Word of the Week: Otiose

and a discussion of Margaret Atwood, who some are surprised to learn is still alive and kicking

By Cathy Ryan

This week’s Word of the Week is otiose. It is an adjective meaning serving no practical purpose. An older meaning is “lazy” or “idle.” I read this word in a book that I’ve just started, Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin:

This is what is said of him in The Chase Industries: A History, a book my grandfather commissioned in 1903 and had privately printed, in green leather covers, with not only the title but his own candid, heavy signature embossed on the front in gold. He used to present copies of this otiose chronicle to his business associates, who must have been surprised, though perhaps not.

When I looked up this word, I learned that I’d been pronouncing it in my head incorrectly. I was pronouncing the “t” like “teen”, but the “t”, or rather the “ti” is pronounced “she” (although some sources say the hard “t” sound is an acceptable alternative pronunciation). Merriam-Webster’s website provides audio clips of how to pronounce words. I once was told that we should never think badly of someone for mispronouncing a word; it simply means that they learned it by reading, rather than having it spoken to them. And of course, there’s no reason to think badly of someone for reading!

I’ve only just started The Blind Assassin, but so far, it’s fascinating. There is a book within the book. A character, Laura Chase, writes a book which is published by her sister posthumously. Don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler – the very first sentence of the book is “Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a cliff.” The title of the book Laura wrote is The Blind Assassin. Yes, that’s a bit confusing, but not as much as you’d think. I was more confused at first by all the family members, and I’m tempted to sketch out a family tree.

Some chapters of the book (the “outer” book, shall we say?) are chapters of Laura’s The Blind Assassin (the inner book). Then there are chapters in the first person by Laura’s sister Iris. After been given the first couple chapters of The Blind Assassin (inner), I’m now in the midst of several chapters of Iris’ life story, which is interesting, but I’m really eager to read more of The Blind Assassin (the inner book)!

Many people are surprised to learn that Margaret Atwood, best known for writing The Handmaid’s Tale, is still alive. She’s feisty (as one would expect from the author of The Handmaid’s Tale) and recently published a memoir called Book of Lives.

Margaret Atwood

I think one reason some people are surprised she’s still alive is because The Handmaid’s Tale (published in 1984) is so monumental, and seems like a historical classic, like Animal Farm or The Lord of the Flies. Many of us read the book in high school.

Most of you know that The Handmaid’s Tale was made into a television series. But did you know that Atwood had a cameo? She’s the blurry figure that slaps a young woman:

I adore older folks, especially women, who remain feisty, humorous, and troublesome (in a good way) late in life. Atwood even has a Substack website called “In the Writing Burrow,” where she writes frequently (Substack is the platform on which The Record is published). Here is a fun clip from when she appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers a few years ago, and discusses, among other things, flamethrowers:

Most people would agree that Margaret Atwood is the complete opposite of otiose, and I encourage you to check out her other books beyond The Handmaid’s Tale (though if you haven’t read that, it’s really required reading…).

And, yes, otiose works great as an insult, toward people who are totally un-Atwood-like.

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You can read about the previous Word of the Week, nonce, here.