Zerox  +  297501 Sat, 25 Nov 06 12:20 PM Harry was in a fire in which he was badly mutilated. Then he went to London, where the self-anointed, poetry-spouting "monster" displays his hideously deformed body in the taverns.... That is the context explained in my own words. But I'm a bit puzzled with the self-anointed and poetry-spouting. I guess the self-anointed refers to the fire somehow, and does spout in poetry-spouting mean to speak tediously? Please, enlighten me. Zerox Joined on Wed, May 10 2006 Full Member 295 -It is rational that the irrational contradicts with the rational-

	benita  +  297510 Sat, 25 Nov 06 12:47 PM Self-anointed - self-chosen/self-declared Poetry-spouting - to utter poetry in a continuous fluent flow benita Joined on Mon, Jan 31 2005 India Contributing Member 1,667 But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep - Robert Frost

	No-frills  +  297512 Sat, 25 Nov 06 12:48 PM Anointment is the putting (or smearing rather) of oil over a body as a sign of sanctification. This was done in religious ceremonies and coronations to single someone out as important, blessed, superior. Hence "self-anointed" means a self-proclaimed superior, someone with a God complex, someone who thinks s/he can control other people's lives. No-frills Joined on Thu, Nov 23 2006 Minsk New Member 13

	Grammar Geek  +  297576 Sat, 25 Nov 06 05:46 PM Well, No-frills, your explanation is very detailed, but it's a little too specific. As Bentia says, it's just someone who says that he or she is {whatever} without being voted in, made so by others, etc. or without general agreement from other parties that he or she is {whatever}. I can be the "self-annointed queen of desserts" among my coworkers, so that whenever there is a pot luck, I will bring a dessert. I don't have to have a God-complex or think I can control others, but I just say "Hey, I make the best desserts, so I'm the Queen of Desserts in our little group." Being self-annointed can be for big things OR little things. Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,683 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random!

	No-frills  +  297582 Sat, 25 Nov 06 06:20 PM My mistake, however we should keep in mind that synonyms have their shades of meaning, and, say, self-anointed sounds more negative than positive. At least I've seen this word in negative context. The word has retained its original powerful meaning otherwise it wouldn't have survived through history and would've been disposed of as unnecessarily long. a·noint (ə-noint') tr.v., a·noint·ed, a·noint·ing, a·noints. To apply oil, ointment, or a similar substance to. To put oil on during a religious ceremony as a sign of sanctification or consecration. To choose by or as if by divine intervention. [Middle English enointen, from Old French enoint, past participle of enoindre, from Latin inunguere, inūnct- : in-, on; see in–2 + unguere, to smear.] anointer a·noint'er n. anointment a·noint'ment n. I realize that as a native speaker you have a better understanding of meaning. I'm only a person who reads dictionaries and is far from the living and ever-changing essence of language No-frills Negatives, Synonyms, Images

	MrPedantic  +  297633 Sat, 25 Nov 06 11:08 PM I think I'd agree that "self-anointed" has negative connotations, on the whole (in BrE, at least).  There also seems to be a little cross-phrase interference from "self-appointed". MrP MrPedantic Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004 Veteran Member 12,592 ...opella forensis / adducit febris... Negatives

	No-frills  +  297638 Sat, 25 Nov 06 11:46 PM Pardon my ignorance... What do you mean exactly by cross-phrase interference from "self-appointed" ?  Do you mean they are related language history-wise? No-frills