How many times has HP Lovecraft uses the word "squamous" in his macabre tales?

[Generic Villain]

A dozen times? Like twenty-five? Over a hundred?

Answer:

Once, in The Dunwich Horror. That's it.

[Ring_of_Gyges]

A little squamous goes a long way...

[Generic Villain]

That actually surprised me. I read all his stuff and just had the impression he used it way more. Like, that was his word or something.

[Tacticslion]

What's funny is the correct answer was going to be my answer. Granted, it was going to a joke answer, with a "real" one hidden in a spoiler,

like this:

... I'd've guessed about six or so, for stuff like elder things, shoggoths, Cthulhu, and some other eldritch whatever,

... but that's actually really cool. It's still "his" word, though: totally. Though it may also appear in Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland (I'm unsure, but that thing was creepy and "Cthulian" as it were, as all get out), it's basically synonymous with Lovecraft's general oeuvre: it can't be used without people immediately conjuring his stuff to mind.

EDIT: basically, it's so powerful, it doesn't need to be used more. He used it exactly the right a out of times. And, true to form of the things he describes, it's gotten stuck in our collective minds until it's creates its own drowning chorus until we can't hear anything else. What an excellent word choice. :D

[Generic Villain]

Tacticslion wrote:

EDIT: basically, it's so powerful, it doesn't need to be used more. He used it exactly the right a out of times. And, true to form of the things he describes, it's gotten stuck in our collective minds until it's creates its own drowning chorus until we can't hear anything else. What an excellent word choice. :D

I need a word that everyone just immediately associates with me. Unfortunately it would probably be something that everyone recoils from, like "moist" or "slurp." "Pus" and "mucus" are also big contenders.

[Sissyl]

Ok, we need some really bad words to be associated with. How about "superfluous"? "taxation"? Or even "proctitis"?

[Generic Villain]

Sissyl wrote:

Ok, we need some really bad words to be associated with. How about "superfluous"? "taxation"? Or even "proctitis"?

The grossest words in the English language, all in one fun video. Slightly NSFW.

[Sissyl]

Yeah, webinar is awful.

[Treppa]

I didn't recall any occurrences of "squamous", but "batrachian" abounds!

[Ambrosia Slaad]

You could sell chopped spiced shoulder of Leng spider in a can and call it SQUAM.

[thejeff]

A more interesting question is how often has anyone other than Lovecraft used the word "squamous" in their stories?

How about in stories that aren't imitating or parodying Lovercraft?

[Pecan Sandie Duncan]

{consults tourist phrasebook} My Lovercraft... is full of eels.

[Thomas Seitz]

Generic Villain wrote:

Sissyl wrote:

Ok, we need some really bad words to be associated with. How about "superfluous"? "taxation"? Or even "proctitis"?

The grossest words in the English language, all in one fun video. Slightly NSFW.

Thanks Generic. Now thanks to seeing that I'm not as creeped out by Victorian Hair art pieces as I was 2 minutes ago.

[Cole Deschain]

"Cyclopean" was the word I recall him abusing the most...

[Crisischild]

Cole Deschain wrote:

"Cyclopean" was the word I recall him abusing the most...

Blasphem/y/ous was another big one.

He was also a big fan of "singular".

[Generic Villain]

According to that link, "hideous" was his favorite word by a wide margin. Which... yeah, sounds right. "Faint," "nameless," and "antique/arian" are all solid runners-up.

[GeraintElberion]

Cole Deschain wrote:

"Cyclopean" was the word I recall him abusing the most...

I actually think his use of 'cyclopean' was incredibly satisfying.

The Greeks of the Archaic/Classical period lived alongside huge ancient ruins that they could not explain or understand in practical terms (these were the 'citadels' of the Mycenaean and Minoan civilisations which had collapsed over four hundred years earlier.
They described these structures as Cyclopean to explain there construction.
Although in mythology the cyclops were presented as wild, destructive cannibals, dominated by impulsive behaviour (see, The Odyssey) which creates a kind of disonnance.
They also had a myth that these states were controlled by kings of incredible power, the implication being that these kings might command cyclops. Which seems pretty Thassilonian to me! (and, of course, Thessalonika had Mycenaean settlements).

So, Lovecraft taps into a modern perspective of the Classical greek world, using 'cyclopean' to describe something vast whose construction one cannot truly imagine or understand.

[Cole Deschain]

GeraintElberion wrote:

So, Lovecraft taps into a modern perspective of the Classical greek world, using 'cyclopean' to describe something vast whose construction one cannot truly imagine or understand.

Over and over and over and over. ;)

[Bob Sothoth]

I always loved that dude and his circle of friends, even if I never got as much press as my brother.