to look constultant up in the dictionary. I know Tom said that it came from the Oxford English Dictionary. Unfortunately to use it on line costs 195 dollars a year. My library doesn’t have it and I couldn’t find it anywhere else. So I reluctantly went to dictionary.com which has been very helpful in the past. It wasn’t there. I am so disappointed. I so want it to be a word. I know so many constultants, they really deserve a name. Does anyone out there have access to the OED? Can you confirm the existence of the word?
Tom and Ray are successful because they mix comedy with serious advice. I am sure this word was part of the humor. Do let us know if you find it is a valid word. Google shows a lot of hits, but they all look like typos.
I agree that they mix humor with good advice, but Tom presented this as a strange but true sort of thing. He even referred to a new book that is in my library but was checked out when I looked for it. I think there is a fair chance that it is in the OED, but it is hard to check. I will post if I locate a copy of the OED.
Do you mean “consultant” or the original, nonexistant word “constultant”?
My Oxford dictionary defines a consultant as “1) a person who gives professional advice or services in a spoecialized field, especially on a freelance basis, or 2)a senior specialist in a British and Commonwealth branch of medicine responsible for patients in a hospital”
A number of us are consultants in our own technical specialty, and charge for objective judgement and support to our clients.
Calling car salesmen “transportation consultants” is stretching the definition to the breaking point.
P.S. Constultant is not in my Oxford dictionary. However, the English language is a living language, and maybe in the future we’ll find it there, if enough people start using it like the word “humongous”
I would not be surprised if the Oxford Dictionary added “constultant.” After all, they also added “McJob,” which hasn’t made McDonalds happy.
If I was as interested as you in finding out, I would go to a local book store and check the latest edition of the unabridged OED. If the dictionary has “McJob” but not “constultant,” I would feel confident in the assumption that Tom and Ray made it up.
When our sons were very young we had our dog, Sam, neutered. It was spring and two weeks alter the youngest came in, breathless, and told his older bro that he had seen Sam with a bunch of other dogs, and he wasn’t supposed to do that anymore. “Don’t worry Mike, bro replied, he was probably just there as a consultant.”
So now you know what a consultant is. Forget the OED. Truth comes from the mouth’s of babes.
Um, cute story. However, we all know the definition of “consultant.” The word in question is “constultant.”
The word is probably “conslutitant” which is a paid consultant who will say whatever you want and polish your knob before leaving.
Well, you know what they say about consultants…“If you can’t be part of the solution, there’s money to be made in prolonging the problem”.
Constultant on the other hand…I have no idea.
I’d say it’s juat a combo word, deriving the definition from each of the halves, mix thoroughly, add a pinch of salt, let bake @ 400 for 30 min., sprikle with powdered sugar, serve to un-suspecting inquirer.
my guess is 1/2 CONSTERNATION and 1/2 CONSULTANT = CONSTULTANT
All of us posting here are consutants. Unpaid consultants. We’re offering “expert” advice.
Now if I can only figure out what an “expert” is…