Guestmudgeon Jake Cuttler
isn't notorious - yet:
I so often hear the word notoriety in place of
recognition. When a person receives notoriety, it really means that he or she is
obtaining infamy or being known for something bad. Recognition is the proper word when speaking about a person receiving accolades or doing something positive.
I just wanted to point out this common blunder that I must listen to so frequently.
Interestingly, notorious
used to mean simply "well known", but that line of usage is now
considered rare, while the "undesirable" connotation is more
frequent with notorious these days. However, notoriety
is still defined by the OED as "the fact of being publicly or commonly
known", though the Encarta College Dictionary defines notoriety
as "the condition of being well known for some unsavory or undesirable
reason". To be clear, we advise use of the notor- words in
the "undesirable" context whenever possible. Fame or recognition
are good substitutes for notoriety when nothing negative is intended.
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Issue 181, page
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