Hi. I have a question.Folloing is an article that I found.
Dear Annie: My 80-something neighbor, "Addie," is being kept in her home and out of a nursing facility by me. She`s tough but sweet. A lot of neighbors used to take turns helping out, but have dropped off.
If her children would split the work, it wouldn`t be too difficult. Addie needs help with cleaning, yardwork, shopping, cooking nutritious meals, minor home maintenance and trips to the doctor. So how do I get her relatives to take over? She`s very particular, but she`s spunky. -- Worn-Out Woman
On the bottome line, it says "she's very particular,but she's spunky"
I looked up a dictionary to find out the definition of spunky. Its synonyms
are bold, brave, strong and irritable. Let's say she's very particualr, but she's brave. But it sounds weired to me. Could you hlep me out?
2006-08-27 16:27:18 · 8 answers · asked by Bo 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
The use of "spunky" here paints a picture of an old woman who needs help, but is not pathetic. She likes things to be done properly, but she won't whine at her helpers to get them done the way she likes. Instead, she inspires them to do their best work.
I don't like that "irritable" definition. "Spunkiness" seems more of a positive quality than that. Maybe "ready to stand up for herself" would be better than "irritable."
2006-08-27 16:34:40 · answer #1 · answered by miraclewhip 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Spunkiness usually indicates an energetic quality. However, a synonym is not a definition. Synonyms are close in meaning, but not necessarily an accurate definition of a particular word. The synonyms you found do not quite fit the meaning of "spunky" in the sentence you saw it used. I think the writer of that letter was trying to say that the older woman she was referring to was both detail-oriented and lively enough to demand results..... but, it probably could have been worded a little bit more accurately.
I hope that answer helps you to better understand the wonderful wackiness of the English language!
2006-08-27 16:48:23 · answer #2 · answered by Katie My Katie 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure why they chose to use those two words either. I think they might have meant by "spunky" that she's "cool" or "not too picky." There are lots of ways you can use the word spunky. It basically just means "not boring."
2006-08-27 16:34:45 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Another word for spunky to me is feisty. She doesn't take a lot of guff from anyone. In other words she will tell it like it is.
(p.s. Use the spell checker next time)
2006-08-27 16:46:31 · answer #4 · answered by confused 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Spunky is brave and bold. It's usually talking about girls who are like boys- strong emotionally in this situation.
2006-08-27 16:30:41 · answer #5 · answered by Leafy 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
"she's very particular, (means - she likes things done in a certain way or order)
"but she's spunky" (means- she is quick to tell you 'point blank' if you're not doing things in that manner.
2006-08-27 16:42:39 · answer #6 · answered by hope_help 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to the Oxford dictionary spunky means: "Full of spunk or spirit; courageous, mettlesome, spirited", or "Characterized by animation or spirit".
2006-08-27 17:56:33 · answer #7 · answered by mbm244 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Spunky...lots of energy , drive ,,come back and do it again-ness.
2006-08-27 17:42:59 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋