In the 17th century, it was fashionable to add mar- to various words to suggest the idea of someone who ruins something. A marfeast ruins dinner, a marjoy takes away joy, and a marplot ruins an undertaking by meddling in it. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Mar-, the Prefix of Ruination”
I stumbled upon a surprisingly useful term the other day, marplot. Do you know this term, Grant, marplot, M-A-R-P-L-O-T? It sounds vaguely familiar, but I can’t recall it. What is it?
Well, it’s not that common. It refers to someone who frustrates or ruins a plan or undertaking by meddling in it.
So they mar a plot.
Yes, it turns out that in the 17th century, it was fashionable to add the prefix M-A-R to various words.
Mar as in to spoil or ruin. So a mar feast is somebody who ruins your dinner.
A mar joy is somebody who takes away your joy.
And a mar plot is somebody who mars whatever you’re trying to do.
Somebody could be a mar plot of your life.
Oh, how about that?
Is there an opposite of that?
Somebody who helps you with the plot with the opposite of mar to enable or to improve.
I’m betting our listeners could come up with one.
I’m not coming up with one right off the top of my head.
A prop plot.
A prop plot.
I’ll prop you up.
Prop, plot, fizz, fizz.
Oh, what a relief it is.
